Review by Lisa Shea:

In martial arts, nunchucks are a pair of short wood rods connected with a chain that ninjas whirl around their bodies With the Wii, the nunchuck is a single controller held in your off hand.

The nunchuck is not the main controller unit for the Wii. The Wii primarily uses the Wii Remote, shaped like a TV remote, for its functionality. The Nunchuck is for use in the "other hand" (i.e. your left hand if you're right handed) just for a few games. It plus into the bottom end of the Wii Remote with a cable that's about 2 1/2 feet long. Most of the time, you leave it unplugged and sitting by the console.

For example, in the sports pack that comes with the Wii, only one of the five games uses the nunchuck. This is the boxing game. You use the nunchuck to hit with your off hand, just as you use the Wii remote to punch and jab with your primary hand.

The nunchuck has the same motion sensing technology as the Wii remote does, so that you can move your hand around and the game knows what you are doing. The buttons are much simpler - there is a Z big trigger button, a smaller C trigger button above it, and then a joystick up on top. For some games, no buttons are used at all.

The cable length is designed so you don't trip yourself with it It's long enough that if you held your hands apart, you could easily ride even a wide-handled bike. It's not long enough that you could put both arms straight out to the left and right, though. I've never had any problems with the cable length hindering me. None of the games require you to have your hands far apart. In boxing, for example, your hands are always near each other and there's plenty of cable length even when you're jabbing.

The nunchuck doesn't need its own power - it plugs into the Wii remote controller when it's in use. So there's no worry about charging up or batteries.

I would definitely have at least one functional nunchuck for my Wii, and if you're really into multiplayer two-handed games like boxing matches, then having two would be important. However, for most gamers, one will probably suffice!

Review by MastrCake:

In case you are unfamiliar with the Nunchuk, it is an accessory that simply plugs into the bottom of any Wii Remote. You may have seen Nintendo saying things like "with the Wii Remote, to hit a tennis ball, simply swing the Wii Remote". This is true for some games, for many others, it is not that simple.

How would one play a game like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess without a Nunchuk? How would you control your character and swing your sword? Would you simply use the + control pad (on top of the Wii Remote) to move your character, and when you get some action, start swinging? How would you move around while in combat? Why am I asking so many questions?

This is where the the Nunchuk adds depth and variety to games like Zelda. The Nunchuk has two buttons (Z and C) and an Analog Stick. In Zelda, the Analog Stick is used for character movement, the Z button is for aiming, and the C button is used to look around. Some games use them (Zelda, Metroid Prime 3 etc.) and some don't (Boxing in Wii Sports... I think that's it). But the most innovative feature of the Nunchuk isn't ON the Nunchuck, but rather IN it.

It has a built-in accelerometer, which in human terms, means that it shares some of the motion-sensing abilities with the Wii Remote. What kind of motion-sensiing abilites you may ask? I'll give some examples.

When you shake the Nunchuk in Zelda, you do a spin-attack. When you "punch" with it in Boxing (included in Wii Sports), you punch the character you are fighting against. It may not have the pointing abilites of the Wii Remote, but it shares the core motion-sensing abilites, which it also shares with products like the iPhone and SIXAXIS PS3 controller.

To summarize, the Nunchuk attachment isn't only a cool add-on for the Wii Remote, but it is a neccessary add-on for the Wii Remote. It will set you back around , but it is better to buy it now than hear your kids endlessly nag you about it. They are very durable, very innovative, and very fun.

Review by Glenn Ware:

I have never owned a Mario Kart before so can't compare to the other versions but this one for the Wii is a fun game. I was worried before I bought that the Wii wheel would not work very well. I was way wrong, I think it works very well.

The tracks and game play are a lot of fun for someone of any age. The game is easy to learn for beginners and is fun for the more experienced gammer. The game reminds me of something you would play at an arcade with all kinds of things going on as you drive through the course. Playing against friends is a lot of fun a well.

I tried out the on line play and it was a blast. I just had fun compared to some of the xbox/ps3 on line racing games where it can be stressful trying to compete and listening to angry 13 year olds.

If you are looking for a game that is fun for the family, especailly the kids, I would pick this one up. Its easy to learn and a lot of fun to play.

