If you have a game system, this one is available to you: it comes for the Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Xbox 360, Playstation or PC. Just about any kid can participate in this game.

The appeal? Little characters that are interchangeable throughout game play via a base that comes with the game. Characters have different powers that seem to enhance their abilities given the level you’re on (earth, fire, water, etc.)

It’s rated E 10+ but I’ve got my 8 and 5 year old playing with it with no issues (I’m guessing the rating is for the violence – you fight enemies in each level.)

It’s around $59.99 for a starter pack for pretty much any game system you’re choosing for. It’s a hit for sure and I definitely recommend this one for young gamers. Get Skylanders Spryo’s Adventure on Amazon with free shipping.

The mere mention of the band ABBA makes me smile as it holds so many fond college memories.  I imagine it’s the same for many of you out there.  I danced during many late nights to “Dancing Queen” and “Take A Chance on Me” with my sorority sisters and friends and we were always those “Woo” girls when an ABBA song came on.

I also went the Sing-Aloud version of the movie Mamma Mia when that came out a few years ago and remember remarking to the friend who went with me that it was tough to stay sitting throughout the movie as I wanted to get up and dance!

So I was all over testing out  Ubisoft’s latest dance game, ABBA You Can  Dance on the Wii (Amazon, $39.99).  If you aren’t familiar, Ubisoft is the maker of the extremely popular Just Dance games, of which I’m also a fan. (I use them for both fun and exercise on days I can’t get to the gym!)

A couple of weekends ago, we got together with some friends to test out the game.  My friend is also a die-hard ABBA fan and we actually managed to even rope some of the guys into dancing along with us!  (Note the one Dad who did not want to be identified on camera so danced to the game with a Batman mask on – so funny!)

This is just an all-around fun party game for anyone of any age.  You can see in the video that my friend’s children (8 & 6) enjoyed dancing along with it just as much as we did.   I’m all for a game that gets everyone laughing and having a good time.

And a fun bonus that isn’t available in the Just Dance options – what would ABBA be without the ability to sing along???  In this game you can plug your microphone in and there’s a setting in the game where you can sing along as you dance.  Awesome!

Find Ubisoft’s (Just Dance makers) ABBA You Can Dance on Amazon for $39.99 with free shipping.  A great gift for any ABBA fan on your holiday list who has a Wii!

Here’s a video of us all dancing to it!  I’m bummed it’s not the best quality and it’s sort of dark because we obviously danced after dark but you can see how much fun we had!

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

And it keeps getting better. Current Wii consoles are shipping with the brand new Wii Plus remote with built-in MotionPlus technology (it used to be a separate, add-on accessory). This new hyper-sensitive remote controls your Wii games with the natural, fluid movement of your hand, without having to think about pressing a button. You get better control with less work. A win-win.

There are also a bunch of recently-released Wii games that will make a perfect pair with a Wii console.

Barbie: Jet, Set & Style: Budding style mavens will jump at the chance to perfect their hair, makeup, nail and fashion skills. Travel around the world with Barbie picking up style tips from Paris and London to Tokoyo and Moscow. Hone your glamor skills to win the ultimate prize – styling Barbie herself for an international fashion show! Rated E (THQ)

Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident: New to Wii for the first time is the exciting hidden object puzzle play of the Mystery Case File series. Scour the island, locate hidden objects and use clues to solve inventive puzzles throughout the game. My kids love the I Spy-style of this game, and while it was too hard for them to play alone, it was a great family game using our collective detective skills and eyesight. Rated E (Nintendo)

Family Game Night 4: Your kids may think that board games are soooo old school, but now you can introduce your kids to your favorites – with a twist! With Family Game Night 4, you’ll be off the couch and laughing as you choose between CONNECT 4 Basketball, YATZHEE! Bowling, SCRABBLE Flash, BOP-IT Boptagon, and SORRY! Sliders. My kids were hooked on YATZHEE! Bowling having just learned how to do both parts separately in the last few months. This was a great game to enjoy as a the whole family! Rated E (EA)

Monster High Ghoul Spirit: If your daughter loves the Monster High dolls, they’ll be of fan of Ghoul Spirit where they can work to become the coolest ghoul in school by making friends, building a reputation, doing all sorts of “creeptastic” activities and more. Select your hair, skin, and outfit to create your own creepy character and do you best to win the ultimate prize – winning the title of Scream Queen. Rated E (THQ)

