Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this game for my 7-year-old since he loves learning about fish, but my action-game-addicted 12-year-old also loves it. The games has defined goals, but it is essentially an exploration game. You can't lose or die as far as I can tell. You spend most of your time swimmming around, looking at and interacting with various marine life while a soothing New Age score plays in the background. My younger one hates the music, but he can listen to his MP3s on an SD card while playing. There was a lot of reading for him at the beginning, so 7 is about the lower age limit on this game unless your younger child is precocious and reads very well or you want to help them with it. This is not an action game, but you "collect" information and specimens, photograph them and make friends with dolphins. You occasionally lead tourists on dives and interact with the cute marine biologist who can't swim. Missions, which usually arrive by e-mail accessed on board your dive boat, give some structure to the game, but they are laid-back and not time-limited so you can explore at a leisurely pace. The controls are simple, requiring only the Wii-mote and the graphics are good, though not jaw-dropping. The sea floor environments and lighting/water effects are well-rendered and the marine life is quite detailed.The whales and rays do present a certain "Wow!" factor and the ocean world seems vast. All-in-all, I would recommend this game as an experience. It is relaxing and will be intriguing to anyone who is interested in aquatic life. It's a welcome change of pace from violence and frenetic cartoon action and it is educational. I like that my kids spend time immersed in a virtual world that celebrates the wonders of our planet and focuses them on co-operation and co-existence instead of always conflict and violence. It may be a bit slow for those who like constant challenges or non-stop action.