My Little Pony: Pinkie Pie's Party (Nintendo DS)

I got this game for the sole purpose that it is so easy and does not require much reading, and in that it met my expectations. My 3 year old was able to play it with minimal help, and LOVED getting to open the presents you collect in the game. For any kid over the age of 5 though, this game is going to be WAY too easy. My 3 year old was able to beat it in a couple afternoons with my help, so an older kid could probably start and finish it out in less than an hour. It has mini- games that can be replayed even after you beat it, but they too are fairly simple and would bore an older kid. For little ones though, getting their first DS games, this is a decent beginner one.

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My daughter is not a pony fan. But this was still a great first game for her new ds. It teaches how to move, use the stylus, blow into the airhole, etc. She got it for her 7th birthday. At first she played it non-stop and I feel like it helped her gain "skills" needed to play other harder ds games. Now she still enjoys it occasionally.

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This game is a rather simple one. My 4 year old completed the game the first time within two hours. However, she continues to play it over and over, asking me to 'erase' so she can start it again from the beginning.

The player walks Pinkie Pie around town. The top screen is a map and the next goal is always marked there so you know what to do next. The town is made up of some of the various buildings in Ponyville, most are directly taken from the toyline and my daughter was excited to be able to go inside Pinkie Pie's balloon house, Starsong's bus and the Sweet Shop. The object of the game is to find all 20 presents and 12 puzzle pieces so Pinkie Pie can have her birthday party. This is done by playing mini games and finding presents "hidden" in various places on the game map. Everything is really small and kept compact. Pinkie is controlled with the D-Pad and most mini games use the stylus. There is a bit of text, but the important things are told in voice as well as text, or easily discovered by walking around so even if your child cannot read yet, with a little help things are easy to figure out.

The mini games are really simple but cute. My daughter especially liked the one where you circle butterflies with your stylus and put the seeds in the ground for flowers to grow (dont let the gophers eat your seeds!)

Another nice addition is having the actual voice actress for Pinkie Pie do her voice (the voice for Pinkie in the current pony movies and toys such as the Sing and Dance Pinkie Pie)and including the "real" My Little Pony theme song. Also after you find all the presents you get to "open" them and each one does something different. A simple memory card game, drums to play with, bubbles to blow, a bag that has a string you can pull and make a rainbow come out,etc.

Recommended for My Little Pony fans around the age of 4-6. An older child will likely get bored more easily since there isn't THAT much to do in Ponyville.

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