Review by Michael Kerner:

Undoubtingly, Nintendo has really showed more muscle within their games for the Wii this past year. With games that really stretched beyond the imagination for fans like Super Mario Galaxy, which re-defined Mario alone in adventures, and the battle smashing action of Super Smash Brothers Brawl that dominated fans hearts all around the worls, Nintendo really shows what it takes to make great video games. But, that also can be said with the Mario Kart series, which finally makes it debut on the Wii. But, following the innovation that Mario Kart DS had from the Nintendo DS wasn't so easy, largely because it was the first DS handheld title to use the Wi-Fi online gaming to an outrageous excitement for gamers all around the world. Now, it is time for the Wii to take that on and race to the checkered flag.

Mario Kart Wii for the Nintendo Wii, brings in all that fast-paced excitement racers have wanted and even more. The game adds a whole lot of new and exciting features to use. You can now race as many as 12 racers online through the online gaming, and bring the action over the top, and use that skill and excitement on over 40 different tracks: 10 battle tracks and 32 exciting race tracks that are both new and featured from the earlier Mario Kart games like D.K. Jungle Highway and Sherbet Land from Mario Kart 64. The new tracks are also exciting that will have you racing and bouncing on top of mushrooms from the all-new Mushroom Gorge, and have you crusing the shopping malls and racing down fligts of escaltors with the brand new Coconut Mall course, or racing across the tree trunks of the new Maple Leaf Highway. Every single track is great for beginners and die hard Mario Kart fans of all ages.

The gameplay also has a few new surprises, as you not just rave in karts, you also get to race on motorbikes too, bringing more action and variety to each of the players delight. There are also a few new power-ups here too including the Mega Mushroom, from the DS game New Super Mario Brothers, which makes your racer giant-sized, so you can squash your opponents on your way to the checkered flag, and the lightning cloud which shrinks you down to a tiny racer, so you squeeze underneath your opponents and take them by surprise. There also are a few new characters here to unlock in the game as well. You can choose to race with the classics like Mario, Yoshi, Bowser and Luigi, and 6 hidden characters to unlock and master like Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy, Funky Kong and Diddy Kong from Donkey Kong Barrel Blast and even Bowser Bones (the skeleton Bowser boss from New Super Mario Brothers.)

The control is also a bit new here, with the use of the Wii Wheel. The wheel is easy to setup and hooks right onto the Wii remote. You can steer your racers easily through each and every race by turning your wheel left and right, and performing nifty stunts like a wheelie or a 360 on a jump. While the control with the Wii Wheel takes a lot to get used to for veterans, there are others ways to control the game. Like Super Smash Brothers Brawl, gamers can also use the Wii & nunchuck controls, or the classic controller and even the Nintendo Gamecube controller, so veterans can feel more comfortable in anyway they want to race. The graphics here are also well-designed, by bringing new excitement in restoring the classic courses, and a lot of great surprising new features that are the delight to anyone who loves the Mario Kart games.

All in all, Mario Kart Wii is definitely one of the best games I've ever enjoyed for the Nintendo Wii. I absolutely loved the need for plumber speed, and it shows in each and every race. This is definitely a must buy for your Wii video game library, that is sure to be a thrilling race and not even close to wiping out anytime soon. So start your Wii-motes, because the race is not ever going to stop.

Graphics: A

Sound: A-

Control: B for the Wii Wheel; B+ for the Wii & nunchuck controllers, A for the Classic and Gamecube Controllers

Fun & Enjoyment: A- for solo gamers; A for multiplayer action

Overall: A-

Review by V. S. Romero:

About a couple years ago I heard Nintendo was planning to dish out a black Wii. I told myself I'd wait and hold off the white one, but what with all the great games already out, I couldn't resist.

As with most Wii purchasers, I added another Wii remote (or "Wiimote") and Nunchuk. The white's fine and all, but I really wanted the colored controllers as in the initial advertisements for Nintendo's Wii.

Remember the lime green and red ones?

Nevertheless, with two white controllers, I really didn't need any more. That is, until the black one finally came out.

I was initially baffled upon spotting the device because I hadn't heard anything about its release, and just happened to stumble upon some at my local Target. I asked the nearby clerk, "When did these come out?" but he didn't know (apparently they came out a week prior to this review). I rushed home and placed an order for the Wiimote and Nunchuk through Amazon.com (price-sensitive, I wanted the best deal; I could wait for Amazon.com to deliver).

