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First impression: The first thing that attracted me to this game was that it was for ages 3+. What 3 year old can handle playing video games on a Nintendo DS? They don't have the motor skills yet!

The game: That being said.. this is a British game for younger children. The music was actually good for once! I had some hope that the game would be good as well. And it was actually pretty good! I didn't play too far into it (I failed at the 4th or 5th task somehow.. ) but I can tell that children would really like it. It has cute cartoon characters and little animals and such.

You do little tasks for Postman Pat like finding his missing kitty in the house by touching on places that he could be hiding, and stamping letters for him at the post office.

The directions aren't the best. I got confused during the letter stamping part. Having an adult there to help the child might be a good idea. Also for American children, some of the language is a bit different than what we're used to. He uses terms like "franking" the envelopes. I can guess what that means... but a child probably won't be able to figure it out.

I went back and played the game again, having failed so early on the first time. This time I finished easily, I just had to read the instructions better.

Pros of the game: It is a good children's game overall. You can do story mode where you go through the story and play the games in a row, and it saves your progress which is nice. So you can play a couple and go back and start where you stopped before. It reads like a children's book, with Postman Pat reading the text to you. Very well produced in that way. You can also play practice mode where you go directly to the different games separately.

Cons of the game: There are only 10 games in the story. I went through the entire game in less than 45 minutes, and I had to restart a couple of the games a few times. A smart kid could get through that entire game in an hour and probably wouldn't want to go back to it again.

Conclusion: This is still a good game for children. If you child gets through things quickly and then gets bored you may not want to get this one, but try renting it or borrowing it from someone.

Good music and graphics (for a children's game) and an actual storyline that they might be interested in made this game worthwhile for kids. Still not sure about thee 3+ part, but maybe for 6 or 7 year olds. I'll give Postman Pat a 5!

DSmaster is a blog on Wordpress that gives all kinds of reviews on all kinds of Nintendo DS games. If you are looking for more reviews like Postman Pat, then visit DSmaster

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A number of board games have expanded themselves to make gaming even easier for all of its players. With handy electronic gadgets that now come with the games, players no longer need to worry about many of the smaller details which can hold them back from the game. These devices are designed to allow the maximum amount of freedom and ease when it comes to game play, putting even less pressure on the mechanics of the game and more on the strategy that goes into winning the game.

One of the most popular electronic devices that is often implemented is the use of an electronic timer. Games that provide one of these allow players to not have to worry about watching the little sand timer that games used to provide. This allows the player to focus on the task at hand rather than to watch the timer, often providing crucial seconds. Pictionary and Scattergories are both games which use timers and with an electronic device, more attention can be paid to playing the game.

Another fun electronic device that comes into play often is a buzzer. Taboo is one game that implements a buzzer, used to either signal when a player has stepped out of bounds, or when the round is over. During play with Taboo, one player from a team tries to make his or her teammates guess a certain word without saying other words on a list. One player from the other team monitors this player, to ensure that he or she does not say any of the forbidden words. If one of these words accidentally slips out, the buzzer is then heavily used.

Some classic games, however, have updated themselves to include electronic features. Monopoly now features an Electronic Banking edition, which eliminates all use of paper money, controlling the entire cash flow of the game through a little computer given with the game board. Players are given debit cards on which their entire fortune is contained and the computer keeps track of each player's total amount. Properties and hotels are bought with the card, fines are paid, and money changes hands all with one swipe. This allows for a much quicker game and generally happier players all around.

The Game of Life is another classic game which has updated itself with exciting electronic features. A take-off from the original game, Life: Twists and Turns is an innovative take on the previous incarnation. Each player is given an electronic "Lifepod" at the beginning of the game which not only tabulates the number of "Life Points" that each player accumulates, but controls both the money of the player and even rolls the "dice" for them.

This game, like Electronic Banking Monopoly, doesn't rely on cash to get players through the game, but provides them with debit cards which help each player control the money that comes in and out of their hands. It is quite an innovative take on the game that allows players more time with the game and less with the mechanics of making it run smoothly. With the way that innovation is redesigning the game industry, it is no surprise that these classic board games are finding new life with players.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures. You will find all these things and more if you visit electronic board games, chess boards.

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