One of the nice aspects of having kids around the house is that they can often provide a great perspective on games that are targeted for them. Rather than an adult trying to capture his or her inner child, you can actually hear what a younger gamer has to say about a particular game.

This review is a case in point. My Horse and Me is an Atari release for the Wii that focuses on the equestrian sport. There are customization options for both the in-game characters and horses, and players will be able to compete in a variety of events as well as mini-games. Rather than an adult talk about the game, though, the review was put into the hands of Emma, an 11-year-old with a great affinity for animals and a certain passion for school and playing games.

This is her review of the title …

I have always wanted a horse of my own so when I got the chance to review My Horse and Me I thought it would be really fun.

In My Horse and Me, you get to take care of a horse (that you create), meaning you can brush it and wash it and all sorts of things like that. Besides taking care of your horse you can practice with it, which is when you can learn how to ride, walking, running, trotting, and cantering. You can also learn to jump in practice mode. While practicing you will collect stars to unlock different things like clothing, new competitions and new competition levels.

There are other things to do, like mini-games. In the mini-games you can play with your horse doing little exercises. Then after you practice and you think you are good enough you can go to competitions. In competitions you can do show jumping, races and stuff real horses do.

Up to four people can play My Horse and Me, but not simultaneously. You each have to take turns. To do multiplayer you go to the Ride menu and to jumping matches. Once all the people have gone, the game will see who wins. Each person can create their own person and horse to play.

To play My Horse and Me on the Wii you will need nunchucks and, of course, a Wii remote. You should put your Wii remote in the hand you use normally and nunchuck in the other. To turn right you use whichever controller is in your right hand and to turn left you use whichever controller is in your left hand. The controls can sometimes be a little frustrating.

I thought the graphics were really good. The sound was good, too; you could hear the horse neighing and see it really well. It had a great picture and sound.

Emma also went on to score the title …

Gameplay: 7.0
The controls can be a little frustrating, but this game played well.

Graphics: 8.0
I loved the graphics. They were really good.

Sound: 8.0
I could hear everything really well.

Difficulty: Medium
This game was a bit hard to play, but not too bad.

Concept: 7.0
I like what this game lets you do.

Multiplayer: 6.0
Multiplayer is fun, but it could have had more stuff to do.  

Overall: 7.0
The game would have been better if it was easier to control. I like this game.