Zhu Zhu Pets Review (DS) NOT FOR ADULTS!

Zhu Zhu Pets may be relatively new on the market, only having come out in 2009, but they have created quite a stir in kids all over America. So it was only natural for there to be a DS game to come out for the cute little purring and cooing critters. But would it be any good? Well Cepia LLC teamed up with Activision to bring out Zhu Zhu Pets for the Nintendo DS and it's a cute little game.

You start with one Zhu Zhu hamster, but, after some playing around, you quickly start to unlock more furry little friends along with more games, more items for their home... does it ever stop?

The Zhu Zhus will wander on their own, if left alone, but to take them to the bathroom, to the food bowl, or even to the racetracks, you just need to place the DS stylus on them and move them to the area that you wish. And the little guys will let you know when they need something too, so there's no guess-work like there is in Tamagotchi. And all the actions are quick, so even sleeping takes just a few seconds. This way, you can get back to the action as soon as possible.

For a kid's game, Cepia really worked hard at making the Zhu Zhus look like little animated versions of the toys. The characters are cute and the animation is not choppy at all. Some of the items are a bit too plain for older players, but everyone will know right away what is the water bowl and what is the food dish. Sure the sprites of the characters may look plain, but they aren't trying to be something that they aren't. This isn't a thrilling tale about pirates or an alternate world with wizards. It's hamsters. So, really, the bright and friendly colours are all that is needed here.

The music is not a big part of this game and is mostly just so you can have something going on in the background so the game doesn't become boring. And, for the most part, the music is actually ok. Parents won't be cringing every time their kids turn on the game and kids probably won't be turning the volume down.

The voice actress, however, is a bit annoying. Ok, a LOT annoying. Even kids agree that her sugary voice (my words, not theirs) is just a bit too much. I think companies really need to look back to the days of the 'big purple monstrosity' and remember that talking to kids in a condescending tone doesn't work. And yes even though this game is aimed towards the younger kids, kids know when something is 'genuine', and this voice is not.

Usually for kids, games with hidden secrets in them can be complicated and confusing to understand and unlock, but not here. In fact the instruction booklet tells you everything you need to know on how to get more toys for your Zhu Zhus and how to get more, and different, hamsters. Even for the littlest of players, it is never too tough to know what to do for any of the many areas of the rooms. And, with more rooms unlocking all the time, there is plenty to do and it will never get old.

Some of the rooms do get more difficult and really help with that ol' hand-eye-coordiantion thing people like to talk about in video games so much. Well, it's true here. Parents might even enjoy trying their hand at getting Nibbles to the goal in time to get a gold trophy cup, while still trying to get as many coins and carrots as they can.

One of the missed opportunities of this game is that, with the internet connectivity of the DS, that compatibility with the online Zhu Zhu Pets website could have been possible. It would have been a nice addition to the game to be able to bring things you have unlocked on the website into the DS game.

Even bringing in your own hamsters that you had put in their respective codes would have been a nice touch.

Otherwise, this is a decent game version of the toys and I think that kids will enjoy this version a lot. And the addition of a baby Zhu Zhu will surely cause this game to fly off the shelves when collectors, young or old, get near.

On a Kid's 1-10 scale