Puzzle Games Download For Free Or For a Fee

Games provide entertainment. It has been part of our existence ever since we were little. It does not only make passing time a little easier and fun but there are some that are quite educational too. A perfect example of an educational game is a puzzle game.

The great thing about puzzle games is its flexibility when it comes to age appropriateness. There are games that can be played by children as young as 2 years old or even younger than that. And there are games that can be played by our grandparents. Since games are always nice to play with where ever you are. There are available puzzle games download for free. There are different variations of it and some have been integrated in other games so you will not get tired of playing it. In fact, makers of these types of games made sure that each individual will be able to find one that he or she will find interesting enough to play with.

Due to its popularity, these types of downloadable games are growing. It is not actually surprising because people are looking for ways to relax after a long hard day’s work and it does exactly that. It helps a person to relax and be challenged at the same time. It also helps to focus on the task at hand. There are puzzle games download at gaming sites for free. There are also others that you have to pay a minimum price for. Do not worry though because it is not expensive. Before your purchase, check the reviews first so you will know that the game that you will purchase will be worth it. The truth is not online games are worth all that, so make sure that you get a good one.

Travel Guide

Tags: Download, Puzzle

Xbox 360 Towel Trick, If It Works

The towel trick of the Xbox 360 involves putting your xbox 360 into three towels and wrapping the gaming machine in whilst it is powered on for about 20 to 30 minutes or so.

Does it work? Yes, definitely it does. But this fix is not for the long term for such a system as the Xbox 360. It is an extremely complicated system that costs well over $200 that can’t be permanently fixed by wrapping it into a few towels.

It actually doesn’t work well for it as by doing so, several parts within the Xbox 360 will melt and depending on your luck the Xbox 360 may be more severely damaged then before.

What the towel trick does is to melt away the lubricant that is between the heatsink and processor, and causes both components to mend together closer instead of leaving a gap prior to that. This way, the processor is not overheated and the heatsink can absorb the heat, leaving it working much better without the three rings of death.

Many other bloggers have also reported that the towel tricks does not work for them or that it is a temporary fix, lasting only 2 to 3 weeks, and have also discouraged use of the fix, because it may void the warranty of the Xbox 360.

Here is a video that is shown on YouTube on the towel trick.

The video is quite informative (and hilarious ) and as you can see from the video, a fire extinguisher is recommended as the Xbox 360 may catch on fire due to overheating of the internal components that are within the Xbox 360.

Another caveat is that as you do the towel trick fix more, the life of the fix shortens considerably. If you do the fix for the first time, you may prolong the life of the Xbox 360 by 2 weeks or so. The later stages that when you use the towel fix, the life shortens considerably down to 4 or 5 days or so. Use with caution, as it also shortens the lifespan of many other components within the Xbox 360.

My take? Not worth it. That is because given that you may void your Xbox 360 warranty and also that it may not give you the necessary permanent fix that you need to have a leisurely gaming experience for more than 6 months down the road.

Easyeblog Blog and Life

Tags: Trick

Buy PC Games Online – New Computer Games Made Easy!

If you’re looking to purchase PC games, almost any type of game you could ever think of, then there are many ways to go about this. Finding them all under one roof- from action to educational (and some that even I did not know existed)- can be the problem bit.

Before the Internet came into existence, computer game lovers would buy games from various places. Examples of such places would be mail order catalogues, large department type stores where they have small sections for electronics, games etc, and also specialist game stores (and many more other places). However, even with the specialist PC game shops, it was hard enough to find almost any game that was available on the market at that particular time. There was a limit to how much a shop could have in its stock, due to rental space reasons, overheads etc.

With the onset on the Internet, things have changed almost completely. The Internet has given rise to businesses that only have their presence on the Net. The savings made on shop rentals, overheads etc is passed onto purchasing a much bigger degree of stock, thereby offering a larger choice of games. This has resulted in many people to buy PC games online, mainly because of convenience and also at the same time- cost. What would have cost you say $50 from your local shop, would probably cost less and sometimes considerable less from an online computer games site. Also, with the wider availability of games online, one could pretty easily find an outdated game that they were interested or hunting for, or even easily research into new type pf games. This could not have been possible by visiting your local game shops or shopping mall.

There are of course a few downsides to buying online. Finally finding the game you were searching you, you discover the company is based half way round the world, or in a different State, or wherever. So, you will need to wait for your order to arrive. However, put this aside, consider how long or far you would have searched offline if you were not able to buy PC games online.