The black Wiimote feels and functions superbly. Sure, it's the same as the white one albeit differently colored, but the blackness just gives it a supreme look--in my opinion, at least. The front side with the majority of the buttons has a glossy finish, which emits a radiant shine, whilst the back side with the battery door has a matte look and feel. The gloss may get dirty in the long run with fingerprints and skin oil, but for now it's staying shiny. The black rubber jackets may eventually attract dust and lint, but, again, for now they're as clean as can be.

Also, and this may just be the fact that it's still new, the speaker sounds louder and crisper than my other Wiimotes' speakers. I thought I accidentally had it on a louder setting, but when I checked my Wii it was the same setting as my white ones, so I figured Nintendo improved the sound chips.

In this package you get the Wiimote, MotionPlus, batteries, wrist strap and two rubber jackets--one to hold the MotionPlus and one to hold the Wiimote without (which I'm currently using for New Super Mario Bros. Wii). Plus, you end up saving on this bundle over the white set, which can only be purchased separately as of this review. On Amazon.com, you'll end saving or so.

All in all, it's the same ol' Wiimote, but in black. It has that new, stiff button feel, which I personally like, but give it some time to break in.

If you like black, opt for this controller. This is my "special" one that no one but me will use; friends and family can use my other white ones.

Oh, and Nintendo has some blue and pink bundles coming in February 2010 (but with white jackets and MotionPluses).

Review by metamatt:

Nice shiny black Wiimote with motionplus -- what's not to like?

One issue though is the jacket is a little thicker than the old clear ones, and seems to block charging with the Nyko inductive charger (Wii Charge Base Induction Charger), as of December 2009 anyway. If you actually use the jackets and have an inductive charger, you might want to wait for this to get resolved.

Review by A. Jefferson:

There are 2 groups of people that typically play Guitar Hero: Those who are score obsessed... they are all about mastering the most challenging of songs and having the highest scores on the leaderboards. Then there are those who love having a group of their friends over to play plastic instruments and yell at the top of their lungs for hours on end. For the most part...I fall into the second category.

I have loved every entry in the Rock Band series, and more recently fell in love with Guitar Hero 5. However, these games have failed me in one vital area: the soundtrack for these games is kinda niche. Oftentimes when friends or family would come over for a "Guitar Hero" or "Rock Band" party, it would turn into each of them taking turns scrolling through hundreds of alternative, progressive, or heavy metal songs until they find one or two that they know and KINDA LIKE... and since they don't necessarily own a Guitar Hero or Rock Band game, they aren't overly concerned about scores or anything like that...they just want to play music they know and love. That is where Band Hero swoops in to save the day (or at least save my party!!)

Rather than focusing on niche genres of music, Band Hero does the exact opposite... Band Hero's soundtrack is focused on Pop music. The very definition of POP MUSIC is music that is popular... songs that everyone knows and loves. And I have to say, Band Hero delivers. There is some great music on Band Hero. Granted, the setlist on Guitar Hero 5 was more appealing to me personally... but Band Hero's setlist will be a HUGE hit at my next party, which, thanks to Band Hero, will be more of a "Karaoke party that also features all of the cool Guitar Hero elements for those interested" than a "Guitar Hero party". Here are some of my observations about the game:

*The Music - As I mentioned, the game focuses on pop music, with artists ranging from Yellowcard to Hillary Duff to Taylor Swift to No Doubt and so on. There are several "guilty pleasures" songs that, while I wouldn't admit enjoying any other time, will be a HUGE hit when having friends over to play (especially my wife's friends)... like The Spice Girls, Taylor Swift, Joss Stone. There are even classic songs like "Rio" by Duran Duran, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" by Culture Club, and "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas (right?)... and cmon...who can really claim not to love singing any of those songs? Sure, they are really easy to play on guitar/bass/drums for the most part.... but they are fun. Besides, if you want a challenge...check out the SONG IMPORT feature!

*Song Import: For a small fee, you can import 61 songs from Guitar Hero 5, and several of the songs from Guitar Hero Smash Hits and Guitar Hero World Tour. Before importing Guitar Hero 5 (and after importing smash hits and world tour), I already had a total of 140 songs available to play in Band Hero! So, in addition to the pop songs included on the disk, I am also able to include alot of the great and more challenging songs from Guitar Hero 5 (like "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Medicate", and lots of other great stuff!!!)