Wii Play Motion: If you already have a Wii, this is a great introduction to the Wii Plus remote which comes bundled with the game that highlights all of the new remote’s hyper-sensitive capabilities. With 12 mini games to choose from like Jump Park, Skip Skimmer and Treasure Twirl, the games are easy enough for younger kids to play while still offering enough challenge for adults. Rated E 10+ (Nintendo)

Rayman Origins: From the creator of Rayman, Beyond Good & Evil and the Raving Rabbids, comes Rayman Origins. Choose from over 100 characters while you adventure through 12 beautifully drawn worlds and over 60 levels attempting to save their home, the Glade of Dreams, from trouble. Pick up important skills like swimming, diving, slapping and of course the “HairlyCopter” in an attempt save the Glade and defeat the enemy. A fun game for older kids and adults alike. Rated E 10+ (Ubisoft)

Skylanders – Spyro’s Adventure Starter Pack: This unique game comes with three creature action-figures called Skylanders and a “Portal of Power” that syncs with the console and “teleports” the creature into the game. Each Skylander has a different ability or power and remembers its place in the game – even if you use it on a different console. Use your Skylander’s special power to battle Kaos, an evil tyrant, and protect your homeland.  A multiple player function allows you to join forces with a friend or battle head-to-head. Plus you can expand the game by purchasing separate Adventure Packs. And the Skylanders are perfect entertainment on their own. Rated E10+. (Activision)

Add on the new uDraw Tablet from THQ and you can try out these new games.

Pictionary – Ultimate Edition: You know the game, but not like this! Pictionary Ultimate takes drawing to a whole new level. Play regular Pictionary with over 3,000 drawing clues (junior and adult levels) or try out Pictionary Mania with crazy drawing modes like tool confusion, eraser only and rotation frustration where the screen rotates while you’re trying to draw! Plus when you’re done playing, the free draw mode is perfect to hone your skills. Rated E (THQ)

Spongebob Squigglepants: Join Spongebob, his friends and the president of the Spongebob fan club, Patchy the Pirate, in this dizzying adventure of more than 100 fast-paced mini-games and challenges. The games are easy enough for younger kids, but the time limits add an element of challenge for older kids too. You can also draw, paint and color tons of never-before-seen images of Spongebob from the Nickelodeon vaults. A must-have for Spongebob aficionados. Rated E. (THQ)

Disney Princess – Enchanting Storybooks: Budding artists can bring color and life to scenes from their favorite Disney princess movies staring Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Tiana. With over 100 coloring pages, activities, sticker pages and stories, your little princess will have fun recreating her favorite scenes from her favorites stories. Sadly this one was lost on my boys, but I admit I had fun reliving some of my own Disney memories. Rated E. (THQ)

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Note: MWS was not paid for this review. Samples were provided for the review.

$120.00 with Free Shipping for the Nintendo Wii Game System, Super Mario Brothers game and Super Mario Brothers Music CD on eBay.com via ToysRUs.com.

Released just earlier in November and a great Wii pick for the family this holiday season is Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.  This game follows the original release of Mario & Sonic at the Olympics.  Obviously this one plays on the upcoming London games and what fun it is!

The add on here is that the city is your playground!  London landmarks mark the background of all of the fun Olympic games.  All of your favorite characters are there like Bowser, Luigi and more.

It’s 4-player optional and I would recommend this as a great party game. $45.99 on Amazon for Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games with free shipping.

So under the tree this holiday season will be the latest Kirby installment for the Wii – Kirby’s Return to Dream Land.  It releases on October 24th and you can get it on Amazon for $49.99. It looks like a ton of fun – up to 4 players and it’s rated E for everyone so it’s sure to be a great family game.    

Also for other Kirby fans – here’s a neat little news tidbit related to Nintendo and Halloween:

Nintendo is partnering with the Starlight Children’s Foundation to sponsor Starlight Fun Centers in select hospitals around the country to demonstrate the power of helping others with some inspiration from Kirby and his new Super Abilities.

Kids are encouraged to find their inner Super Ability and explain how they would use it to help others or make the world a better place by downloading and filling out the Kirby coloring sheet and submitting it to Nintendo. Nintendo and Scholastic will post select submissions to a virtual gallery on the Nintendo site, and some submissions will be featured at a special Oct. 27 unveiling at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach in Long Beach, Calif., to celebrate Nintendo’s sponsorship of the Starlight Fun Center. For added inspiration, kids can visit The Stacks and take a “What’s Your Super Ability?” quiz. Participants can answer questions to determine which of the Super Abilities featured in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land would suit them best.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Nintendo for providing me with a review copy of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land to facilitate this review.

