- Go Diego Go! Safari Rescue
- (2K Games, $20)
Explore the savannah with Nick Jr.'s intrepid tyke, using the Wii remote to swim, drum, and paint stripes on a zebra. The developers tested the game with real kids, and it shows.—Ages 2 to 7
- Endless Ocean
- (Nintendo, $30)
Less a game than an experience, this scuba-diving simulator doesn't ask much more of you than to swim around lush coral reefs at a zenlike pace and check out the various colorful forms of sea life that dart across your path. The game's "plot" casts you as a marine researcher out to explore the big blue, but there's no pressure—take time to feed the fish, play with dolphins, and simply enjoy the quiet beauty. —Ages 2 and up
- Enchanted Journey
- (Disney Interactive, $27)
After designing their own princesses—from eye color to tiara style—players enter the richly re-created worlds of Disney's royal heroines. In each, they must help her royal highness save her kingdom from a curse. (Time has stopped in Cinderella's land; music has vanished from the Little Mermaid's.) Casual pacing, cameos by beloved sidekicks, and a fully voiced soundtrack make this one of the smartest games around for this age group, worth overcoming parental resistance to all things princess. —Ages 4 to 9
- American Idol Encore
- (Konami, $40)
Using a mic that monitors pitch, sing along with one of a roster of hit songs, then hear critiques from Randy, Simon, and Paula (or turn the blabbermouths off). —Ages 5 and up
- Kidz Sports Ice Hockey
- (Destineer, $20)
It's ice hockey—but the athletes still have all their teeth. Easy to learn, pick-up-and-play controls allow even inexperienced gamers to take command of a three-person team—boys or girls—and hit the ice for quick-paced action. Playing well earns power points that players can call upon to perform fun fantasy moves that are more Cartoon Network than NHL. Bonus mini games let you take on some target practice or try your turn behind the goalie mask. — Ages 5 and up
- Dewy's Adventure
- (Konami, $50)
In order to save a mythical life-giving tree from an army of anthropomorphic pollutants, players take control of the most unlikely of heroes—a drop of water. By simply tilting the Wii's motion-sensitive remote in various directions, you guide "Dewy" through mazes and past enemies. In a truly ingenious twist, you also control the temperature in the Land of Eau—and with it, Dewy's physical state. Make it hotter and Dewy turns into a mist, capable of floating over obstacles. Or bring the mercury down to solidify an ice version of Dewy that can slide faster and freeze foes. The fantasy, action, and science all mingle remarkably well. — Ages 5 and up
- Fishing Master
- (Hudson Entertainment, $40)
Stand up and get ready for some exercise. After whipping your arm overhead to cast the line, rotating your hand to reel in your catch, and tugging the pole (that is, your Wii remote) back and forth to keep that giant sea bass from getting away, you'll realize what a physically demanding sport fishing can be. In this take-it-at-your-own-pace game, you'll hit dozens of fishing spots all over Japan, exploring salt water and fresh, deciding which types of bait and lures to use, and hauling in more than 100 breeds of fish, from trout and minnows to eels and blowfish. Up to four players can compete for the biggest catch. — Ages 5 and up
- Tamagotchi: Party On!
- (Namco/Bandai, $40)
You probably remember Tamagotchi, the digital pet that '90s tweens kept getting in trouble for playing with at school. Well, these pseudo-animals are still around—but there's no pet-rearing here. In this incarnation, four players hit the campaign trail to see whose Tamagotchi will be elected president. Moving around a game board and engaging in a series of challenges, the candidates shake hands, wave to crowds, make speeches, and, of course, buy decorations for their headquarters. In the end, the most popular one wins. — Ages 5 and up
- Cooking Mama: Cook Off
- (Majesco, $50)
You can't eat the dishes you prepare in this game, but that's about the only real culinary action you won't take. Following more than 50 recipes from various global cuisines, you wield your Wii remote as the ultimate multipurpose utensil: It's your knife as you flick your wrist up and down to chop veggies, your mixing spoon as you stir giant bowls of batter. The cartoonish Mama, always ready with a word of encouragement, presides over the proceedings. As the subtitle implies, two players can also challenge each other, Iron Chef style, to create the best virtual dish. — Ages 5 and up
- Kororinpa: Marble Mania
- (Namco/Bandai, $40)
Remember Labyrinth, the classic game in which you tilt the board to steer the ball to the goal? Marble Mania is a lot like that—only the wooden maze has been replaced by more than 40 dynamic, fantastical environments. Whether the course is set in a blooming garden or in a candy land of sugary treats, you balance and shift the Wii remote to control the movement of the "board." The paths you need to follow get trickier as the game progresses, so even the most patient child will have to develop the concentration of a Zen master to get to the highest level. — Ages 6 and up
- Cranium Kabookii
- (Ubisoft, $30)
Just as it did with its many board games—which allow players who don't excel at art, for instance, a chance do well at puzzles, trivia, or charades instead—Cranium has designed this video game with multigenerational play in mind. Team members pass around the motion-sensitive Wii remote for use in various challenges: Draw a picture for teammates to guess, act out a series of motions (using a hammer, rowing a boat), unscramble anagrams, or hit the notes of a song. Win or lose, fun will be had. — Ages 6 and up
- Nights: Journey of Dreams
- (Sega, $50)
Aided by a shape-changing harlequin named Nights, a sleeping child must save the dreamworld from a nightmare infestation. Flying, appropriately, is a big part of the action; most of the levels keep you airborne, weaving through a surreal obstacle course as you try to, say, hop on the back of a mythical bird. Nights morphs from a rocket to a dragon to a dolphin to get you wherever you need to go. The Dali-esque art direction makes watching this game almost as much fun as playing. — Ages 6 and up
- Ben 10: Protector of the Earth
- (D3 Publishers, about $30)
Just as he does regularly in his hit Cartoon Network series, prepubescent hero Ben must save the world from an extraterrestrial invasion. The action is fast and furious, requiring quick reflexes and even quicker thinking. With his unique superpower, Ben can transform into any of 10 different alien superheroes (hence the name), each of which has its own special skills. As challenges present themselves in the game, players must decide which of Ben's personae will best fit the situation. — Ages 6 and up
- Elebits
- (Konami, $40)
This game gives classic hide-and-seek a high-tech spin. Its premise is that elebits, wee Pokémon-like creatures, are the true source of the world's energy. So you roam your house in search of them, wielding the Wii's remote like a laser pointer to pick up obstacles, then tossing them away with a flick of the wrist so you can collect the critters behind them. At the start, you can only move small items like books and toys, but the more elebit energy you discover, the stronger you get. By the end, you'll be shoving aside refrigerators and picking up cars to find the sneaky little sprites. — Ages 6 and up
- Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
- (Activision, $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