*Downloadable Content: Like Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero:World Tour, Band Hero includes an in-game music store that allows you to purchase additional songs. Hopefully, this means that, in addition to the more hardcore downloadable songs available for Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero will also be getting downloadable pop music! Also, most (if not all) of the dlc that you purchase for Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero World Tour are AUTOMATICALLY playable in Band Hero! If, however, you want these to be excluded from Band Hero, there is a place in the Options menu that allows dlc to be disabled. With downloadable content and importing the songs from other versions of Guitar Hero, I should have a library of over 200 song available for playing in Band Hero by the end of the week!

*Band Hero = Guitar Hero 5 with more neon lights: Guitar Hero 5 for Wii is a game that any person with a Wii should own. Period. It was the first of the rhythm games to use high-capacity sd cards, effectively adding a hard drive to your Wii. It had AWESOME features like Party Play mode, drop-in and drop-out multiplayer, and the ability change difficulty on the fly. "Beginner" difficulty is also included, which will allow ANYONE to pick up this game and start playing, no matter what skill level. And then there was the AWESOME, Wii-exclusive "Roadie Battle" mode that allowed someone to sit on the sideline with a DS and sabotage other players.... PRICELESS!!! ALL of the features from Guitar Hero 5 are also implemented in Band Hero. That automatically makes Band Hero AWESOME. Period.

I really hope Band Hero sells well. Activision took a great game and made it more marketable. Between DJ Hero, Band Hero, and Guitar Hero 5, there is no longer any excuse for people not to jump in and enjoy rythym gaming. Unless you hate music and hate fun, you should own this game. =) Some parents/players were put off by some of the art style used in the Guitar Hero games (lots of skulls, demons, lightning bolts, and heavy metal)... and those people will be happy to know that the look and feel used in Band Hero is more family friendly...they've replaced those things with neon lights, starbursts, glitter, floodlights... it really feels like "Guitar Hero" meets "The MTV VMA Awards". I really enjoy the game, and hope you will too!!

My review scores:

Gameplay: 10/10

Difficulty: 8/10 (Anyone from grandma to seasoned hardcore guitar hero veterans can get loads of value out of this game)

Presentation: 9/10

Lasting Value: 9/10

Overall: 9.5/10

Review by G. Denny:

I actually bought this for the Wii because it comes with the updated drum set. Beware if you are getting the other platforms because, at least initially, you will get the same set that was shipped with World Tour. When I set out to get it, I really didn't expect much from the set list because Hillary Duff is not really my thing, just wanted an extra guitar and the updated drums. I set it up to make sure everything was in working order and to test out the drum set. The drums work flawlessly and are 100 times improved over the Word Tour set that sometimes never work.

But, here's why I really came to write this review. I have a 6 year old daughter who heard the music playing and came out immediately as if Taylor Swift was the Pied Piper. I promptly handed her the guitar and showed her how to make a character. She went for the rocker and outfitted her in all pink of course. I set her up on the beginner level, which consists of just strumming at the right time with no color coding. She picked it up right away and thus a star was born. We worked through all of her favorites; Hillary Duff, everything by Taylor Swift, Evanescence, a little Janet and the Jackson 5 and a few others and she was hooked. I backed her up on drums and she was hitting 90-95% consistently. This repackaged Guitar Hero 5 is a stroke of genius if marketed appropriately. My daughter did not want to go to sleep. She never showed any interest in previous versions of Guitar Hero and she has been around others playing it; but this one has a hold of her like crack. I think I told her; "ok, last one", at least 10 times before I resorted to "ok really this time, last one".

Band Hero fits a niche that was previously unexplored; I think any child 4 to 12, boy or girl would enjoy this, and teenage girls will really like the look and feel of Band Hero. Basically, anyone who picks up the plastic guitar and starts tapping their foot to a recognizable song will be instantly hooked. This is a very enthusiastic thumbs up for Band Hero and a thumbs up to Taylor Swift for getting involved in this project. She's laughing all the way to the bank, and yes, the set ships with a microphone no one will ever have to share with Kanye!

Review by V. S. Romero:

About a couple years ago I heard Nintendo was planning to dish out a black Wii. I told myself I'd wait and hold off the white one, but what with all the great games already out, I couldn't resist.

As with most Wii purchasers, I added another Wii remote (or "Wiimote") and Nunchuk. The white's fine and all, but I really wanted the colored controllers as in the initial advertisements for Nintendo's Wii.

Remember the lime green and red ones?

Nevertheless, with two white controllers, I really didn't need any more. That is, until the black one finally came out.

