Nintendo DS Lite Game Reviews
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Review: Hamsterz (DS)

Score: 82

It's tempting to sum up Hamsterz as simply a virtual pet game - with er.... hamsters. But it's more than that and surprisingly fun.

The core is as you might expect though - you adopt your favourite hamster from 5 breeds, care for him, and train him. The better you raise your hamster, the bigger he becomes and the more energy he has to build a big, realistic mega-cage, complete with (get this) a bakery, a school, a bookstore, and so on! The main game's presented in a reasonable 3D, although it's not up to the standard of Nintendogs.

Hamsterz

There's a good linear flow of logic in getting around the game any child from 5 upwards will enjoy looking after their vitrual hamster. Quite a bit of the interaction is via the microphone, Nintendogs style, though perhaps with equally erratic results.

Hamsterz

The other component of Hamsterz, perhaps deserving equal billing with the main game, is the collection of mini-games, from tile puzzles to Breakout to bowling, each with a suitable hamster theme and with hamster food to be won. Curiously, these games are done in a retro 2D style, but each plays well enough and Hamsterz bears repeated playing every now and then, which is more than can be said for many other recent DS titles....

The best of the current crop of pet-related titles and recommended.

(Buy Hamsterz for the Nintendo DS Lite now)