Hamtaro is a cute hamster with lots of hamster friends. Originally a Japanese children's book, Hamtaro was introduced to movies and television around the world, and, of course, made into video games and toys. GameZone never watched Hamtaro much (due to my being too cheap to pay for a cable lineup featuring the Cartoon Network), but we enjoyed the GBA games, especially Ham-Ham Heartbreak.
Unlike previous Hamtaro games on handheld systems, Hi! Hamtaro Ham-Ham Challenge is designed primarily for very young players. It is essentially a collection of light "edutainment" games, which focus on critical thinking skills, creativity, recall and counting. There are 12 activities in all.
Gameplay 6
Graphics 7.5
Sound 7
Difficulty Medium
Concept 6
Overall 6.0
Hamtaro on the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance was a guilty pleasure for IGN, but even they realize that this game is far too young for a seasoned gamer. But at the very least they can see how this game will appeal to the Under 10 crowd – if you're looking for a fun, easy game that'll give your kid a good sense of accomplishment, Hi! Hamtaro Ham-Ham Challenge is a decent one to pick up.
Presentation - 7.5
Graphics - 7.0
Sound - 7.0
Gameplay - 7.5
Lasting Appeal - 5.0
Overall -
This is the perfect way to learn why millions of people around the world enjoy this hobby, and it's a great game to track your child's early cognitive development. Everyone else will find the game far too easy for them, and will probably only enjoy the amazing cuteness and graphics. Still, Ham Ham Challenge really is a great game and Alphadream deserves a big thumb's up for making yet another superb title featuring the Ham-Hams.
IGN: Natsume, a worldwide developer and publisher of family-oriented video games, announced today that the company has officially launched Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge for the Nintendo DS. A brain-training DS game geared at elementary-aged children, the game is rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board and will be available for an MSRP of $29.99.
Hamtaro and his friends make learning fun in Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge. Children will not only be entertained by the beloved hamster Hamtaro and his adorable cast of friends, they will also develop their memory, word comprehension, math skills, and many other abilities as they play through the twelve engaging interactive games. The game's easy-to-learn touch screen controls make the game fun and accessible for children of all ages. Parents can take an active role in their child's playing and learning with features that let them monitor their child's progress in each game, adjust the difficulty level to match their child's skills, monitor and control play time, and even reward their child with special items.
