Those Tamagotchi virtual pets are hopping out of their keychains and onto the Nintendo DS. Shops are open and back in business for the third time as young (and young at heart) gamers play occupation-based mini-games to make their Tamagotchi customers happy.

Just as in the last two Corner Shop games, players choose their favorite Tamagotchi to be their partner and pick from around a dozen shops to run. In these shops, play stylus and touch screen themed mini-games to earn money and please your customers. When you’ve made enough Tamagotshis happy, your shop will expand. The mini-games in upgraded shops are a little bit more difficult and have more steps to them.

You can use the money you earn to buy outfits and treats for your partner Tamagotchi, or decorations for the park outside the shops. Players can also keep a journal and trade it with friends wirelessly who have a copy of the game and a DS, although none of these things add to the basic gameplay experience at all.

The meat of the gameplay is in the shops. Use the stylus to roll and knead dough in the bakery. Teach piano lessons by tapping the right colored keys to the corresponding colored notes in rhythm. Tap the touch screen with the stylus to dig and chisel out rocks to unearth fossils and treasures, then dust them off by blowing into the DS microphone. Drag and drop trash to sort at the Recycling Center. Other shops include an Ice Cream Parlor, Gardening Nursery, and Day Care Center.

The main problem with Corner Shop 3 is that a couple of the shops, namely the Greeting Card and Party Planner shops, are confusing and hard to understand what you need to do at first. And the text instructions for these games aren’t written very well. Plus, Corner Shop 3 isn’t much different from the last two games in the series. If you haven’t played them before, you might be able to find the first two cheaper. And if you have played them before, this third one doesn’t offer too much new unless you just REALLY like those games. But even with its problems, Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 remains a charming game for young DS gamers.

Kid Factor:
Kids will love the bright, colorful graphics and silly sound effects. And the stylus and touch screen DS gameplay is kept simple for little gamers, too. Reading skill is helpful as all the instructions are text based. Even so, there are a couple of the games that are a little confusing at first and youngsters may need help from an older player to figure out what to do. Luckily, Corner Shop 3 doesn’t penalize you very much when you don’t play one of the games as well. There is no objectionable material or violence in the game at all.

It’s a bit of a stretch, but Corner Shop 3 may be considered somewhat educational as well. Kids can learn a bit of color and shape matching recognition by playing a few of the games. And the piano lessons introduce basic music and rhythm concepts. The Day Spa game shows the importance of cleanliness and washing your face. And the Gardening game shows how plants grow. And all the shops introduce kids to skills needed in real life jobs, sort of a “These are the people in your neighborhood” game. Kids learn the basics of what bakers, gardeners, beauticians, archeologists, and what other professionals do. But most importantly, the game emphasizes working hard and giving back to the community. All in all, Corner Shop 3 is a fine game for little gamers.

Tags: Game Reviews