puzzle games

When we first put the game in, we failed to read any of the instructions thinking that it was a game for kids and should be straight forward enough. We were very wrong. The kids hated it - it was confusing and too fast in some areas and too slow in others. We put the game aside for a couple of months. Out of the blue I decided to try and figure it out. With a little help from the instructions and a lot of exploring the game, we got it sorted out. Now the kids love it! When my son (6) has friends over, they play and giggle. The mini-games are very short, so when it is time for friends to go home or to turn off the cube, they don't have to stop in the middle of anything. My youngest (just turned three) likes to play by pushing the buttons. Sometimes he even wins! It is the only game that my boys can play together and not fight about.
Several of the games are too hard though, even I can't do well. When you are playing the short cruise you just pick the mini-games that you want to play, so you can skip the hard ones. The long cruise it where it gets weird. You take turns moving spaces to open doorways. You can interact with the other characters here and take their points, but it is very confusing to younger kids. It is also very boring because you always play with four opponents and you have to wait for them to take their turns and then additional characters may show up as well. It is just too much for kids under 8 to remember, although they can get through it (especially with help).
We really like that this game doesn't emphasize winning. When playing the long cruise, everyone gets party favors at the end. There are even some especially for the person who has lost the most games, thus ending on a very positive note. After playing the mini-games, it shows the winner and each character's points. The computer usually wins! But after that, points don't really matter. Just that the more you have at the end, the more new games you can unlock.
I feel that for the young kids, most of the mini-games are fun and yet challenging enough that they will want to practice and try to beat the computer (or other players). There is also a very good variety in the mini-games. Some are very simple, others will probably have to wait until they are older. Overall, one of the better games for kids 5-8 that we have come across. Just be prepared to figure it out ahead of time if younger kids will be playing.

I am a Muppets fanatic...so this game was a great find....first it's only 20 bucks..so right there a deal!...second...if u love the Muppets how cool is it to find something updated to play...I get to share my childhood with my kids..(also my brother and I get a great kick out of playing together and laughing like we did when we were kids over The Muppets humor.) The game is similar to Mario Party..you choose from six characters(Miss Piggy, Kermit,Animal, Pepe, Gonzo, and Fozzy....then u can play a board game where u get mini games..u do have to earn things to open other games and levels..but thats what a GAME is suppose to do...if everything was there with no challenge what' s the point?..and best of all u get these small video clips of all the different Muppets doing something funny ...bottom line..u like The Muppets? then buy the game.

Yes, I'm 36 and play video games. I'm not crazy about this one and neither are my kids. Only about 7 of the 30 games are even playable for kids and most of the others are frustrating and too challenging, even for adults! What really got my goat was 15 of the 30 games were locked and I had to play the board game section(A.K.A. "THE LONG CRUISE") to unlock the other half of the games. That, literally, took about 30 hours to accomplish(I really felt like I accomplished something, too). Sadly, every game, I spent hours to unlock, was a huge dissapointment and the kids were dissapointed, too. The "LONG CRUISE" is sooooo loooooong and boring my kids even got sick of it. During the "LOOOONG CRUISE" I was forced to play the same few games over and over and over and over...and OVER!
There are only a few games, of the unlocked 15, that are playable and fun anyway. It's simple, there's not enough variety and/or additional tracks with each game. FOR EXAMPLE...there's a bird-eye view of a "REMOTE CONTROL" race car game that's fun but has a very simple, nearly circular, track and that's it. No jumps, bridges or excitement of any kind. Also, would it have killed the game designers to create several more tracks to keep it interesting? That's how it is with every game! ANOTHER EXAMPLE...there's a flying game, that has alot of potential, but DOES only go in a circle and THAT'S IT! No excitement during the race and no additional tracks. WHAT GIVES?
I'd like to rate this game higher because I'm a huge fan of anything that is KID-FRIENDLY. If you're prepared to spend hours upon hours to help open up the 2nd half of the game that really isn't much better than the 1st half then, by all means, spend your hard earned money on "THE MUPPETS: Party Cruise"(GameCube). If you'd prefer to have your kids sit down and get right to playing something then I'd recommend "SHREK: Super Party"(which is made by the same company, but much much MUCH better) or maybe even try a simple card game like "UNO".