The growth of online PC games providers has been pretty huge in recent years. Unfortunately, this growth has resulted in some smaller offline game shops to close up because of being unable to compete with the bigger online sites (some have even shifted from being an offline shop to being solely online).

The Tea

Tags: Computer, Online

Best PS3 Games – Download Them Free Today

Do you own a PS3 gaming system? If you do, you obviously know how awesome it is. If you are looking for the best PS3 games then you will be surprised that you can download an unlimited amount of them for free. The PS3 is one of the top gaming systems available today because of its many features.

One of these great features is that it will play games that have been downloaded online. The PS3 can read games that have been copied onto another disc. Now, the only questions is, where do you get the best PS3 games? This one is easy and you will find the answer here.

You can download the best ps3 games available through online download sites. There are several sites available that have large databases of games available for download. You will be very pleased with the selection of games you will have to choose from. The only thing you have to do is pay a one time fee. This fee will easily pay for itelf with the first game download because the fee is less than the cost of just 1 PS3 game.

Now you can enjoy all the best PS3 games for one low price. Get your gaming hat on and prepare for an unlimited amount of fun.

There is no better way to get your downloads than for free. The only thing you need to be careful of is spyware and viruses. Make sure you choose a good site and do your research.

Logitech Review

Tags: Download

Free Games For the Young

There are literally hundreds of sites online providing thousands of free online games for young children. Most of us would tend to think of free online games to be like arcade games, full of adventure and violence not appropriate for young children. However, free games available on the internet now come in a great variety appropriate for young children of all ages, from toddlers to preschoolers, school age children and teens. Parents can also indulge and have lots of fun playing free online games with their children.

Type of Games

Free games on the internet tend to be based around age groups and game types.

For toddlers there are games involving colors, shapes and interactive free games that work on their co-ordination. There are also active games that get them working on their hand-eye co-ordination as well as games involving animals which always get them interested.

For preschoolers, free online games might involve active animation / cartoon figures and interactive, online puzzle games to help these kids grasp concepts of language, math, music and social behavior e.g. right and wrong. Games involve crafts – i.e. art and building basic stuff are also popular in this age group.

For school age children, games will have increase complexity and may include online puzzle games, games involving math, music, language / word comprehension, spelling and vocabulary related free games.

For old children in their teens, brain teasers, Sudoku and other number games, language games, complex puzzle games, reasoning games bring bit more challenges for their inquisitive minds. Teenage children might also start getting into animation and video games involve problem solving, virtual reality adventures and other active games.

For all age groups, free online games come under some of these basic categories:

1. Co-ordination, online puzzle games which test hand-eye and brain co-ordination skills

2. Craft games which indulge children in art and craft making

3. Free puzzle games which include jig saw puzzles, mazes and word puzzles

4. Music games which involve tunes, music instruments and singing

5. Math games including word and number games related to mathematics

6. Problem solving games which indulge gamers to solve presented problems through skill and learning

7. Word/language related games may include scrabble, spelling and vocabulary games

8. Picture / coloring games which are for younger children helping to develop association with color, photos and pictures.

9. Adventure/simulation games include animated and active adventuring learning games that tend to be longer, interactive and simulate real life challenges or adventures.

10. Intuition / reasoning games which may include brain teasers and mind development games

11. Physical activities which are online games that get gamers to carry out physical tasks and activities

Many of these online games are played on the computer through keyboard, mouse, touch and voice commands. There are also many popular free online games that are printable so can be downloaded and printed on paper to be played away from the computer.

Benefit of Free Games

Free online games for the young offers many benefits:

- Developing language skills in young brains as young minds learn sounds, pronunciation and phonics much easier than older brains

- Increase hand-eye co-ordination with games that involve activities

- Help young gamers learn concepts such as language, music, colors, math and social behavior through a fun process. Younger gamers learn faster when they enjoy the process

- Provides release for young children to have fun in a non-pressure environment to remove tensions and reduce hyperactivity

- Build attention span and ability to focus in young kids

- Develop essential math and spelling, vocabulary skills from an early age

- Encourage artistic endeavor and craft appreciation in children so that this is carried through their lives.

- Build confidence/ self esteem as young gamers succeed and get good at things

- Increase creativity, intuition and life skills

- Improve vital problem solving skills for school, work and life

- Add to young children’s life knowledge base

As young minds and bodies are developing, giving them mental and physical stimulation through games is vital to develop neuron networks in their brains. This early neuron network development helps boost learning and problems solving ability later in life.