I was initially baffled upon spotting the device because I hadn't heard anything about its release, and just happened to stumble upon some at my local Target. I asked the nearby clerk, "When did these come out?" but he didn't know (apparently they came out a week prior to this review). I rushed home and placed an order for the Wiimote and Nunchuk through Amazon.com (price-sensitive, I wanted the best deal; I could wait for Amazon.com to deliver).

The black Wiimote feels and functions superbly. Sure, it's the same as the white one albeit differently colored, but the blackness just gives it a supreme look--in my opinion, at least. The front side with the majority of the buttons has a glossy finish, which emits a radiant shine, whilst the back side with the battery door has a matte look and feel. The gloss may get dirty in the long run with fingerprints and skin oil, but for now it's staying shiny. The black rubber jackets may eventually attract dust and lint, but, again, for now they're as clean as can be.

Also, and this may just be the fact that it's still new, the speaker sounds louder and crisper than my other Wiimotes' speakers. I thought I accidentally had it on a louder setting, but when I checked my Wii it was the same setting as my white ones, so I figured Nintendo improved the sound chips.

In this package you get the Wiimote, MotionPlus, batteries, wrist strap and two rubber jackets--one to hold the MotionPlus and one to hold the Wiimote without (which I'm currently using for New Super Mario Bros. Wii). Plus, you end up saving on this bundle over the white set, which can only be purchased separately as of this review. On Amazon.com, you'll end saving or so.

All in all, it's the same ol' Wiimote, but in black. It has that new, stiff button feel, which I personally like, but give it some time to break in.

If you like black, opt for this controller. This is my "special" one that no one but me will use; friends and family can use my other white ones.

Oh, and Nintendo has some blue and pink bundles coming in February 2010 (but with white jackets and MotionPluses).

Review by metamatt:

Nice shiny black Wiimote with motionplus -- what's not to like?

One issue though is the jacket is a little thicker than the old clear ones, and seems to block charging with the Nyko inductive charger (Wii Charge Base Induction Charger), as of December 2009 anyway. If you actually use the jackets and have an inductive charger, you might want to wait for this to get resolved.

Review by Dave:

I've been watching The Price Is Right for over 25 years now, and was pleasantly surprised when I found out there was finally going to be a video game adaptation coming out. This game does not disappoint at all, however there are a few things I think could be improved upon.

As other reviews have stated, this game is extremely easy to play and fun for almost everyone. For years I'd sit there and rip apart dumb bidders on the show. Well now I'M the dumb bidder. It's hilarious how I really don't know how much anything costs. The realism of contestant's row is great. I bid 0 on something, and the old lady character next to me went and bid 1 and won just like the show! You're bidding on REAL name brand items. An actual video from a Price Is Right episode plays and you hear the description pretty much as it aired on the show. It's really great. My only complaint here is that the picture for this is pretty small and sometimes you can't really make out what the item looks like.

The pricing games that I've played so far have been a blast. One glitch I noticed on Cliffhangers though, the item I was guessing the price on was Citrical, however the text description of it said it was Ragu spaghetti sauce. Another very minor gripe I have with the pricing games so far is that many times the prize is just some amount of cash, whereas on the actual show, the prize is usually a car or furniture or something else. Does this make the game less fun? Absolutely not. Also, sometimes the descriptions are a little vague, and you can't form a good guess on the price. One example is that they showed a package of Chips Ahoy cookies but didn't say the size of the package. I guessed .50 but it turned out to be a snack size and the retail price was 50 cents. Unlike the show, you can't ask questions about the items to get a better description. I ended up losing that game because of it. Once again, not the end of the world.

The classic TPIR moments that you can unlock by winning these games are awesome, however, some of them are sponsored! That's right, I had to sit through a commercial for the 2009 Toyota Corolla before watching a highlight! So far over several games not one pricing game or item has repeated.

As far as graphics go, the TPIR video is great, the game graphics are pretty lame. The audience consists of about four people wearing four different colored shirts, just repeated over and over. You only have a choice of about eight different characters. Their animations and expressions are very limited and cheezy, even for the Wii.

The sound is great. You get it all here, it's the same music and sounds that have been used since the old days. My all time favorite, the loser horn is used quite often, much to my delight.

I have a feeling this is going to be quite a successful Wii title without much fanfare. For .99, pardon the pun, the price is right and the game is well worth it. I'd love to see a sequel to this, since there are still a ton of pricing games that they can use.

