Go Diego Go: Safari Rescue

If you are lucky enough to be a parent of a small child then you know how their little minds work. One week they are totally obsessed with Elmo and the Sesame Street Muppets, then next week they want everything that involves Blue's Clues. My point is that kids are fickle and my youngest son falls into this category. This month's fad? Why Diego of course, which made reviewing this game work out just perfectly. For those of you unlucky enough to not have to sit through multiple episodes of Diego, the show is about a young boy named Diego who travels the world with his sister Alicia and his Baby Jaguar helping animals in need. Diego is cousins with Dora the Explorer so there is plenty of bilingual catch phrases and interaction for your young one. Admittedly, Diego is actually a good show for young kids because there is plenty to learn about and enough kid friendly action (river rafting, hang gliding) to keep them glued to their seat.

This being a show based in a somewhat fantastical world, the animals can communicate with Diego as well as his trusty backpack "Rescue Pack" chiming in telling Diego to open it up and find the item that would best benefit the situation. With that in mind, the show seems custom made for a video game. Plenty of learning and things to do, in the right hands the license could break the mold and actually be a kids' game that kids could actually benefit from, rather than just go through the motions of playing.

 
"Looks like a really big kitty box to me."

Since the game is on the Wii, and is designed for preschool-aged gamers, I must come right out and say that the gameplay is pretty much spot-on. Keeping things simple yet engaging by only requiring one button to make things happen but using several motions to play the game. Moving the Wiimote in motions tailor made for younger players with the right amount of variance so a simple move isn't confused with another simple move. My four-year old struggled a little bit in the beginning but after about 20 minutes two things happened: One, my son became very engaged in the game, where other games bore him after 20 minutes; and second, my son started getting really good at the actions required to play.

Now I know that it is cliched to say that kids' games usually mean simple, but a well done child's game, targeting a specific audience (preschoolers) that keeps kids motivated and learning is a rare thing indeed. And to that I say that the plot is really odd but probably right up the alley of little kids. Let's just say anytime you have a game involving wizards, mosquitoes, elephants being turned into boulders, jumping rolling rocks and a talking back pack ... well, you need to check your adult mind at the door.

 
 "Say, that IS a good idea!"

Surprisingly, there is no straight-up animation from the show during the cut scenes. I was really surprised considering how well the in-game graphics translated the license. My son absolutely loves this game and he can easily identify all sorts of things from the show (I'm assuming). The same could be said about the audio; it's all straight from the show including the original voice actors. The theme song is the same from the show as well and will probably get your kid freaking out because they get so excited from this show.

The game actually has a pretty good feel to it. With its easy-to-identify characters and child-friendly controls this is by far the best game for the younger gamers I have seen in years. I am always on the lookout for games that have no questionable content for small children, this is one of those games.

Gameplay: 7.5
Very young child friendly, with some rewarding actions and simple button pushing.

Graphics: 7.0
The cut scenes are disappointing but the game has a sharp clear look to it that your Diego fan will get excited about.

Sound: 8.0
If you have seen the show, then you know what to expect. Well done.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Its target audience needs to have success pretty much every step of the way. There will be some hiccups, but it helps the child develop perseverance.

Concept: 7.5
A pretty good job of balancing license and play.

Overall: 7.6
Go Diego Go is a really great game for your younger gamer. Easy to play, rewarding yet not condescending, this is a game I am happy that my child wants to play.