Squinkies is a popular toy line for girls, which includes cutesy collectible miniature critters that are soft and squishy. They come with playsets and other goodies, and now they have their own video game on the Nintendo DS. Choose to be one of three Squinkies princesses as you rescue your hidden Squinkie friends.

When you start, you’ll have to select a door to go into. Each door has a maze with hidden Squinkies to catch. Find them on the map and pop their bubble with the DS stylus. Try to avoid the roving turtles, as they’ll just slow you down. Before you can rescue the Squinkie, you’ll have to play a mini-game to pass. These mini-games include memory matching, picture puzzles, coloring, match three colored bubble popping, and a few other touch screen activities. If you can complete the game in a given amount of time, you’ll win a Squinkie to add to your collection. If you beat the mini-game fast enough, you’ll earn a Magic Coin, which can also be found scattered about the mazes. Use the Magic Coins back at the hub to buy even more Squinkies. You can view all the Squinkies you’ve caught in the Bubble Bank, and there are more than 250 in all!

Kid Factor:

Reading skill isn’t necessary, as the instructions come with spoken voice. Older players may find the mini-games too simplistic and repetitive, but younger gamers will appreciate the lighter difficulty level. The limited edition of the game comes with four Squinkie toys, but the box doesn’t have a hard case for the DS card, which makes it a little harder to store and take care of the game. Squinkies is rated E for Everyone.

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