Even with its sights set on a younger generation there is no denying that Viva Pinata has some sort of Harry Potter spell over older folks, too. An engaging sim with a good dose of Animal Crossing, it is hard to resist the candy filled contents of Viva Pinata.

The game's objective is a bit elusive, though if you are my nephew it's to whack "bad guys" (sour pinatas) with the shovel. If you are part of the older set, however, it is probably the systematic improvement of your garden with the aim of acquiring each pinata and, of course, eking out every pretty little achievement point.

At the start of the game you are given a garden that has fallen into disrepair with the task of restoring it to its former glory. You quickly discover that improving your garden lures pinatas and even convinces them to become residents. Equipped with a busted up shovel, some grass seed and a watering can you aim to please the myriad pinata of Pinata Island.

As your garden becomes less refugee camp and more green initiative new black and white pinata will visit. Each pinata is unique, with specific needs that your garden must fulfill for them to even appear, and additional ones for them to visit and take up residency. If your garden has the necessary components they become residents and morph into colored pinata. Once a pinata goes local you will want to keep them happy, and even better, romance them.

Romancing pinatas is pretty much the G version of some more lewd Discovery Channel activities, replete with a mini game. Getting your pinatas in the mood for some sweet, sweet truly saccharine lovin' can be as simple as building a home for them in the garden, or as complex as buying accessories and making sure they eat certain foods. Once you have spawned enough pinata progeny that your garden is overrun, you can make a neat profit off their sale (for parties of course) or beat them into candy with your shovel. As for romancing the offspring of pinata with their parent pinata, let's just say hello, Appalachia.

Like over-breeding and selling of pinata, certain game elements are best left unquestioned: a broken pinata leaves all its candy contents behind...which other pinatas eat. Viva Pinata, bringing cannibalism to children everywhere. Feel free to monitor your kid's violent tendencies, too; any child ruthless enough to whack Seedos over the head for a few extra seeds warrants some therapy.

Achievements are gleaned and gardening skills improved primarily by growing new things, attracting new pinatas, and romancing. You will be amply rewarded, if grudgingly, with tool upgrades and additional garden space. The leveling system is gratifying, and will probably drive the gameplay of the more experienced gamer. Leveling up also attracts more elusive pinata, who will snobbishly only associate with the gardening elite. Luckily, some pinatas have low standards.

Purchases for your garden range from seeds and homes, to garden helpers who can water for you or collect fruit or even scare off sour pinata. These helpers have varying levels of success, and from time to time I got annoyed with my gathering helpers' inefficiency and just chased them out of the garden with a sound beating.

You can watch pinata and plants alike grow, as well as pinatas consume one another (sadly, a requisite practice in the pinata kingdom). Each pinata has a voice, its own array of sounds, and you will be able to hear each one with varying clarity from any point in the garden. The lively space can get full, though, and you will have to make decisions on what to keep, including pinata. Don't be shocked when you find yourself attached to that gamboling, wide-eyed Cinnamonkey; make a choice, Sophie.

The pinatas are unique in personality which means that while some of them will coexist quite harmoniously, others will fight at the slightest provocation. Fights are a frustrating part of garden life and will result in sick pinatas if you fail to break up the battles. The only danger more fearsome to your garden are sour pinatas, which will destroy things in your garden, make your pinatas sick or just kill some stuff. The higher your level, the more challenging the sour pinata. There are ways to turn the nasties sweet, but the path to good isn't always clear or easy. Sour pinata conversion is, however, totally worth it as once you have turned one Sour you can repel all others of its kind.

My greatest sadness with Viva Pinata was how limited the space was. Once you have maxed your garden, that is it, no more turf. I couldn't curb the desire to expand my empire, and further the discovery. Another tiny negative is that during auto saves the game will struggle and bring you down from your candy buzz. Otherwise, the visuals are bright and engaging. Controls are kid-friendly with a few too many safeguards against gaming oopsies.

The XBox Live experience with Viva Pinata is pretty tame. There are Leaderboards if you hunt for them, and basic comparisons between gardens and pinata values. The comparison feature ends there, though, and doesn't extend to the ability to visit other gardens (a la Animal Crossing). What is fun is the ability to ship and receive pinata crates to friends. Crates can hold five of the same thing, and the contents are a surprise to the recipient. It's great for getting pinatas you haven't acquired, as they will automatically become residents. Sending sour pinatas, though (even ones you've turned sweet), is reserved for those special enemies as they will go sour once the crate is opened.

If you are considering picking up the game for your kid recognize that their gameplay time will likely be much shorter than yours, unless they just like running around and planting stuff. The elements they have to grasp in order to really advance the game will likely elude the younger set. I recommend starting your own garden and sending your kid some of the cooler pinata, as it is probable they will never get to see them otherwise. Also, there is a watered down story element to the game through the Journal. I never really took much interest in it, but it would definitely appeal to kids.

With no ultimate goal, how you approach the game is very open and replay value is pretty high as tiny decisions and random occurrences make every garden unique. Viva Pinata is an easy choice for lovers of Animal Crossing, and it is just as suited to any gamer looking for an interactive, fun-filled sim. Go ahead and judge the game by its saccharine exterior, the insides are just as gooey and delicious.