As with all good things, access to free online games and free online puzzles should be limited so that young kids are not ‘overloaded’ with information and do not become addicted to free games and miss out on important physical exercise as well as beneficial physical social interaction with other children.

Importantly, parents should be involved with their children when playing these free online games to develop fun competition and boost family interaction and social dynamics. This will lead to a happier and more fulfilling family life for children and adults alike.

925 Sterlingsilver

When You Turn On Your PSP – What Does It Do For You?

4 Ways Your PSP Can Entertain You

It’s More Than Games

Did you know that the PSP is more than a game console? You bet! You have purchased more than just a game machine or console. You have had so much fun with the few games you have and you now know them so well its easy to get to the last level. That new game just has to show up real soon. Your in luck. Just like the PlayStation 2, you have more than just a game console in the PSP.

This little game box is packed with a lot of useful features that many gamers never explore. Sony is good about adding more features with each firmware upgrade.

So what’s in the box?

First there are the movies, movies, and more movies. OK, so the PSP uses the UMD format. So what? It looks like movies in this format are increasing in sales. That’s good for you. As sales increase, the price decreases. Buy your movies or transfer them from your DVD library. The PSP produces sharp video and great sound through the headphones. Now you can leave that heavy laptop or DVD player at home and still enjoy your favorite movie.

Then there’s the music. You say you have an MP3 player, throw it away, the PSP can do that too. Connect the PSP to your computer with the USB cable, add memory and your set to download your tunes. Now you have one machine doing two things. Your load is getting lighter.

Now which would be better: not surfing at all, surfing the web on your tiny cell phone screen or on the PSP? The PSP wins. If your firmware has been updated to version 2 (or the latest 3.xxx) your set to surf the internet with the built-in browser. So if your PC is not close by, then use your wireless PSP internet connection. The Internet is never far away when you have your PSP.

Number 4 is your photos. Download those pictures before you go over to grandma’s house and leave the paper pictures at home. Now that’s cool. And grandma will love the zooms, rotates and the great slideshow you’ve put together for her. And you can download the pics to her PC (I know she has one, she’s a cool granny). Who else would like to see your pictures? Are you in Real Estate or an Art dealer? Man this PSP is great.

Now aren’t you glad that you have the big sharp screened PSP? Its a great game machine and so much more.

Fashion Lady Clog Shoes About Psp Lenovo Computer Laptop

Download Free PC Game for Your Computer

Finding out where to download free PC game is easier than ever before. With all the competition that is out there fighting for your business, finding where to download free PC game of better quality is as simple as a click away.

When you look to download free PC game, you will be presented with a full menu of the latest and best games of today. You can find out what all the buzz is about when you look to download free PC game for your computer.

No longer do you have to wait in line at a video store to get the games you want to play. Simply do a search to find the best sites to download free PC game. It used to be that when you wanted to download games that were currently popular, you had to pay a fee. That is no longer true because there are so many sites that offer you the ability to download free PC game.

You don’t have to be limited to just the current hits when you are looking to download free PC game for your computer. You can find lots of hits and classics from the past. Just a few years ago, you couldn’t find just what you were looking for when you were searching to download free PC game, but things have changed and changed quickly.

One of the biggest complaints from users about the ability to download free PC game was the poor quality that was offered simply because it was free PC download game. As we mentioned, with all the competition that is out there, it is possible to find just what you want when you are looking to download free PC game.

The desire to download free PC games is not just for kids either. Adults of every walk of life are finding out how great it is to download free PC game for their computers. Kids don’t just kick butt anymore; grown-ups have the ability to do the same now that there are so many ways to download free PC games.

The Top Star Blog

Tags: Computer, Download

The PSP: What You Should Know

Sony’s small wonder has been a huge success across the world. A instant success at it’s Japanese launch several years ago, the system was so hot that many gamers have resorted to importing it at extravagant prices. Some of the things I’ll share about the PSP you may already know, while others features may be surprising. Whatever the case, be sure you read on to make sure you have the inside scoop on one of the biggest releases in gaming history.