Review by Jaime L. Burris:

I love the price is right and was very excited to see the game but there are flaws. First of all, I agree that the wheel spinning doesn't need much thought, but my biggest complaint is that at least with my game, the games always have the same products to bid on. I have only seen 4 different showcases and I've played probably about 10-12 times for the most part to just see if the game ever changed. So there is never a challenge to guess the prices. Maybe it's just my copy that is defective, but if not then much more thought should have gone into this game.

Review by Justin Guild:

Review is for the Wii version:

The game itself isn't completely terrible, it just seemed like they rushed it out to cash in on the movie release. Gotta do it I suppose.

I would say this would be a good game for the youngest of gamers.

It's basically just a walkthrough, as in every time you have to perform an action the game tells you exactly what to do.

It might be helpful if the player can read but the game will show on screen which buttons to push and items will glow if you need to collect or perform an action with them. So even the youngest gamer might do great at this game.

I think the gameplay is geared toward ages 4 - 10, the closer you get to 10 the less this game is geared for you, you'll be craving more.

It's sad because with just a little more thought and tweeking it could be a fun game for all ages.

Control wise for the Wii is pretty weak. Again easy for 4 year olds but barely taking advantage of what the wiimotes can do.

Graphic wise it's just passing as well, but I must say I was very suprised the cutscenes were designed for the game & not just cut out of the movie.

This is a perfect rental game though, but I would pass on purchasing it.

You should be able to complete the game before it's due back. So for 6 or 7 bucks you could finish within a couple sittings.

Again it's not terrible, you just might not revisit it after completing it.

If you're over 10 find something else, but if you need a very easy action game for child under 10 than this could work.

Review by dancemaster Dj:

After reading the two reviews posted here, I figured that the game play in Simulation mode wuld be close enough to the real thing to let me and my son enjoy a few games of foos in the living room (where there is no room for a foos table). I didn't expect it to be perfect but the game play is so far from the real thing that it is just annoying and frustrating. No wonder the game is available used (and even new) on Amazon and Ebay for under !

I expected that I could use the nunchuk to move one bar and the remote to control the other. With four players we would each control two bars - just like the real thing. Unfortunatley you really only control one bar at a time with the remote and the nuchuk is used just to move the selected bar back and forth.

The only way that it feels even close to the real thing is if you use only the remote (no nuchuk) and hold the A button down so that both bars are controlled as one. I imagine that with four controller it might be okay since you can at least slide both bars back and turn the players to strike the ball - but there is no way to control the ball like you can on a real table.

The ball strike starburst effect makes it impossible to even see where the ball is at times, making it a random event to hit the ball.

This could have been so much better if each player could use two remotes to handle two bars at the same time in two player mode - with some way to move from the front to the back as you do when playing by yourself.

Overall - I would NOT recommend this game to anyone.

Review by Filazafer:

I could not find a review of this game anywhere, so I decided to be the guinea pig. Overall there is some fun to be had here, but just like most Wii games, it's much better with a group of friends. With that said I know everyone wants to know how it controls.

By now, you've probably had your Wii for awhile, so you know that the motion controls often work better in theory than in practice. The controls for this game are no different. They work, but not quite like you want them to. First off you can use the nunchuk to move back and forth and that is much easier and more accurate than trying to just use the remote. To choose a rod you hit the A button and you just twist the remote to hit. The twisting part works okay, but it is very sensitive. If you try to twist like you would in a real game of foosball, your guys will probably just spin wildly and there is a good chance you will hit the ball the wrong way. But, once you get used to it, there is some strategy involved and the game usually rewards the player who takes his time over the player who just slams the ball around the table. Many times your rod will not be in the position you left it and that is frustrating. Overall the controls work about as well as you would expect and everyone will have to deal with them, so it can be fun.

The graphics for the game are fine. My only complaint is that there is a starburst effect when you hit the ball. It doesn't add anything and it can be distracting. They should have made it optional. There is a one player mode where you can play thru some matches against the computer and it is good for practice when you don't have friends. I like the fact that you can have a partner that is controlled by the computer. It is much easier to control two rods and not all four. I also like the fact that you can change the formations of the players. You don't have to use the standard foosball setup and you can choose various balls that act differently. There are new balls, formations, and tables to unlock that I assume you get for winning in the one player game.

Overall, I can't really recommend it, but it could be fun with a group of friends.

