Review Jump Start Pet Rescue Developer: Knowledge Adventure Publisher: Knowledge Adventure Genre: Children’s Adventure Release Date: September 2009 Platform: Review by Lia & her pappy Randy Sluganski September 15, 2009		Buy this game at Trade for this game at:

The boss was back – no, not Bruce Springsteen you silly – Lia (pronounced Lee-ah), my 2 ½ years-old granddaughter. Having mastered the pc, she was now ready to turn her attention to the Wii and its wireless motion sensing remote control. After a quick lesson from her pappy on how to wave the remote to move the onscreen cursor and when to press the ‘A’ button, she was ready for action.

Jump Start Pet Rescue proved to be the perfect introduction to the world of console gaming. The major obstacle was in teaching Lia that she was controlling the onscreen cursor but once she grasped that concept, it was usually smooth sailing. After choosing a character and selecting her outfit, we were ready to explore.

There are two modes of play from which to choose. In Story Mode, new worlds can only be unlocked after goals have been achieved. Being as Lia and her pappy are somewhat on the impatient side, we opted instead for Explore Mode which allowed us open access to any area or world in the game.

There are five worlds – My Neighborhood, Petland, Town Square, The Beach & The Jungle – but you must always start at My Neighborhood. Here you can visit the Learning House where you can play a wide assortment of learning games such as Matching Ladybugs or Monkey Drop to earn rewards. There is also a Library where storybooks can be read once you have completed all of the missions in a world, a cool Movie House where you can watch films and sing along to favorites such as The Wheels on the Bus, My House where you can decorate your own house & even make it look like an animal and The Dressing Tent, which allows you to change the appearance of your avatar, or as they are known in the game, your Jumpee. But we’re here to be bold and explore, so it was time to open the map in the bottom left of the screen and jump to Petland!

As far as Lia was concerned, she could have spent the entire game in Petland (she was already fascinated with this concept from playing Dogz on her pappy’s Nintendo DS). Inside the Pet Tent, Lia was able to choose and name a pet that would then follow her Jumpee around for the rest of the game (Grown-ups who have played Fallout or Fable can attest to how much fun this is). There is also a Grooming Station where your pet can be shampooed and brushed (or if you’re a little girl you can put a hat on your pet, sheesh), a Pet Diner for that ultimate pet culinary experience, a Pet Stage where you can teach your pet tricks and then put on a show and Pet Park where you can select different toys to play with.

We eventually did visit the other worlds and while they all share similar areas such as billboards that can be revealed simply by swiping the remote back and forth over them, they also all feature areas specific to their title. The Town Square, for example, has a Grocery Store and a Fire Engine and Postal Truck that can be ridden around the Town Square. The Beach world has a recycling theme and The Jungle features some fun games that will have you navigating a canoe or exploring caverns.

Jump Start Pet Rescue is a rich and colorful game. There is much more to do and explore than can even be mentioned in this review. Small touches such as your pet getting dirty from following you around so that you have to give it a shampoo and the wonderful, twisty water slides that had us screaming ‘Wheeee’ are just icing on the cake.

At times the parts of the game were just a mite too difficult for a 2 ½ year old, but a little nudging from pappy always saved the day. Plus, there are many areas where Lia was able to accomplish a goal on her own and build her confidence. Offering lots of replay value and an experience the family can share, Jump Start Pet Rescue will be a welcome addition to your children’s game library.