Ubisoft’s latest is a Smurf version of it’s Dance Party hit – aptly named, Smurf Dance Party. Players dance along with Papa Smurf and the other characters from the movie to songs from the movie as well as some recent familiar radio hits.

The dance moves are a little easier than the regular Dance Party but are definitely an all-play for the whole family.  (It is the Smurfs, so duh, this should be for kids, right?)

Look how much fun my kids had playing with it with friends the other day.  (Even the non-remote holders were dancing up a storm!)

Get the Smurfs Dance Party for the Wii on Amazon for $29.99 with free shipping.

Personally it felt a little more of the same old to me but my kids were enamored with several of the mini games – especially the stone skipping game which admittedly is slightly addicting.

Get it for $47.99 on Amazon with free shipping.

Lastly, here’s a break-down of all the mini-games from Amazon:

The Games

Wii Play: Motion includes one Wii Remote Plus controller, along with the 12 games – each with challenging gameplay and various modes, that adds up to a powerful package in motion-controlled gaming. Games include:

• Wind Runner – Tilt the Wii Remote Plus controller all around you to control the direction of an umbrella – riding the wind through a race course filled with gems.
• Grappling Ghosts – Catch ghosts that fly out of from your television and surround your body. First, you’ll search for a ghost with the Wii Remote Plus controller, which beeps faster as you bring it near the “invisible” ghost. Then you’ll hook it with the controller, wrestle it back into your TV, then stuff it into a cage.
• Teeter Targets – Flip a ball upward to break targets, holding the Wii Remote Plus controller like you’re gripping the ends of a teeter-totter.
• Veggie Guardin’ – Smack garden pests on the head or bat them far away – twisting, turning, and swinging your Wii Remote Plus controller as you defend your vegetables.
• Trigger Twist – Shoot your way through UFOs, ninjas, and dinosaurs. While holding the Wii Remote Plus controller, you’ll move your arm to aim and turn your body to pivot – giving you the new experience of being surrounded by enemies and whirling to face them.
• Skip Skimmer – Skip stones, by making that motion with the Wii Remote Plus controller in your hand, to get the highest number of skips you can on a lake or to earn the highest score on a floating obstacle course. Shuttle parts safely to a space station by tilting the Wii Remote Plus controller, as if the ship is in your hand, then firing thrusters with controller buttons.
• Star Shuttle – Shuttle parts safely to a space station by tilting the Wii Remote Plus controller — as if the ship is in your hand — then firing thrusters with controller buttons.
• Flutter Fly – Guide balloons through an aerial obstacle course by fanning them along with the Wii Remote Plus controller – fast, slow, and on all sides. You’ll also scare off crows by pointing at them then pressing a button before the birds pop your balloons.
• Cone Zone – Hold the Wii Remote Plus controller like an ice cream cone, then try to keep it in balance as more and more ice cream is piled on.
• Treasure Twirl – Lower a diver to the bottom of the sea by twirling the Wii Remote Plus controller to unspool his cable, and dodge sharks and jellyfish by moving the controller left and right. After you grab the sunken treasure, you’ll have to pull him all the way back up again.
• Jump Park – Jump around a huge trampoline park by tilting the Wii Remote Plus controller at the exact angle you want to bounce next. You’ll gather all the gems you can to earn a high score.
• Pose Mii Plus – As your Mii character flies through space, you’ll rotate the Wii Remote Plus controller in all directions to squeeze your character through silhouette-shaped holes in barriers before you crash through them. Your Mii will change its pose often, so you’ll have to act fast.

Here’s a little video of my kids playing on one of the levels the other day:

Get Kirby’s Epic Yarn for the Wii fo $37.95 with free shipping on Amazon.com.

This game has been around for 11 years but this latest release (November 2010) adds a Choreograph Style to the game.  In addition to having to follow the moves with your feet on the floor mat, the player uses the nunchuck and Wii remote to follow along with the arm movements as well!

It seems like a ton of fun but we’re playing using Classic Style – which is the floor mat only.  I figure once my coordination graduates to a level where I can actually get the footwork down, I’ll add the arm movements.  In the meantime, using just the floor mat is a workout!  I’ve been setting the game to Workout Mode on the days I can’t get to the gym and the kids join me and we’ve been spending hours playing the game.  While you can only have one player on the mat at a time, I often let the kids on the mat and I mimick the moves on the side to practice and workout.

You can also use the Wii Fit board with this latest release.  Check it out.  If you aren’t familiar, think of it as Guitar Hero for the Feet.  At least that’s how I’ve been explaining it to friends.  Get Dance Dance Revolution for the Wii for 68.99 on Amazon with free shipping.