Review by Joe Philly:

Wii Sports Resort is a great cold-weather activity for my kids, and you can't beat the value for this bundle with two Wii MotionPlus adapters. If you value each MotionPlus at , then you get the Sports Resort game for only ! We use this game almost every night for our 2 girls, age 7 and 4-1/2, to get them up off the couch and moving around after dinner, rather than just watching TV.

My 4-1/2 year old loves Wakeboarding the most, because she was able to figure out how to do very high jumps pretty quickly. She also likes skydiving, flying around in a plane, and dog frisbee. My 7-year-old likes many of the sports, but her particular favorites are swordfighting, archery, and frisbee golf. I'd buy the game just for frisbee golf, actually. My 7-year-old is surprisingly competitive in frisbee golf against me and my father, because you don't have to hit a small target - you just have to throw the frisbee within a yard of the hole to get it in. Many of the games are loads of fun for my girls to compete against each other, against their friends, or against me and my wife.

Also, even though many of the games are somewhat simplistic, we get lots of repeated play by seeing which of us has the high-score crown at any time. The game awards a high score crown for every sport, and at every difficulty level, so each of my girls can have multiple high scores simultaneously. Whenever any of them gets a new crown, they even make me take a picture of them standing next to the crown. You also get various awards (stamps) for accomplishing certain things, like becoming a pro or passing the 10th or 20th swordfighting level, which gives the girls something to shoot for after they master the basic game controls.

This game has continued to be played almost every day in our house since it was released in July, and the girls have not gotten bored of it yet. With the addition of the two MotionPlus adapters, I recommend that every Wii owner purchase this bundle!

Review by Morganna Wolf:

I have a confession to make I bought this for my husband and me. There are no kids in the house. We are not heavy into gaming and the WII was bought primarily for the WII fit.

So, from an adult point of view here goes.

A collection of fun games, that bring out a competitive nature. It is great that each game typically takes only a few minutes so several can be rounds can be played, enjoyed, and a sense of competition is created.

The collection of games has some similar to those on the WII Sports disk and a lot that are new. The Frisbee games and wake board rider have been two of my favorite. My husband feels that with the `motion plus' the golf is much better.

Overall a great addition to my WII collection of games and one that will probably be actively used for a long time to come.

Review by :

I haven't had this game for a long time, but for what I've seen and based on the minigames I've already played, Ultimate Party Challenge is pretty fun. This game comes bundled with the Dance Dance Revolution pad/controller, which you need in order to play; it is also sold by itself in case you already own the pad.

Now, I really don't see the need to necessarily use the pad to play, because every minigame could be easily played by either shaking the Wii remote or pointing it to the screen and pressing the A button, but I applaud them for trying to give us a different gaming experience.

You start by creating your own avatar, which you will be able to customize along the way, and selecting the mode that you want to play. Minigames are divided in 3 categories at first (I think you can unlock 2 more...): Main Games, Rhythm games and Brain Games. The Main Games are basically variations of different sports (like skateboarding, running and climbing); in Rhythm games you press the corresponding arrow according to the beat; Brain Games are basically math. In my opinion, the rhythm games are the most fun and the most challenging, but that's just me. After playing several minigames you can unlock new ones and earn coins to buy items to customize your avatar. There are also missions that you can play to earn various items, but this is a single player mode.

One important feature that I want to emphasize about this game is that you can play with up to 3 friends. Now, having played only by myself, I find it very difficult to visualize 4 people using the same pad. For example, before starting any minigame each player is assigned an arrow on the pad (1P-left, 2P-right, 3P-back, 4p-front). At some point at least one of the players will have trouble seeing the TV, especially 3P(back) because 4P (front) is on the way. Another thing to remember is that if at least 3 of the players are adults, space becomes very limited, so keep that in mind. If you watch the trailer for this game you'll see what I mean; when the 4 members of the family are using the pad together it feels kinda crowded.

I'm just giving you a heads up because I myself haven't had the chance to play every minigame, but there aren't many reviews about this game on the internet, so I hope it helps a bit.

Review by Lauren:

This game has a good premise: using the Dance Dance Revolution controller mat to play. There are a lot of minigames, but the graphics are terrible and the games are not fun. It would have been better if there were only 10 games and the developers made them fun to play with decent graphics. I think it's a great idea to use the mat to play, so I am giving this game 2 stars instead of 1. If you want a fun game that uses a mat, buy Active Life Outdoor Challenge. Pass on this game-you won't play it.