Cartoon Doll Emporium (CDE) is a website and online community for girls ages 6-16.
CDE features hand-drawn dress-up dolls and literally hundreds of sticker book like activities such as fantasy makers, scenery makers, room makers and dress up games that only require simple “drag and drop” with the computer mouse. Almost all activities are available for free and do not even require players to register.

The doll and fantasy maker activities are well suited for young players. However, we found that some dolls require very accurate positioning of their clothing and accessories, which can be tricky for “mouse” novices. For Tweens and Teens the site offers a surprisingly large amount of quizzes, picture galleries, arcade games, streaming music and a monitored forum and chat. Cartoon Doll Emporium is advertisement supported and therefore free. A special section called the CDE Fanclub can be accessed for a subscription fee of $6.99 a month. The CDE Fanclub features more dress up games and claims a better chance to win prizes.

Overall we were positively surprised by the size and variety of Cartoon Doll Emporium. This site truly DOES offer something for Girls from 6-16.

Visit our CartoonDollEmporium.com Review Page for Screenshots, Member Reviews and more.

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Originally Released for the Nintendo DS, Big Brain Academy proved that Edutainment games can indeed be fun AND educational at the same time. Big Brain Academy for the DS received an above average public reception and media attention. It was therefore only a matter of time until the “Big N” (Nintendo) would release a Wii version of the game.

To no surprise, Big Brain Academy Wii Degree sticks to the proven formula, offering 15 mini games in 5 categories. The games difficulty is geared towards teens and adults, however, with a little help even players as young as 8 can enjoy the game.

Big Brain Academy requires players to solve quick-thinking problems, use their memory, do math and study what they see on the screen to then click the answer.

The individual games are fun and the Wii-remote controls are responsive. However Players will likely burn thru the 15 different mini games quickly. Then comes the learning portion of repetition to increase speed and accuracy.

Big Brain offers 3 Multiplayer games, which unfortunately cannot all be customized in regards of difficulty, which makes the game frustrating for the younger members in the family.

All in all, Big Brain Academy Wii Degree is a step in the right direction for Edutainment Games that is worth checking out.

Visit our Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree Review Page for Screenshots, Member Reviews and more.

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Remeber the Tamagotchi? - The LCD screen handheld digital pet created in 1996 by Aki Maita and sold by Bandai. The Tamagotchi was housed in a small and simple egg-shaped computer. Three buttons allowed the user to select and perform activities such as feeding, playing and checking on its hunger, weight and happiness levels.

“Tamagotchi Party On” for the Wii is none of the above.

Instead, it is a virtual board game for 1-4 players. This game ‘must’ be played by four players, therefore the computer will play for any absent human players. The game-play consists of taking turns to roll the dice and moving ahead the number of spaces shown. The virtual game board has 6 different types of spaces players can land on, each producing different effects. The primary objective of the game is to collect more “Popularity Points” than the other player. The player with the most popularity points wins and is crowned President.

Unfortunately the game-play and minigames found in Tamagotchi Party On are not very entertaining – even for the youngest of players. Also when playing alone, the player must wait and watch until all 3 computer opponents are done taking their turn, which is not our idea of a fun game either.

Visit our Tamagotchi Party On! Review Page for Screenshots, Member Reviews and more.

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Mario Party 8 is essentially a collection of (mediocre at best) mini games designed for the Nintendo Wii and the Motion Sensing Wii-Remote. What makes Mario Party unique is that it takes the form of a traditional board game, with players taking turns to roll the dice block and move ahead the number of spaces shown. The virtual game board has many different types of spaces players can land on, each producing different effects. The primary objective of the game is to collect more stars than the other players. The winner of the game is the player with the most stars after all the turns have been completed.

As with most other party games, Mario Party 8 is best played with multiple, preferably four friends. However, the game can also be played alone or with less then four people, in this case the computer takes over for any absent player.

Unfortunately, the game is not very engaging, making only limited use of the Wii-mote and moves painfully slow. This becomes a real big issue when playing the game as a single Player. In this situation the player is forced to sit and watch until all three computer controlled characters finish taking their turn. Overall, the game relays heavily on luck, which becomes frustrating especially when playing against the computer. Adding these shortcomings to the mediocre and often boring mini games makes Mario Party 8 a very unattractive game.

Visit our Mario Party 8 Review Page for Screenshots, Member Reviews and more.

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Wii Play is a bundle comprised of 9 casual Mini-games and a Wii Remote Control. The Mini-games can be compared to those found in Wii-Sports, which comes standard with every Nintendo Wii. Wii Play features a good mix of small Puzzle, Action and Skill based games. Families will appreciate this variety, as it offers something for everyone. Unfortunately, Wii Play can only be played by 2 Players. We recommend Wii-Play to everyone who is looking for an additional controller: A single Wii-Remote Controller costs $39.99, Wii Play with Wii Remote costs $49.99. Means, for $10 more you get 9 fun Mini-games with a Wii-mote. Pretty much a no-brainer in our opinion.

Visit our Wii Play Review Page for additional information and screenshots.

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