I have to admit, when I heard about Lumberjacks for the Wii, I thought it would be a simulation game, where I would be a lumberjack. I should do more research on games, shouldn't I? It's actually a collection of sport mini-games. Go figure.

There are fifteen games to play, which all involve using motion controls to saw, chop, throw and run through several tournament style venues. In Axe Throwing, players throw their axes at player-specific targets for points. In the Climbing events, players climb poles while avoiding falling balloons, and in the Chopping events, players match the onscreen motions, then chop the logs. Sawing requires matching the buttons on the Wiimote while moving the Wiimote to saw through trees and limbs. The Water events involve balancing or running on logs. Each of these categories has several games.

When beginning a game for the first time, players are directed to make a profile. According to the manual, players can choose from six different Miis from the game, if they haven't created a Mii in the Wii Menu system. I tried this, but never could get to these in-game Miis. The only choice I had was to use my niece's Mii. After I left the game and went to the Wii menu and created my own Mii, my Mii became available as a choice, along with my niece's Mii. I never could find the game Miis. This Mii can be unlocked in the game for use as an avatar later.

Each game has a difficulty setting of Easy, Medium or Hard. There are online instructions for the games, but they aren't very clear. I was confused on several games the first few times through, but after playing them a few times and then reviewing the instructions, I then had a better time of it. All the games have four-players, which can be real people or computer characters.

These games are simple, but fun to play for the most part. Some of the games can be played with either the Balance Board or the Wiimote. The Balance Board seems cool to use, but it doesn't really add anything extra to the game experience. We had the most fun with the Axe throwing and Sawing events, and the least fun with the Climbing and Water events. Axe throwing involves aiming and throwing the axe at colored bulls-eye targets. There's not much to it, but the controls are good and it's pretty fun. Limb Cut, one of the Sawing games, has players matching directional arrows and buttons while the avatar climbs the tree. Again, this doesn't sound all that great, but it's more fun in person.

There are four avatars available at first, and they are all over-the-top stereoptypical characters, like ninjas and farm girls. They are animated well, and move smoothly and quickly around the screen. The background screens are drawn well with a large amount of detail, and everything is very bright and cartoonish. The avatars have a few set comments they repeat over and over again. The music theme repeats itself over again, as well.

Lumberjacks is a fairly amusing game and makes good use of the controls, which are better designed than in many more complex Wii games. There are lots of games, but they are grouped into the same types of gameplay. They are fun at first, but not for long gaming sessions. Kids will get the most enjoyment from this game.

Gameplay: 6
This collection of games is somewhat fun to play the first few times ,and after that, for short gaming sessions with friends, but there isn’t anything compelling enough to keep anyone’s attention for very long. The games are simple, but designed well and the controls work very nicely. The interface is easy to understand, but the directions for the games are not very clear.

Graphics: 7
The game looks nice, but nothing to get too excited about. The overall look is cartoonish.

Sound: 6
The music is mono-themed and gets boring.

Difficulty: Medium
This game is a medium difficulty and has three difficulty settings. The main difficulty comes from understanding how to play at first.

Concept: 6
The concept isn’t new, but the execution is good.

Multiplayer: 6
Players can play their friends.

Overall: 6
Lumberjacks is an average game for the Wii that kids will probably find amusing for short gaming periods, but one that no one else will find compelling. Best for families with children.