Kid-Friendly Game Library

Ask anybody who's got a wee one in the household—if there's one thing in this world kids will eat up like candy, it's a heaping helping of sugar-coated gaming goodness.

Indulging their sweet tooth is safe and easy with Xbox® or Xbox 360™. With so many family-friendly titles up for grabs, you've got as many great options as your sprouts can stomach.

While moderation's always recommended (after all, school, sports, and Sunday picnics are also essential parts of life) make the most of your kids' time with award-winning first-run titles and best-selling Platinum Family Hits.

Too busy tackling the M-rated masterpieces your friends and co-workers can't stop raving about to do the research? No sweat.

Polish your parenting skills with a quick peek at the smorgasbord of tot-ready titles highlighted below, each a safe and recommendable suggestion for kids and grown-ups alike.

Xbox 360 owners enjoy added security thanks to built-in family settings. Impose ESRB game rating restrictions, limit Xbox Live® access, control account creation, monitor online profile sharing, track friend list functions, filter Marketplace content, and much more at the press of a button. Minors' privileges are all assigned and approved by parents and guardians.

Now where did I leave that Oompa Loompa?

Action/Arcade
Bring the game room or movie theater home with hyper-charged hits like Namco Museum 50th Anniversary Arcade Collection or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Just imagine the smile on your child's face as they enjoy the same cool games you grew up on or explore Willy Wonka's wondrous home. Alternately, make them the star of the show, blasting their way through deadly droids as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, or even Yoda in LEGO® Star Wars®. From blockbuster movie spin-offs such as Shrek 2™ to originals like Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, the excitement's just heating up.

Adventure
No doubt Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ will score well for your fledgling wizard wannabes. When they're finished exploring Hogwarts' musty corridors, your young ones can kick back with Pitfall®: The Lost Expedition™, a pleasantly atmospheric little rumble in the jungle. Or, for that matter, they can visit scenic Madagascar™, where both the wildlife and fur-raising encounters are plentiful. Cap off their journeys with a jaunt around the globe: Carmen Sandiego™: The Secret of the Stolen Drums is a passport to intrigue.

Classic/Card
Sometimes, nothing beats a good old-fashioned tabletop favorite for sheer entertainment value. Improve your child's I.Q. with one of the world's oldest games in UbiSoft's Chessmaster®, whose integrated Xbox Live features assure anyone can jump online and find competition. Don't worry about picking up pewter pieces when the urge to outfox friends and family members strikes, either. Monopoly Party is worth every penny, and eliminates the risk that you'll accidentally injure your foot on shoe-shaped figurines left lying about the living room.

Tak says two heads are better than one.

Multiplayer Party
Birthdays, sleepovers, babysitting sessions … anytime you've got a gaggle of young 'uns around, break out Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix™ 2. Voila—they'll fall over themselves (literally) grooving along with popular tunes and stomping to the beat. Tak™ The Great Juju Challenge also makes an awesome multiplayer game, courtesy of its two-player co-operative mode. And Nickelodeon™ Party Blast will silence screaming toddlers as they play favorite Nicktoons characters (such as Jimmy Neutron or SpongeBob SquarePants) and compete in magnificently simple yet enthralling mini-games.

Puzzle
Riddle me this: What could be better than an interactive brainteaser? Try the kind that stars silly, sphere-encased simians, whom you must quickly roll to safety by skillfully tiling Super Monkey Ball™ Deluxe's colorful backgrounds. Or go with the latest spin on a time-honored classic instead—specifically, Tetris Worlds™ Online Edition, which features half a dozen variations on the old standby. Egg Mania: Eggstreme Madness, Super Bubble Pop, and Ultra Bust-A-Move will also test children's craftiness.

Monkeys. Balls. Super.

Racing
What a gas—Forza Motorsport™ is the perfect pit-stop after a hard day doing long division. Kids of all ages will flock to play this title for its pixel-perfect visuals and stunning realism. Project Gotham Racing® 2 is still an exceptional game by any stretch as well, though Project Gotham Racing® 3, an Xbox 360 exclusive, also makes a great parent-child bonding experience. Ankle-biters who'd prefer to play alone always have the option of enjoying awesome alternatives, including Antz Extreme Racing and Crash Nitro Kart™.

Role-Playing
I know … character creation, stat-juggling, and customizing inventory readouts is a little much for tykes. That's why you want to start them out easy with light fantasy fare like The Hobbit™. It's got swords and spells plus orcs and dragons aplenty—but none of the hardcore detail that makes more mature roleplaying games so intimidating. Besides, after hours spent personalizing creatures and watching their beasts do the monster mash, Digimon® World™ 4buffs will be ready to graduate onto high-level heroic efforts.

MotoGP 3 will get kids' engines purring.

Simulation
Motorcycles rock, right? Peep the hot wheels on display in MotoGP 3, one of the most realistic motorsports simulations ever seen. Alone or online, anybody can enjoy its handlebar-equipped high jinks. The difficulty level's accordingly extreme, but you know what that means—a primo chance to spend quality time teaching a child the ins and outs of racing. Should pupils need a break from the roadway, the flashing lights and sweet sound effects that accompany any run on Pure Pinball's tables will instantly clear their head. The bumper-bashing fun doesn't stop there either—Pinball Hall of Fame™ celebrates 60 years of coin-operated history in one addictive package.

Sports
Like you need my advice—between chart-topping smashes such as Madden™ NFL 06, NBA 2K6, and NHL 2006, owning an Xbox or Xbox 360 is like holding the ultimate season ticket. No matter the athletic activity, be it tennis (Top Spin™ ), equestrian events (Barbie™ Horse Adventures™ Wild Horse Rescue™), or America's national pastime (ESPN Major League Baseball), your kids are covered. Get out there and start swinging for the fences with them.

Don't forget, Xbox 360 owners also enjoy added security thanks to built-in family settings. Impose ESRB game rating restrictions, limit Xbox Live® access, control account creation, monitor online profile sharing, track friends list functions, filter Xbox Live Marketplace content, and much more at the press of a button.

Now that you have a ready list of games for your little ones, get out there and pick up a few—you'll get an earful of thanks and might even find something both you and your kids can enjoy together.

Article by Steve Richter

• Platinum Family Hits.