1) First let’s talk about graphics. The graphical power of the PSP is said to be close to that of a Playstation2. And yet many early screen shots show slightly less complicated character and background models. There’s a reason for why things might appear that way, even though they are more impressive than anything else on the hand held market. It’s because screen shots from a PS2 are full screen and need to be that detailed, whereas the PSP screen is smaller and thus can fool the eye into appearing more powerful than it is on paper. Simply put, the character models don’t need to be as detailed, because you won’t notice the difference anyway. That said, we need to keep in mind that these are first-generation PSP titles. Just look at how the PS2 games have evolved since its launch. If hand held games are looking this good at launch, imagine what a couple years of development time will do. You can expect the same leaps, similar to those found with home based consoles, as developers become more familiar with it.

2) The battery time issue is fixable. Everyone was worried about what kind of battery time we would be looking at with such a powerful system. Well as of now, you can expect even the most intensive games to last well beyond 3 hours of play time, while other less graphically intense games can reach up to 6 hours. Better yet, the system can be charged while you play it, and there will also be swappable batteries available if you find your game time will stretch well past 4 hours in one sitting. As an aside, mp3 playback will be in the realm of 9-10 hours, in large part because you can turn off the screen when the unit is tucked in your pocket. Charging will take about 2 hours from a completely drained battery. You can also play the PSP while charging the battery at the same time. There’s more hope too. Sony has already stated that higher capacity batteries are in the works.

3) Music playback. The PSP will be able to play mp3’s right out of the box. The only supported storage (outside the pre-loaded UMD media) will be Memory Stick Duo’s, which could be found in capacities as large as 1GB, and for about $150 if you look hard enough. Battery life and sound quality have been reported to be pretty good, though you will probably want to use your favorite headphones. Many folks are planning to use the PSP as a secondary mp3 player, for when they grow tired of games while on the road.

4) It’s wireless too. The Nintendo DS has already demonstrated the freedom that can be had without carrying your cords everywhere, or dealing with tangles when trying to hook up with more than one person. The PSP follows suit with a powerful wireless functionality that can work up to 100 feet away, even through walls. Theoretically, you can play against someone else on the far side of the floor you’re on. Add in other players, and you can have 8 people going at it wirelessly without any game lag, as can be seen on the launch title Ridge Racers. And this is just the tip of it all, as future wireless titles can have internet connectivity so that you’re playing with a team of folks that span the globe. In fact, the PSP can already log online, but only for firmware updates, at this point. It’s only a matter of time before a third party releases a web browser UMD.

5) Sleep mode. One of the drawbacks to a disc-based system is load time. To help overcome some of the boot-up and loading time for the PSP, it allows you to put the system on sleep mode with a flick of a button, when you have a short break. Turning it back on will jump you immediately back to the point where you left off in your game, in less than a second. Furthermore, sleep mode has been found to have almost no effect on the battery-life, even after being in sleep for 24 hours. This means you can play in short bursts, experiencing the benefits of disc-based data, but minimizing the load times, if you need to keep it off for a little while.

6) Movie playback. The PSP plays back MP4-formatted movies, right off the memory stick. We’re still working on a way to make this thing less complicated, but right now you need at least a couple pieces of software to make the movie conversion. One is Decrypter, to rip movies off of your DVD’s and store them in VOB format files, and in conjunction with that you will need 3GP Converter, a free utility that converts video files to MP4. You will have better luck with smaller videos, and files that are already in AVI format. Sony itself recently released a converter software, but it does not rip your movies off DVD (understandably) and it also costs $10, on top of being Japanese. The 3GP program at least allows an option to change its language setting to English. Things will continue to iron themselves out as the system nears launch here in the US, but imagine how cool it would be to watch a 2-hour film on a brilliant portable wide-screen. The fact that you can do this, with a system that’s rumored to launch at such a low price is unbelievable.

7) Strong third-party support. The PSP should have a huge selection of games available throughout its lifespan, if Sony’s history is any indication. Even at launch, which we are hoping to come around March 2005, if not a little sooner, you’ll be able to jam with the likes of: ATV Off Road Fury, Dynasty Warriors, Bomberman, Hot Shots Golf, Metal Gear Acid, Ridge Racers, WipeOut Pure, NBA Street, NFL Street, Tony Hawk’s Underground 2, and Twisted Metal: World Tour.

The price is going to be right. In Japan, the cost of a PSP is $186 US once you make the conversion. It is very possible, in fact it is probable, that the PSP will launch in the US at $150 for the basic unit, and maybe $200 for the expanded Value Pack (includes a memory card, a strap, and a carry-pouch). Sony is looking to put a serious dent on the Nintendo handheld market and if they can match the price of it here, while at the same time offering all sorts of multimedia capabilities and a big leap in graphics, then it will do just that. Competition is always a good thing though, since this will get Nintendo thinking more about what they can produce to match. There could be a price cut on Nintendo’s part, or there could be bundles offered. Is it any coincidence that the DS Metroid game is also set to be released in March?

