Tuesday, December 14, 2004

Software gives kids visions of holiday fun

By Jinny Gudmundsen / Gannett News Service

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Want to deck your hard drive with holiday-themed software for kids? The "Nutcracker Music Game" is a spectacular way to expose children to the music of Tchaikovsky while they interact with engaging music games. "The Polar Express," the video game accompaniment to the holiday movie, has fun games and puzzles, but its "save game" feature might leave kids frustrated.

'Nutcracker Music Game'

The 2004 version of "Nutcracker Music Game" - the original was first released three years ago - showcases music from the London Symphony Orchestra and replaces sounds created by a synthesizer with sounds from traditional musical instruments. This version also introduces a new "Tetris"-type game where kids sort musical instruments by families as they float down the screen.

This musical software adventure was great before, and now it is even better. Of particular note are the 16 musical jigsaw puzzles, where children recreate the music of "The Nutcracker Ballet" by correctly combining musical instruments.

Score: 5 stars (out of 5)

Best for ages 4 and up

From Music Games International, www.KidsMusicStage.com, $20, Windows.

'The Polar Express'

"The Polar Express" has all the trappings of a great children's video game: terrific graphics, seamless integration of video sequences from the movie, memorable characters, and whimsically fun games and puzzles. It's too bad this well-conceived game is hampered by a poorly designed "save" feature.

Instead of letting kids savor their victories of outplaying a wry jack-in-the-box in a game of tennis or defeating a railway car full of toys in a food fight, the game ties multiple activities together with one "save" point. Frequently, the last activity in the sequence is so difficult that children must replay it several times, which forces them to repeat the previous three or four activities as well.

The frustration level will be too high for younger gamers (ages 5 to 7), but determined older gamers, while annoyed by the forced repetition, will find the game interesting to explore.

Score: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Best for ages 8 to 12

From THQ, www.thq.com, PlayStation 2 and GameCube $29.95; Windows $19.99.

-- Gudmundsen is the editor of Computing With Kids magazine ( www.ComputingWithKids.com ).