New handheld games for children feature puzzles, races and more

By Cordula Dernbach Oct 3, 2010, 17:34 GMT

Berlin - Children might learn a little while they're playing video games this season, thanks to some of the tasks manufacturers have set them, from preparing for a fairy party, to puzzling over clues with Sherlock Holmes to hanging tight on curves in a car race.

Not only are they mean to be educational, but hopefully they'll provide some distraction during the grey days of autumn.

Princess Lillifee finally comes to Nintendo's Wii console with an entry from the Tivola publishing house. Geared at children five years and older, it sets them to work making preparations for a planned fairy party in the castle's gardens.

Players take on the role of Lillifee, flying around to visit friends like Pubsi the pig and Ivan the hedgehog. Lillifee's friends have a lot of work to do and need all the help they can get. After all, the food has to be prepared and the garden decorated.

Players are tasked with finishing six jobs in the fairy garden, each of which can be approached at three different difficulty settings to make sure beginners are not either overwhelmed or bored.

Designed for girls, the game's imagery closely matches the series of books about the princess. Everything glitters pink. Every successfully completed task is rewarded with a small gift, such as jewelry or articles of clothing that can be used to outfit the princess when she goes to her dressing room.

Once all the preparations are complete, the party can start. The game will sell for 39.99 euros (54 dollars).

Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osbourne House is the newest puzzle game from Koch Media, the second case for the master detective playable on the Nintendo DS. Holmes and his partner, Dr Watson, are called upon by the royal family in this game: important documents have been stolen and Holmes must retrieve them.

Gameplay is much like that of the popular Nintendo puzzle game Professor Layton, with puzzles that must be solved before the next level becomes accessible embedded in the game. All puzzles come in three different difficulty levels, so if you've figured them out in easy mode, there's always the chance to switch to a tougher version.

The graphics have been created with an eye for detail - it sometimes takes an eagle eye to find the necessary item in a room. For every solved puzzle, players get a jigsaw puzzle piece for the final puzzle, again available in three difficulty settings. Intended for players aged 8 and up, the game costs about 30 euros.

ModNation Racers is an auto racing game for the PSP, Sony's Portable Playstation. It's more than just racing along a set track, since players can actively create their personal favourite racetracks. If it's especially good, players can make the track available to friends on the SonyStation network. A memory stick is needed to save racetracks.

The game appeals to hardcore racers and complete newcomers, since difficulty levels can be set at the start of each race, giving even first-timers a real chance at being first across the finish line.

Eventually, players have access to 27 different racetracks. To get to the next track, players must be one of the top three racers in the previous race.

If that isn't enough, players can create countless variations of crazy cars. The game should cost right around 18 euros when it comes to stores.

Cogs, from Astragon is about ? cogs. The puzzle requires players to push the mechanical devices across a screen so that they work together correctly and start up a machine. Play gets harder with each level.

Players are given limits on time and the number of moves they make each turn. Not meeting either means not making it to the next level. There's even a 3D version where the teeth of the cogs have to be aligned properly along the six surfaces of a cube. Once that's done, the free-floating cube can be turned with a mouse.