9) The screen is a marvel. The PSP’s screen has been called the crowning jewel of the system. It is amazingly bright even from multiple angles and from far away. Think about how some of the Sony VAIO laptop screens look like at your local Best Buy and you’ll have an idea of how sweet it will look. Not only that, it’s also in widescreen format so all games will natively give you a larger view of your surroundings, especially racing and FPS games. If you install your photos into the system, it will generate white bars on the side of the screen at first, since they are 4:3, but there is a zoom option on the PSP so that the image takes up the entire screen. You’ll probably be taking more shots with your digital camera from here on out, so that you can show off pictures easier now. The screen is substantially brighter than the Nintendo DS’.

10) Announcements are coming very soon. Word is that Sony is waiting until the holiday season ends so that they can announce all of the US official launch plans. Since it’s practically January already, it’s only going to be just a short couple of months before we have this thing in our hands! Gamestop and other software retailers are already taking pre-orders so we suggest you run out now if you want to be guaranteed one on launch day. We’re so excited to put this thing through its paces, and hopefully now you can understand why.

Knitting Crochet Patterns The Solar, The Energy For The Earth

Tags: Should

Computer Cases Just For Gamers

Did you realize that you can change the case to your computer? Are you a dedicated gamer? Then you have multiple choices to make. Gaming is addictive and so is all the hardware that goes with it. Do you play for long hours? Well this may just be your lucky day! A day full of exciting new items to enhance your gaming – this is a guarantee – you will find something that you think you must have – and this is it! The must have of the week – to update your look is just minutes away!

The first case that I found was the NZXT Nemesis Elite Case. This Elite Case is a jazzed up version of the Nemesis Case. And we all know how great the Nemesis Case was. Well if you enjoyed that one, you will fall in love with the NZXT Nemesis Elite Case.

Do you want more memory for those memory hogging games? Well it is easy with the Nemesis Case. There are no screws and you need no tools to use more expansion cards. Why? Because they are conveniently swapped out with a single screw bracket that will give you access to all seven cards! How convenient is that?

The front bezel has a Crafted Gaming Armor front door that will remind you of the plate amour worn centuries ago by those daring knights. Will you be the next shining knight? The external power button is outside the door – you never have to open this door to turn on or off your computer.

The Nemesis Elite Edition has many features that the older model, the Nemesis Case. The Nemesis Elite Edition has a built in LCD thermal and fan monitoring system. This great feature monitors three different channels and has a warning alarm that will warn you in advance if the temperature gets out of control. The LCD display not only shows you the temperature of your computer it shows the current time and date, as well as acting as your personal alarm clock.

One more feature that I really like was the ability to choose your color. That’s right, switch your color between all that are available. The available colors are green, blue, red, yellow, purple, teal or white. It also has a blue LED fan which gives you one more color to work with. With all these cool features how can you refuse to pay just $109.99?

The other highly rated case is the NZXT Rogue Gaming Case. This custom built case is made with a 3mm black aluminum frame which is light enough to take to all those gaming parties. Never will this light weight case be an issue. The NZXT The Rouge Gaming Case has one of the leading cooling systems. We all know how heated those games can get – well no more. Not with this massive cooling device.

The Rogue comes with a great carrying strap, plenty of space for all four hard drives and those extra long video expansion cards. How Can you go wrong if your are just paying $124.99 for this amazing case?

Another great choice is the Centurion 5 from Cooler Master. This case encompasses it all. The Centurion 5 has style and functionality. It comes to you with a sleek new design that features a clear window that is begging for the extras.

Since the designers at Cooler Master know you want to have more gaming time instead of spending your time setting up your computer into this new, sleek case; they have made this case tool free assembly friendly. That’s right, no tools needed to set your computer up! Not only is it easy to set up, it has been designed to allow maximum airflow. This way, your computer will never seize up because it is so hot! This case sells for a measly $63.99.

