MTE reviews: Ready, Set, Grover!

Red and Pudge, now clocking at 5 and 3.5 have been enjoying their Sesame Street Games for the Wii, playing number and letter games with Cookie Monster and Elmo for months. They're experts at handling the Wii remotes now, and there are even times when they work cooperatively during each others' turns. (Don't worry, it's just sometimes... they're still them, after all.)

They're thrilled to add to their gaming options with the new Sesame Street Videogame Ready, Set, Grover! for the Wii and Nintendo DS systems. The focus this time is on reinforcing healthy habits like getting exercise, eating healthy foods, and taking care of your body with good hygiene and enough rest. Playing along with Grover, Elmo and Abby Cadabby, kids are learning lessons the good old-fashioned Sesame Street way. Just like the other games, there's a little touch of fun with a Grover-inspired Wii remote cover, or a Grover-illustrated extra large stylus perfect for little hands playing the DS.

We recently took our yearly trip to visit grandparents, and the DS is usually packed for Red and Pudge's older brother, but this time, they asked for turns on occasion, too. The DS game is even easier for them to manipulate independently, and Pudge especially is quite entranced. And they do still have their moments of having gaming fun together!

The format for Ready, Set, Grover! is the same as the other Sesame Street Games I reviewed earlier this year: Cookie's Counting Carnival and Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure. Repetitive audio directions are appropriate for the young target audience, and specifically with the Wii game, there's much encouragement for physical movement during play, which is perfect for little kids. I especially appreciate that the DS stylus incorporates the wrist strap (like a Wii remote), which isn't so much for safety, but is perfect for keeping it close. Though they didn't use the game in the car, that would have been VERY helpful for avoiding the mom-having-to-scramble-around-on-the-van-floor to find a dropped stylus.

Check out the trailer for a sneak peek:

My kids have loved having their own "kid Wii" options, feeling grown like their big brother, and I'm happy to allow them to have a limited amount of gaming time when I know it's with a quality program like those made by Sesame Street Videogames. If you've got young kids, check out Ready, Set, Grover! for another fun option for the Wii and the Nintendo DS.

**Disclosure: I was provided complimentary copies of Ready, Set, Grover! for the Wii and the Nintendo DS, but all opinions and gushing love for Sesame Street are all genuinely my own.


Game on,