The Littlest Pet Shop toy line is a super popular collection of miniature, wide-eyed, bobble headed critters and accessories. They’ve recently expanded into online games and plush, and it’s one of the biggest toys for girls at present. And now they can have fun with their petite pets on the go with Littlest Pet Shop for DSiWare, a downloadable virtual pet simulator for the Nintendo DSi handheld.

Use the stylus and touch screen to brush your pet’s fur and flick the stylus to toss it treats. Tapping and stroking the stylus at certain spots will make your pet do tricks, too. Keep your pet pampered and happy and their Pet-O-Meter will rise, which in turn translates to bonus points when playing the mini-games. Earn enough points and you’ll unlock new accessories for your pets to wear, and even a new pet or two to play with later on.

Speaking of mini-games, there are several you can try with your little pet. In the Ring Toss game, flick the stylus in different directions to make your throwing disc fly through rings on the screen, and try to go through as many before the time runs out. Have a dance party with your pet and trace as many lines and patterns on the screen before the song finishes. Or play dress up with your pet and try and remember which accessories your pet is wearing in a memory game.

The graphics really look like the toy line come to life, and the game is pretty easy to figure out. Only problem is the activities are somewhat limited, so your young pet owner might get a little bored after a while. Plus, it takes a lot of points to unlock new pets, so they’ll have to be patient, too. It would’ve been nice if they would’ve let you pick your own pet and design its colors and such. I got a spotted puppy and later, a pink and purple bunny.

However, Littlest Pet Shop on DSi is nearly as robust as a full-fledged DS pet simulator game. And at only 800 points (about 8 bucks), it’s less than half the cost of the game cards. And you don’t have to leave the house to buy it, and you don’t have to worry about your kid misplacing the game card, since it’s downloaded right on the DSi. So it makes a nice little pick up for your Littlest Pet Shop fan. Reading skill is helpful for the text instructions. Littlest Pet Shop is rated E for Everyone.

Tags: Game Reviews