Lilo & Stitch DVD Board Game

Click to Buy	Ratings Summary (Scored out of a maximum of five)
	Audio		Video
	Goodies		Interface
	Value

The Game

The concept is pretty simple: combine the tried and true family fun
of a board game with the wide ranging capabilities of DVD technology.
The real trick, though, is to make both pieces work together seamlessly
and in a fun and easy way.

In Lilo and Stitch: Island of Adventure, the board assumes
its traditional roles of keeping track of who is leading the game and
doling out punishments or rewards, depending on the spaces you land upon.
The DVD, and its ability for randomized access, acts as the musical spinner
as well as the source of the punishments, rewards, and activities, and
thankfully, gone are the stacks of cards that need to be shuffled as well
as the dice or cheesy plastic spinners that never seem to work very well.
The only pieces you need to keep track of are the cardboard game pieces,
like the six player vehicles and numerous Experiment pogs.

Promotional image © Disney.

The game plot picks up after Stitch! The Movie, and almost all
of Stitch’s 625 cousins are spread across Hawaii. The object of the game
is to make your way around Hawaii’s five lush tropical game environments
and collect as many Experiments as you can before Nani catches you. David
narrates the game and guides you through everything from set up to end-game.

As you travel around the board, you encounter three different kinds of
special game squares: frog squares with 10 different mini-games, tourist
squares with 10 physical activities, and tiki squares with over 200 “virtual
mystery cards.” Also thrown in for good measure are several random
good and bad events that could occur any time the remote control buttons
are pushed, featuring appearances from Dr. Hamsterviel, Gantu, and the
rest of the gang. The game ends when the first player reaches the finish
line, but the winner of the game is actually the person who has collected
the most Experiments.

Game play is fairly straightforward, and my 5-year-old easily caught
on to the flow. The first time my two sons and I played the game, we chose
the “Quick Game” option, which starts you off about half way
through the board. From there, it took us about 40 minutes to complete
the game. However, I was impressed that the game kept the attention of
my older son, but my 2-and-a-half-year-old came and went through the game.
He kept asking me to push the tiki head button on the screen and was rather
insistent that every turn was his, but you cannot expect much more than
that for a toddler.

Promotional image © Disney.

They both enjoy the ambient music and familiar voices, and they seem
to enjoy the on-screen games and physical activities, once they were either
explained to them or they listened to the video instructions a couple
of times. Some of the game’s aspects are a bit over the older one’s head,
like the trivia-type activities, but most of the games and activities
are right on target for school age children. Since the first time we played
the game, we have played a couple more times, and while the game play
is identical, I did not notice any repetitiveness in the activities, games,
or virtual cards. This kept the game relatively fresh.

The Goodies

There are really only two goodies on the DVD game disc, namely two episodes
of the Lilo & Stitch TV series. The “Mr. Stenchy”
and “Clip” episodes are similar in look and feel to Stitch!
The Movie, and while very mildly entertaining to me, younger fans
of the TV series are bound to enjoy them a bit more. Other than those,
the game is the primary attraction on this disc.

Promotional image © Disney.

The Video, Audio, and Interface

The video and audio transfers and the user interface are pretty standard
for Disney’s DVDs these days. The video is very clean and nicely saturated,
especially for the bright greens and blues of the tropical settings. It
is more than adequate for the Saturday morning cartoon animation on the
disc, and it should play well on any video system.

Likewise, the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack is more than adequate
for the material, but in between player turns, the ambient surround effects
add a nice tropical ambiance to the game play. It is a nice, albeit small,
touch to the game.

As for the DVD interface, the main menu is animated and features audio,
and the rest of the easy to navigate menus are simple and static. The
game interface is also simple and easy to use for just about all family
members.

Promotional image © Disney.

The Final Evaluation

With pretty decent family game play and enough video and audio touches
to keep things interesting, Disney’s first shot at a DVD enhanced board
game is a winner.

I do need to add the caveat, though, that your family should probably
already enjoy playing board games before investing in this set, as it
is much more a board game than a DVD that you simply watch. Also, even
the shortest games tend to take at least 30 minutes, so if you have young
children, it may test their patience to the point that the games becomes
a tad trying for parents. Finally, because of the technical requirements,
this game will not be the kind you can really take with you to play while
tent camping—but it will make a good, interactive family alternative
to sitting and just watching a DVD.

Click to Buy	Ratings Summary (Scored out of a maximum of five)
	Audio		Video
	Goodies		Interface
	Value

The Disc

Following along the same lines as the previous two Sing-Along
titles, Disney recently introduced a Sing-Along DVD featuring
songs from their latest theatrical outing, Brother Bear. Hosted
by Rutt and Tuke—the moose brothers from the film—via rather
stilted animation, the disc contains the typical wide range of songs,
but only two of them are from Brother Bear. The following is a list of
the tracks on the DVD:

• “On My Way” – Brother Bear


• “Try Again” – 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London
  Adventure


• “Following The Leader” – Peter Pan


• “ Go The Distance” – Hercules


• “I’m Still Here” – Treasure Planet


• “Digga Tunnah” – The Lion King 1 1/2


• “On The Open Road” – A Goofy Movie


• “Aloha, E Komo Mai” – Stitch! The Movie


• “Welcome” – Brother Bear

Like the other two Sing-Along DVDs, my two young boys enjoy most of the
songs on the disc, but there are a couple that they insist that I skip.
Then again, if the boys have control of the remote, we repeatedly listen
to “On My Way” and “Digga Tunnah” until I wrangle
the remote away from them. (It is just better to hide the remote from
them in the first place.)

If you and your children enjoy the other two Sing-Along DVDs, or the
videotapes for that matter, then you will probably also enjoy this disc.

Promotional image © Disney.

The Goodies

The additional features on the DVD version of the Sing-Alongs make a
strong argument for buying the DVDs over a videotapes. In addition to
the normal sing-along aspect, this disc features karaoke versions of all
nine songs, so if you feel like singing without the vocal track of the
original soundtrack, you can try singing with just the music and on-screen
lyrics.

The other items of note are reading- or spelling-related activities for
young children. There is a reading challenge that randomly puts a picture
on the screen and requires your young reader to choose the word that matches
the picture.

Another activity presents the children with a series of letters and blanks,
and along with some gentle clues, the children have to fill in the missing
letters to spell the mystery word. These are similar to the activities
on the other Sing-Along DVDs, but it is nice to see that Disney is continuing
to include these types of educational games on these discs.

Promotional image © Disney.

The Video, Audio, and Interface

There is nothing terribly splashy about the video or audio transfers
for this disc, but that is not too much of a surprise for a children’s
DVD. The video is a simple full-screen transfer, and it is clean, solid,
and will look fine on any DVD system. The only audio track on the disc
is an English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, and it is more than
suitable for the songs and narration. Finally, the user interface is very
nicely done, with plenty of animated and narrated menus to assist children,
and it is very easy to navigate. For the disc’s intended purpose and audience,
all of these are right on target.

The Final Evaluation

If you are a fan of the Disney Sing-Along series, especially the other two DVDs, this one will make a good addition to your collection. The video and audio transfers are more than adequate for most children, and the activities and fun interface keep your little ones more involved than a videotape. However, if you are looking specifically for a DVD full of Brother Bear songs, you may be a bit disappointed with only getting two of them. Overall though, fans of Disney songs will find this and the other Sing-Alongs worth taking a look at.