Knitting Crochet Patterns

Tags: Computer, Gamers

Best Kids Movies of 2009

DVDs and blu-ray best kids movies of 2009

As the parent of a 6 year old, I’ve spent a good amount of time in cinemas this year and we’ve seen most if not all of the major kids films released in 2009. Therefore I thought it might be handy to give you my brief reviews and views on what are the best kids or family movies of 2009 which are going to be available to buy on Blu Ray or DVD for Christmas. I’m going to review them from my point of view as a parent, and from the point of view of my son, as in whether he enjoyed it or not, and whether I think it will stand up to repeat viewings at home.

These aren’t in chronological order, I’m just adding these as the come to me:

1. Marley and Me.

Marley and Me was a strange film. In fact I would go so far as to say it was a two parallel films which might have been clever had they both worked. On the one hand, Marley and Me was a movie for middle aged men approaching or post mid-life crisis. It dealt with issues such as men losing their independance when entering a relationship, the difficulties of juggling work and home life, and issues about having children and families. I have to say, it handled these issues very well and as a grown up film, I thought it was pretty good and Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston were both excellent. However, the movie had been marketed as a goofball family comedy revolving around a big silly dog, Marley. My son and I had seen the trailers for the movie whilst watching other films at the cinema (I can’t remember exactly which ones, but probably the likes of Hotel for Dogs, and Monsters Versus Aliens – for which see below). The trailer focuses on the wacky antics of the dog and his owners. In reality, what you get is the adult themes as explained above, intertwined with Marley being the constant in the couple’s relationship and all goes well until the last half hour when oh my goodness, it turns into one of the most harrowing and heartbreaking movies of all time, making Kes seem like an episode of Dancing on Ice. Marley gets old, and ill. Eventually he has to be put to sleep. That’s bad enough you might think, except it isn’t. It’s much worse. You are forced to watch each member of the family giving their heart breaking goodbyes to their old friend as he loses the fight for survival, culminating in Wilson being there as the lethal injection is administered to put Marley to sleep. And it doesn’t even end there – you then have the utter despair of all the kids reading out their eulogies to the now dead Marley at the family funeral for the poor pooch. My son was in tears (as were most of the audience) and was actually quite angry about the fact that the film was so sad. I would never have taken him to see it had I known what it was really about and felt very guilty at having forced him to endure it, along with the difficult issues for young children such as death. Amateur psycho analysing aside, I would say that it definitely is NOT a film for young children. I’m not sure if it’s even a film for older teenage children.

So, the rating (out of ten):

Dads score: 8 Sons score: 1 Repeat watchability: 2 Average: 3.6 out of 10.

Worth buying Marley and Me as a kids Christmas present? Definitely not. (Worth buying for Dad though!).

Marley and Me is based on a book of the same name of course (and there are other Marley books in the series) and the book is also worth checking out.

2. Hotel for Dogs.

Hotel for Dogs was a far better proposition. A couple of teenage orphans in foster care are forced to take extreme measures when their dog needs somewhere to stay. They have to hide him from their awful (but superbly played) foster parents and stumble upon a big old disused hotel (obviously dreamt up before the property boom of the 1990’s when every spare inch of empty ground seemed to get converted into at least 20 flats). I won’t spoil the story for you but it involved the two kids, their social worker, their foster parents, and most of all, a large array of dogs whom the kids save from the pound (and extermination) with the help of some other kids who work at the local pet store. It’s a really good film and one of our favorites this year. We actually saw it twice at the cinema and I had no problem with that myself!

So, the rating (out of ten):

Dads score: 9 Sons score: 9 Repeat watchability: 7 Average: 8.3 out of 10.

Worth buying Hotel for Dogs as a kids Christmas present? Definitely YES.

3. G-Force

G-Force came out fairly recently in both 3-D and 2-D versions. Sadly our local cinema doesn’t support 3-D so we ended up watching it in normal vision. I must admit I was sceptical about G-Force being much good. We had seen the trailers which looked quite funny, but I had a feeling it might be a bit of a one trick pony. Happily I was wrong though. G-Force traces the exploits of a group of specially trained guinea pigs (hence the G) along with a techno genius Mole, who are handled by a (naturally) slightly eccentric but brilliant government payrolled scientist. When the government “feds” decide to terminate his funding, the trainer is desperate to get his team to solve a major crime in the making. Again, I won’t spoil the story, but it’s great fun with excellent characterisation and good human acting as well. Very enjoyable.

So, the rating for G-Force the movie (out of ten):

Dads score: 8 Sons score: 9 Repeat watchability: 7 Average: 8 out of 10.

