- Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
- Activision, for Nintendo Wii, $22
The Tony Hawk series of skateboarding games has been wowing players for years—but the Wii's motion-sensitive remote control makes the latest version the most exciting yet. In your hands, the controller becomes the skateboard: As you slalom through treacherous courses, tilt it left or right to cut hairpin turns, hold it steady to stay balanced along rails, and twist it to perform tricks. True to the genre's punk roots, the game does reward certain aggressive acts, like knocking over opponents, but at heart it's about speed and dexterity.—Ages 10 and up
- Charlotte's Web
- Sega, for Nintendo DS, $30
There's simply no children's character sweeter than Wilbur the pig from Charlotte's Web. His tender earnestness carries over into this video game, which is based on the characters from the 2006 live-action film—there's only the faintest wisp of E. B. White's classic plot here (then again, Wilbur's life story doesn't exactly lend itself to video-game action). Here, kids direct Zuckerman's famous pig around the farm, where he explores and helps out his animal buddies in various ways—finding shoes, say, for his equine friend Ike, or collecting the windblown eggs of the titular spider. Even more appealing than the main game are the plentiful mini-games, which present clever brain teasers in fun and engaging formats, such as plucking letters from a web to create words, or sliding bales of hay back and forth to free Wilbur from a barn maze.—Ages 5 and up
- Thrillville
- LucasArts, for PS2, Xbox, and PSP, $40
In this fantasy-fulfillment game, players build a theme park from the ground up—;choosing rides, setting up midway games, designing roller coasters, hiring a staff. But unlike in other simulation games, kids don't play from an omniscient perspective; instead, they get characters who can run around and interact inside the world they've built: taking a spin on any ride, testing their skills at any of the game kiosks, even chatting with other park patrons. In multiplayer mode, up to four players can challenge one another at mini-games like bumper cars, trampoline stunts, or shooting galleries. (Fair warning: There is some gun use in Thrillville, but just in carnival games.) They also have to keep up the park, though—and that means using repairmen to patch circuitry on the rides, making groundskeepers sweep up litter, training costumed entertainers to dance, and keeping up with finances. The whole experience is likely too complicated for younger kids to keep up with, but for the right child, there's a lot to learn here, as well as a great deal of fun—this is an amusement park, after all.—Ages 6 And Up
- Viva Piñata
- Microsoft, for Xbox 360, $50
The games available for the high-powered next-generation Xbox 360 console are almost exclusively aimed at an older audience, but if you've got a young player who wants in on a big brother's or sister's gaming action, there's finally a title for the little ones. The vibrant, colorful Viva Piñata offers children an in-depth—if somewhat surreal—look at the food chain and the circle of life. Players start off with a barren tract of land, which they will, over time, transform into a fertile, verdant garden. But the goal isn't just to grow vegetables and pretty flowers—it's to attract piñata animals. You see, this garden happens to be located on Piñata Island, which is inhabited by papier-mâché creatures. Simply tilling the soil should be enough to attract piñata worms; the worms will, in turn, draw piñata birds into your garden. Planting certain crops can also entice animals to choose your little kingdom for their home (carrots, for example, will bring piñata rabbits). Once the animals arrive, the player must keep them housed and well fed. Kids can try to fill their garden with as many species as possible—horses, foxes, bees, elephants, and many more—or they can choose to focus on building a thriving community of one particular breed. And if a predator should come lurking—recall what we said about the food chain?—the player can come to the rescue by breaking the intruder open with a gardening shovel. (It must be remembered that these are piñatas, after all.) If a child does lose one of his animals, don't worry—the piñata's spirit lives on and can inhabit another frilly straw host body. As odd as the premise is, this game is brilliant, both in aesthetics and design, providing players with a thoroughly captivating experience.—Ages 5 and up
