Go Diego Go: Safari Rescue

Go Diego Go Safari Rescue is a DS game that is aimed squarely at the very young. Diego is a good choice for a game theme, as Go Diego Go and Dora the Explorer are shows for the preschool and kindergarten crowd. Along with Diego’s game, Dora also has a new game out, Mermaid Rescue.  However, Safari Rescue is by far the superior game, which is surprising as they were developed by the same companies. But for whatever reason, Safari Rescue is the one to get.

The story behind the game is pretty silly. There is a magician who used to be a mosquito, and she is placing spells on the animals of the Serengeti. Diego must find a magic drum that will break the spells and return the animals. So much for the story. The mini-games are cool, though. 

In order to rescue the animals, players will play several mini-games. These are very simple, but are well-executed for the most part. Some involve taking pictures of the animals to place in a photo album. Some games utilize easy matching, and some require dragging items on the screen. There are a couple of obstacle races, where Diego just has to either move around or jump over obstacles. Players may have to blow into the microphone, or say a word. 

One fun game has players tapping a possible hiding spot for the elephant by picking the correctly colored one to match the color Diego announces. Another fun game requires players to use the directional arrows to move a viewfinder to find the animals that Diego is seeking. Many of these games are part of a larger overall game that has players searching for the animals by following directional arrows on the screen.

All of these games are simple, which is good, as they are easy for the youngest gamers to play successfully. They also are very interactive and many of them require some thought and practice at following directions. And kids love taking pictures of animals! Most of the games can be played separately from the story, which is also a good feature for a kids’ game. The graphics are well-done, and all the animals look very cute. This is a  great game to get for the younger siblings who want to play on the DS, too.  

Gameplay: 7.5
This is a fun game for the preschool crowd, but it still could have been better. Designers need to ditch the whole “blowing into the microphone” feature that so many try to incorporate, and stick to the basics that preschoolers love: matching, coloring and simple arcade play. Having several games that have players follow directions is good, though.

Graphics: 8
The graphics are really good. All the animals look cute, and the environments are drawn well.

Sound: 6
The music is average.

Difficulty: Easy
This game is very easy, but still fun.

Concept: 7
While some of the mini-games are too simple, most are well-designed and interactive.

Overall: 7.5
Go Diego Go Safari Rescue is a fun and (slightly) educational game for the DS. It’s for the youngest players, and as such, is very easy.  However, the designers did a good job of making most of the activities engaging and educational. Kids will use hand and eye coordination, listen to directions, choose colors, and practice other skills they will be using in preschool and kindergarten. And, they will have fun rescuing those animals while doing so! Parents, don’t listen to the kids asking for the Dora game, get this one instead.