Jewelry Box Collection
Ages: Ages 5-8

Child psychologists studying toys that boys and girls played with, found out that a pink jewelry box rated as the top choice for girls. Disney knows this and has put together three games in a pink jewelry box that will be a top favorite for girls 5 to 8. Hey, I had fun reviewing it. Two of the three involve dressing a princess -- you. Basically the format is the same for the Princess Fashion Boutique and Magical Dress-Up but the sets, characters, games and costumes are different. The wonderful thing about these games is that you pick the body shape -- and you can go from thin to zoftig. The body shapes are not Barbie but pleasantly girlish. I would give this game an 'A' just for that. Then you go on to select skin colro, a face -- eyes, with or without eyeglasses and hair color and style. If you expect your child to play this for a long time -- there is an option to import her picture. When the figure is on a pedestal, in her chemise or ballgown, you can rotate her to see all sides using the arrows on the base. The games give you the choice of Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White, Belle or Jasmine as your guide. There are separate "themed" areas -- an underwater grotto, a village, a garden -- for clicking and gathering more accessories and gowns. Additionally there are story building and coloring activities. The Princess Fashion Boutique connects to the internet to send email. Though the online feature seemed well thought out -- parents should check it out before their young girls use it.

The third game Ariel's Story Studio is exactly that. It is the Mermaid story in chapters that you can select or run through in sequence. Each chapter has a game related to the action taking place. Disney cared enough to make some charming but easy games. Let's face it -- girls like to play princess, goddess or getting married. Get used to it! And is a winner.

Reviewed by: Editor - 11/04