Gamer Mommy & Geek Boy

Neopets puzzle adventure a nifty holiday gift idea for all ages

Just released the last week of November, Neopets Puzzle Adventure puts the Neopets universe on your PC, DS or Wii for even more holiday fun with this popular global community, described as " the stickiest website on the web."

The Capcom and Infinite Interactive developed game is a multi-platform puzzle adventure game based on the beloved virtual community of pets for kids (and adults too) to care and raise.  The game is similar to traditional board games like Reversi or Go, adding new twists that challenge players and offer unexpected surprises and bonuses.  The object of the adventure gato flip all the chips unbtil they are your Neopet's color.

• Ten codes are generated per platform to be redeemedonline for unique items
• Customize one of 12 Neopets to be your main character
• Experience epic adventures as you journey through Neopia
• Over 150 quests per single-player game & head-to-head multi-player matches
• Collect 100 PetPets on Wii or PC (25 on DS) & earn 30 special awards

Rated E for Everyone, the game retails for $39.99 Wii, $29.99 DS and $19.99 PC.  Intuitive pick-up-and-play features appeal to casual gamers and Neopets fans alike.

A puzzling adventure game!

Personalize your wish list for Mario to deliver

Mario delivers the world you wish for with a personalized wish list for holiday gift giving.

Register online to let friends and family know just what you're looking for this holiday season. 

The eponymous Nintendo icon calls or emails with all the goodies that you want to get.

What an adorable way to sleuth out holiday gifting.

San Francisco Wii music street musicians entertain

Crowds gather at Pier 39 to experience Nintendo's newly released Wii Music, a great game for casual gamers of all ages, a must-have for holiday party fun.

Addictively sweet holiday fun with We Cheer

Don't know what to get your inner cheerleader for the holidays?

Try We Cheer from Namco Bandai for the Wii.  It's the perfect game for girly-girl tweens (or for yourself if you were more the pen pocket protector sort than the sporty type back in the day). 

Customize your pep squad girl with the perfect competition outfit and then get ready for some pom-pom play. Dance and cheer to 70s disco kings, KC and the Sunshine Band,  or contemporary rock bands like Paramore or Boys Like Girls.  Hilary Duff fans, relax.  She's got a track too.

With several modes to choose from -- exercise, competition or party -- there's an opportunity for everyone to play and compete as well as burn off some of the holiday goodies.

Wii remotes function as pom-poms, although we got a nifty red & blue set to show off our rah-rah-sis-boom-bah.

Cheer, dance and unlock new teammates, outfits, songs and more.We Cheer with it's doe-eyed anime cheerleaders is addictively sweet fun.

Cooking 101: Personal Trainer Cooking for the DS

More than I love writing about videogames (and button-mashing too), I love to cook.  Imagine my delight when I got my hands on Personal Trainer Cooking for the DS.

It's fantastic for the beginner or the experienced foodie with close to 300 recipes representing world cuisines, ridiculously easy voice commands, shopping features, equipment and ingredient glossaries, and technique video.

All this is jammed in a system that fits in the palm of your hand and can easily pop into your bag for a quick run to the grocery store.

i assumed there would be no competition from Geek Boy on this one.  Surely a cooking game couldn't beat out sessions on the Wii with Animal Crossing?

Sadly I was mistaken.  Geek Boy grabbed it and began exploring Vietnamese spring rolls, Australian meat pies and Mexican salsa and tortillas.  Will calamari be next?

There is an upside.  He'll learn to cook and I can get kitchen duty off.

Rated E for Everyone ought to know how to cook fabulous food. What a great holiday gift!

Unsolved Crimes: Free Your Inner Detective

Unleash your CSI alter-ego with Unsolved Crimes.

The plot revolves around a rookie detective with the NYPD's homicide division, circa 1976.  The game models itself after "cop shows of the era, establishing its style nicely with a cool title sequence that makes use of appropriately dated video footage of the Big Apple and some quintessentially '70s theme music," according to Gamespot, whose reviewers gave the game a 6 out of 10.  You play as an anonymous detective, partnered with "the young but experienced Marcy Blake and take your orders from the gruff but likable Captain Abbot."

Investigations take you from "neat and tidy poisonings to truly grisly axe murders. Your investigations also take you to a good variety of crime scenes, including a small suburban home, a city park, and a fleabag motel."

 Rated T for alcohol reference, blood and violence. Unsolved Crimes is an Empire Interactives release. Unsolved Crimes.

Casual gamers will find it entertaining with each case taking roughly an hour to crack.    Users rate Unsolved Crimes higher than Gamespot and, indeed, it's more fun for a casual gamer than it might be for others. If schmaltzy cop 70s shows are your thing, you'll love it.

What Kids Want: The Best Video Games for Holiday Giving & Getting

Recently, I took a couple of little gamer boys to test drive some of the new video games from Electronic Arts for Wii, Nintendo DS, and the PC.

We had to fight for elbow room with the hardcore, 30-something gamer dudes, but my ten-year-olds have got game.  I took mental notes on the amazing similarities between the two groups (and how quickly they bonded over Nerf N-Strike for Wii and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for Wii and DS. 

Some two hours later, I dragged the boys away.  They would have stayed all night if I'd been willing to put up a pup-tent.

There short-list of the must-have games for holidays 2008:

• Skate It
• Sim City Creator (Wii and DS)
• FIFA Soccer 09 All Play (Wii)
• Spore
• Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Unsurprisingly enough, Casual gaming Mom props go to  Hasbro Family Game Night.