Recently in Nintendo Wii Category

Despite being around in various guises since the early nineties Nintendo's Kirby has not enjoyed anything like the profile of stablemate Super Mario or Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog.
In the last 12 months though the Japanese gaming giant has been raising the cute little pink blob's profile considerably, with the Kirby's Epic Yarn game and a dedicated TV channel appearing on the Wii.
And now just in time for Christmas, of course, we have Kirby's Adventure, also on the Wii, which sees our hero battling his way through various levels in search of parts to rebuild a crashed spaceship and help it's alien pilot back on his way.
Back in full-on animated form - rather than the woolly, quilted world of Epic Yarn - it is a vivid and immersive experience for up to four who can play as Meta Knight, King Dedede or Waddle Dee as well as the star himself.
This little pink powerball is rapidly becoming as popular as that more celebrated plumber in our household and this iwill be a surefire hit with the pre-teens.

Score 4/5

It's bizarre really that two of the biggest names in gaming are a fat little Italian plumber and a blue hedgehog.

There is no doubting the popularity of gaming's biggest name with each of them having a career spanning decades.

They have also both had a special affiliation with Nintendo over the years and it's fitting that in ann era where Kinect and Move are dominating the motion market that they have come up with another reason not to take the Wii down the car boot sale just yet.

The first two Mario and Sonic games quite rightly gained plenty of critical acclaim, they summed up everything about why the Wii was such a success. The gameplay was simplistic and effective with colourful characters and loaded with quirky features.

This latest game is very much more of the same and guaranteed to fill a lot of stockings when the big fat lad comes down the chimney in a few weeks.

Again quite rightly, this is a perfect family game.

With a whopping 31 playable events there genuinely couldn't be more variety for gamers.

The traditional events like running are included but so are table tennis, rowing, horse-riding, football and many more.

Each of the games pride themselves on simplicity and playability and for the most part it's a huge success.

The football is actually brilliant, very simple, very old-school and highly addictive.

Most of the games are the same in that respect and the appeal of multiplayer gaming is obvious.

This is the game to liven up the Christmas period and have the whole family wailing with laughter.

Nintendo have come up trumps once again with the once bitter rivals again combining to create a very good Wii game.

Score 4/5

Continuing the pattern of high quality set by the previous two titles this game is packed full of high quality gameplay and chart hits.

It also has a plethora of different game modes for every occasion whether it's a party with friends or family.

The game feels more polished than the last two and certainly holds more of a challenge if that's what you are looking for.

With Dance Central absolutely nailing the dance genre in the video game world it's only logical that Nintendo are trying to fight back.

We Dance is a clear example of that mindset with the game combining the dance mat approach with the motion capture element.

It's a bold move and in some ways it works, but in others it doesn't.

We Dance is split up into three difficulty levels: easy, which is just hand movements, medium, which uses just the dance mat, and hard which combines the two.

The problem for me was that fact that using one on it's own was quite easy and non-rewarding but using the two together was incredibly awkward and very hard.

Then again, I am unfit, double-left-footed and possessing all the rythmn and co-ordination of a dead snail.

It requires multi-tasking too, if you believe the wife I was doomed before I pressed the on button.

As I mentioned the game felt awkward and I genuinely am not sure how much of that was me. What I do know is that the game has an impressive 40 tracks spanning 4 decades, it has various game modes and difficulty levels and provides a lot of variety.

Presented in a gloriously colourful 70's style screen the gamer sees his action and the professionals. The moves are all based around signature dances from the video/artist and choreography from professionals.

Pretty tough but one for dance fans first and foremost.

This won't be putting the frighteners on Dance Central this side of Halloween or next but it's a decent attempt at something new for the Wii.

We have two Mario games this week, suggesting that 2011 could be another busy year for everyone's favourite plumber, who last year arguably competed for game of the year with Super Mario Galaxy 2.

This game isn't going to be a contender in that class or even come close, but it is a cheerful and curious collection of sports games in the best traditions of the Nintendo Wii and Mario franchise.

Based around dodgeball, ice hockey, basketball and volleyball, it's also loaded with party games, too.

Single player or with three friends, the game offers a unique spin on each of the games in true Mario style with all of your favourite characters.

I loved the ice hockey and basketball, which were great fun to play - especially against a friend.

The graphics and production on the game are first class and, whilst it may not be that in depth or even that sophisticated, it is harmless, great fun.

As you would expect, it is totally manic and a unique spin on the sporting world.

To be honest you quite easily just review this game by saying it's the Marvel version of the popular Lego games.

Only it's not, it's by totally different people for starters - but all the principles are the same.

This is a cute and cheerful version of a popular franchise with a clear attempt to appeal to a wider audience and indeed a younger audience.

It's based on the hit animated TV series as shown on Cartoon Network and is the sequel to the 'Marvel Super Hero Squad' which was rightly a big hit with gamers.

The emphasis in terms of gameplay is on buttom mashing and puzzle solving - each of the characters has certain abilities that can be called on for different scenarios.

Playing co-op is great fun and was a big hit in our house, the graphics and humour in the game are excellent.

If you are a fan of the Lego games then this will be a good choice for you.

A great little good vs evil romp and you will find it on the shelves at a great price.

Transport yourself into your very own Disneyland with this truly innovative and exciting adventure from starring Mickey Mouse.

Another fun Dora The Explore title just in time for Christmas.

I like the fact that game-makers are increasingly aware of their younger audience, children are very capable of gaming from the age of 2 upwards and simple, engaging games are good for their development.

Obviously keep them away from House of The Dead or Grand Theft Auto...

This Dora game is a nice little collection of platform style action and puzzle solving with simple jumping, climbing, and sliding etc.

My daughter Lily played the Crystal Kingdom game not long ago and this was very much the same kind of thing.

She loved the game and it kept her quiet for a few hourse but more importantly it kept her thinking and I watched carefully as she pondered puzzles and obstacles and overcame them in time.

There is the option of adults taking on the second controller as a helper and all in all it is a great little title with authentic voices, good gameplay and some great graphics.

The common rule in the music industry is that when a singer dies they become much bigger in death than they ever were in life.

Dig out that bad shirt, grab the pork scratchings and pour yourself a pint - darts is back in your living room.

This is a franchise that has got gradually better over the last few years since it was launched and this latest step up to the oche has hit the bull's-eye.

It came too soon for the Kinect function on th3 360 but it is equally as good as it is on the PS3 with move and with the Wii.