Worth buying G-Force as a kids Christmas present? YES. We also have the PSP game and that’s very good as well. I can’t comment on the other formats but chances are they’re equally worth getting. Bit tricky for very young kids though.

4. Aliens in the Attic.

Aliens in the Attic was another summer holidays release. It features aliens who land on earth during a “meteor shower” at a house containing two holidaying families with an odious boyfriend in tow with a device that allows them to use people as remote controlled devices. And that’s, er, about it really. It was slow to get started and actually was something of a one trick pony. It seemed to be strangely retro set as if it was trying to claim an ET type place in movie history (kids with Activision video game t-shirts on etc. and retro hair cuts) though it also featured the internet so obviously wasn’t supposed to be set in the 1970’s. Didn’t really work for us. We both got bored very quickly. The story was poor, and the aliens were like little annoying crazy frogs.

So, the rating for Aliens in the Attic (out of ten):

Dads score: 3 Sons score: 3 Repeat watchability: 3 Average: 3 out of 10.

Worth buying as a kids Christmas present? Definitely NO in our view.

5. Monsters Versus Aliens

Monsters Versus Aliens was another film that came out in 3-D and again, we didn’t get to see it in 3-D. It featured lovely big animated characters and basically revolved around three “monsters” who had been taken off to live in a government scientific lab (including a lady who had been struck by a meteor affect on her wedding day which turned her into “Ginormica” a massively tall woman – all in proportion, it wasn’t a cake attack). They were sent out in a last ditch attempt to conquer a large alien body that the military had been unable to destroy using conventional weaponary. Again, plot spoilers withheld. However it was a good fun romp, well made and entertaining enough. However, we didn’t think it would stand up so well to repeat viewings. It was definitely worth seeing once, but I don’t think it would get hammered on the DVD player in our house.

So, the rating for Monsters Versus Aliens (out of ten):

Dads score: 7 Sons score: 8 Repeat watchability: 5 Average: 6.6 out of 10.

Is it worth buying Monsters Versus Aliens as a kids Christmas present? Maybe (but it’s definitely worth seeing once). More of a yes than a no! There are also lots of Monsters Vs Aliens toys available if your little darlings were particularly impressed by the movie.

7. Up!

Up! is the latest from the Disney Pixar stable and we were lucky enough to get some preview tickets to see the movie in full 3-D in Leicester Square several months ago. It beautifully animated (using computer graphics of course) and the 3-D was effective, but probably not essential in my view. It’s a lovely story about a man who is about to be put into residential care. Having previously worked as a balloon seller with his late wife as a younger man, he decides to embark on one last journey to find a place (Paradise Falls somewhere in South America) they had both dreamed of visiting as young children, but had never got round to. He sets off on the morning of his departure to the old folks home by launching thousands of helium filled balloons tied onto his house which lifts it up and away towards adventure. Once in the air, he discovers a young “Wilderness Explorer” called Kevin who had been on his porch at the time of life off, and the two of them bond whilst having their adventures. It’s a lovely film, though I couldn’t help feeling that there was a little something missing from the story. A lot of story time is dedicated to not very much happening, and I felt that it ought to have been a bit more profound or involving, though I can’t quite put my finger on why that should be.

So, the rating for Up! (out of ten):

Dads score: 9 Sons score: 9 Repeat watchability: 8 Average: 8.6 out of 10.

Worth buying Up! as a kids Christmas present? Definitely YES.

8. Ice Age 3. Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

The third part of the Ice Age series, and I must admit I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought part one was good, part two was OK but not very exciting. As it turned out, I was right to be wary. Ice Age 3 had a fairly dull plot involving a search to recover a lost friend (Sid) who had skulked off due to being usurped in the affections of a big mammoth by the imminent birth of the mammoths first child. Sid himself adopts three dinosaur babies after stumbling across their eggs, but is then abducted by their mother who comes in search of them. Sid is taken to a prehistoric dinosaur jungle, and the others have to (naturally) find him and then all get back out. I’m not sure why it didn’t work for us but it didn’t. I know it’s aimed at kids, but it was predictable and rather boring. There are some funny bits, but the struggle between Sid and his new female friend over an acorn was funny for 5 minutes but seemed to pop up every 10 for the entire film.

So, the rating (out of ten):

Dads score: 5 Sons score: 6 Repeat watchability: 3 Average: 4.6 out of 10.

Worth buying as a kids Christmas present? No, unless your kids are completely into the Ice Age movies. That concludes my round up of the top kids movies of 2009.

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Tags: Movies