Moshi Monsters is a super popular Web site for kids that lets them take care of their own monsters. I’ve seen tons of commercials and toys for them anyway. Looks kind of like this generation’s version of Neopets. One of the things you can do on the site is have pets for your monsters called Moshlings. Now you can take care of these little guys on the DS with Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo.

There are three main parts to the game. In the first section, you can explore the wild, searching for wild Moshlings to take back to your zoo. To do this, just scroll by the scenery and simply tap on a monster to coax it back to your habitat. But it’s not always that easy. Some hide pretty well so you have to keep your eyes open, and other monsters won’t come out until you give them their favorite food or solve a simple puzzle. You can also find hidden baby Moshling eggs to hatch, and there are dozens of critters to find.

The next part of the game is the zoo. This is where your Moshlings will live. You can monitor their happiness, cleanliness, and hungriness levels and if they need something, you play a mini-game. Serve food they like in the cafeteria, or give them a bath in the tub. You can also view and hatch your Moshling eggs here, too.

The last part of the game is the city, and this is where you can shop for goodies for your Moshlings. As you play mini-games and find monsters in the wild, you’ll earn Rox, the currency of this world. Spend the Rox you earn on a variety of items, like food or tools you can use to coax wild Moshlings to come to your zoo. You can also buy furniture and upgrades for your zoo, among other things.

By doing well in the game, you can earn awards and special codes that you can take back to the Moshi Monsters web site for even more fun. While the game is a bit repetitive, if your kids love the Moshi Monsters site and world, they’ll probably enjoy this game, too.

Kid Factor:

Good reading skills are a must, as everything is text based and the monsters just speak gibberish. Since there aren’t any good instructions on how to play the mini-games, a bit of trial and error is involved for the first couple of times your kid might play. This game may be a good compromise for parents who want to limit their child’s time online, too.

The game may also be considered educational in a couple of ways as well. Some of the mini-games enforce skills like math, color matching, and logic reasoning. Also, to learn what kinds of foods each Moshling likes, you have to look them up in the in-game Monstropedia. Even though your child won’t be learning anything useful, they will be practicing reading and research skills they can apply at school when writing papers. Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Comic Mischief.

Tags: Game Reviews