Smarty Pants (Wii )
Ages: Everyone

With over 20,000 questions in eight categorizes – art, books, entertainment, fashion, games, places and people, science and sports, how come I got two of the same questions in three tries of the game? Maybe it was in Family Mode, where there is no choice of category but you are expected to meet a certain number of correct answers within a set time. I played with it set at 12 year old and the questions were noticeably simpler than mine. If you have a Mii profile it uses that avatar, otherwise you play as guest. To get additional time you can dance, shake or wave the remote. The remote keeps on urging you to do one of the time-extending actions in such a loud voice that it was impossible to think. And there didn’t seem to be any way to shut it up.

Friends mode is really where the game comes into it’s own. It’s a party game, played with four remotes. Players take turns spinning the wheel to select the category for the round. Players “buzz-in” to be the first to answer the question. The wheel is a nice touch with the sound effects and the ability “nudge” it to get your desired category. But the most fun were the reactions of the Mii avatars - particularly if you have made them to resemble yourself. There is game potential here.

Fun Factor: The categories are uninspiring.

Reviewed by: Editor - 12/07