Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

With all the Wii exercise games out there, it seems that there's been a paucity of active fitness titles suitable for younger members of the family. The two attempts to reach this market have been D3's Family Party Fitness Fun and Knowledge Adventure's Jumpstart Get Moving. But both of these games have been dreadfully disappointing. And so I'll admit I was a little wary when I first tried Nickelodeon Fit. But after spending a few hours with it, I'm happy to report that finally, we have a kid-friendly fitness game that is a lot of fun and does provide some decent exercise value. And it's a bonus that our familiar friends Dora, Diego, Kai-lan, and the Backyardigans are part of it. Each of the four friends has seven activities you can choose from (as with most Wii games, they have to be unlocked as you go). There are also two activities that involve all of the characters for a total of 30 overall. Some of the activities are simple (thrusting the Wii remote up to jump rope, moving it in a circle to hula hoop, etc.). Others are impressively interactive and fun. In one game, you help the Backyardigans roll a big ball up a cliff, and then once it starts rolling you steer it towards a giant set of bowling pins. There's a similar game involving Dora and a bicycle. There's another fun game that involves Rintoo throwing a football into a set of tires on a tree. A lot of the games are just good fun, and even more so when competing against someone else. One thing I love are the little details in the game. There's a game involving Dora on a bicycle where you'll feel a rumble in the Wii remote as she rolls over rocks. You can have her ring her bell by pressing one of the buttons. And of course, the whole time she'll be shouting out exclamations like "fantástico!" and "excellente!" The animation is impressive and true to the actual cartoons. The Backyardigans are rendered in 3D, just like on TV, while Dora, Diego, and Kai-lan are all their familiar selves. The background animation is beautiful, very much like on TV. Happily, the controls are never too difficult for youngsters to learn. They mostly involve moving the Wii remote up, down, left, right, and in circles to control the on-screen character. Before each activity, Tyrone the Moose will explain exactly how to use the controls. And during the game there's a stick figure in a box at all times that shows exactly what movement to make. One thing I also like is that each game gives an "MVPA Rating". It took me a while to figure out what this was, but it turns out it stands for "Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity". While few of the activities would be considered very vigorous for adults, chances are kids will get a pretty good workout from them, especially if they're motivated by competing against their siblings (or parents!). Like the cartoon, I'd say the game is most suited for kids from 4-7. For older kids, I'd recommend the excellent Active Life: Explorer With Mat. There's a whole section for parents where they can view statistics (including BMI and MVPA) in any date range for up to 5 different profiles, and even create different custom exercise routines for their kids by stringing together different activities. If there's a pet peeve I have about this game, it's that navigating the menus is not very intuitive. You have to hold the Wii remote horizontally, and then use the 1 button (instead of B) to go back or the 2 button (instead of A) to select. Overall, I was impressed with what Nickelodeon did. It's not perfect, but it's certainly a solid title that's better than the others out there. As I always tell parents, the best kind of exercise with kids is always outside with a ball or a bicycle. But on those days when the weather is bad, Nickelodeon Fit is a great way to ensure that the kids stay in shape.