Family Fun Winner! 

VTech Electronics, 2008; $59.99; www.vtechkids.com; for ages 4 to 10. “Awesome fun!” say our kid testers, who unanimously agreed that this was one of the coolest toys they’d seen in a long time. This stand-alone, interactive music station lets kids create and record their own songs and music, and mix from 20 kid-themed songs. Kids experiment with multiple musical sounds, stylings and rhythms. A microphone enables kids to create voice effects; a detachable player lets them take their latest hits wherever they go.

 

Piano Made Easy
 

Crayola Undersea Adventures: Color Stories Interactive DVD, Screenlife Games, 2009; $19.99; www.screenlifegames.com; ages 3 to 4.

 

Requires: DVD player or PC, with crayons and coloring book. Kids are fascinated by life in the ocean. This DVD-driven creativity kit introduces them to some interesting facts through engaging stories with characters from the popular line of Undersea Adventures, while encouraging creativity and supporting their awareness of different colors, sizes and shapes.
 

Tikatok™, Tikatok, 2007; free online creativity and about $20 to print books and $2.99 for eBooks; www.tikatok.com; ages 6 to 8.

 

Requires: Web browser and Flash. The concept is simple: kids write, illustrate and publish their own books. Using digital tools that guide them through the process of writing and illustrating stories from their own imaginations, kids create and share their books online with other Tikatok members or order printed hard- or soft-cover editions for family and friends. This electronic and custom publishing site is a terrific way to inspire and motivate kids to write.
 

Family Fun!

 

Trivial Pursuit, Electronic Arts, 2009; $19.95 for XBox360, PS3 and Wii; www.trivialpursuit.ea.com; ages 12 and up.

 

Trivial Pursuit has come a long way since the first pie-cluttered boards appeared in the early 1980s. And, while some purists may object to the visual prompts and rich graphics that drive the latest console versions of the game, playing this classic in new ways can be lots of fun. With different modes for individual and team mode, players can track their performance in specific categories and compare with others. This is a great game for families and friends to play together, especially the “I didn’t know that” and “Do you remember when?” questions, which prompt players to share stories or teach others.  
 

Brighter Minds Media, 2008; $19.95; www.brightermindsmedia.com; for ages 4 to 6. Requires: Windows 2000, XP or Vista, or Macintosh OS X 10.3.9 or newer. With old pal Bob the Builder, the goal is to build five new habitats for the babies that have just arrived at Bobland Bay Zoo. While kids create their own story scenes and earn stickers, they’re learning to identify tools, organize and sort, develop memory and hand-eye coordination, identify shapes and colors, and exercise basic problem solving, planning and time sequencing. Even some of our older kid testers said, “This one is really fun!”

Spore™ Galactic Adventure, Maxis/Electronic Arts, 2009; $29.99; www.spore.com; ages 12 to 14.

 

Requires: Web browser and valid EA Spore account. Expands the Spore universe, in which players create and evolve their own creatures, and lets players beam down to exciting new worlds.

 

Although Maxis has created some terrific missions for out-of-the-box play, the magic of this game emerges as players create their own customized game experiences by creating and evolving their own creatures with the “Adventure Creator.” This powerful engine is more than a modding tool or level editor. It’s downright brilliant! For gamers who have always dreamed of creating levels like the pros, the “Adventure Creator” gives players complete freedom to create missions with almost limitless characters, settings, music and sound effects. Will Wright and the team at Maxis continue to push the limit on what games can truly be!  
 

Splatster, Fisher-Price, 2009; $54.99; www.fisher-price.com; ages 3 to 5. 

 

This wireless “paint brush” controller works with a base that connects easily to a TV. Wildly fun, Splatster enables mess-free fun on the TV screen by inviting youngster to exercise their creativity in one of eight different studios that include stencils, faces, and spin art, as well as arcade-style games like “Feed the Monkey” and “Duck Wash.” Creations can be saved to USB Flash drives and printed from home computers.  Mom, Dad, and older sibs can try their hand at this fun new product from Fisher-Price, too.

“Our kid testers loved this one.”
– Judge
 

Pangya: Fantasy Golf, TOMY Corporation, 2009; $29.99; www.tomy-USA.com/videogames; ages 9 to 11.

 

Requires: Sony PSP. This simple but highly robust little game invites players to play golf in a fantasy world. One of our kid testers spent the better part of our testing time advancing through the various magical golf “courses,” noting that she just couldn’t put it down. 

Smith Micro Software, 2008; $49.99; www.mysmithmicro.com; for ages 9 to 11. Requires: CD-ROM for Windows 2000, NT, XP or Vista; Tablet PC; or Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher.
ArtRage 2.5 is awesome! Kids experiment with different kinds of virtual paint tools and styles, including oils, palette knife, pencils, chalk, airbrush, rollers and glitter – all without the fuss, mess and expense of fully stocking an art studio. Kids have virtual stencils and tracing paper features at their disposal to help get them started. An easy-to-use interface and tutorials help them understand the basics of creating great art.

Wizard 101, Kings Isle Entertainment, 2009; Free trial with family subscription packages from $6.95 per player/month to $79.95 per family/year; www.wizard101.com; ages 8 to 12.

 

This multi-player online adventure game encourages social activity and collaboration among players. While other online fantasy games may be too mature for some kids, Wizard 101 hits a nice balance among fun, adventure and competition as players are summoned to help save Wizard City.

 

The Wizard Creator is a fun little entry point for kids to answer questions about their preferences before it suggests where they be assigned to the wizard schools of Ice, Balance or Myth, among others. While many of this year’s NAPPA winners offer fun for family around console games, Wizard 101 is a nice alternative for parents and kids to experience an online game together.