    The ambitious Animal Crossing allows players to interact with a virtual village
of animals who are doing something different every minute of every day. A great game for little or big kids, and you may borrow it for yourself!
Kids pay a mortgage, buy and sell to make a profit, and other basic
economic activities.
Animal Crossing is also great for kids who have developed basic reading and writing skills, as some reading is required and letter writing is a fun part of the game.
With
Animal Crossing's 24-hour clock, the game's unique events can be in sync with
real time -- as day turns to night in the real world, the sun will also begin to
set in the game. Seasons will change and special events will occur in real time,
too.
Game Video:
The dynamic setup will have players coming back often to carry out
their daily routines, build relationships with villagers, celebrate special
days, collect furnishings for their homes and just live life in an innovative
and creative experience that's a world of its own.
Features:
This game has a 24-hour clock where something new happens in real-world time
-- as day turns to night in the real world, it also happens in Animal Crossing.
- Watch or join in as you watch the animal-people of Animal Crossing carry out
their daily routines.
- Build relationships with villagers, celebrate special days, collect
furnishings for their homes and just live life in an innovative new gaming
experience!
 
Reviews:
Epinions.com by Mainemarc Animal Crossing has been variously described as a real time life simulation, or a kiddie version of the Sims. It is both of those things, yet so much more. I would go so far as to call it an educational game, although part of the genius behind its design is that the educational elements are presented in such a charmingly subtle manner that I've never seen it described as such.
Yet how else can you describe a video game that puts an incredible emphasis on reading and writing? One that teaches quite a bit of math, introduces young players to the concepts of debt and mortgage, the grid system, map reading and navigation, recycling, budget management, and even museum philanthropy (I kid you not)?
This game will have children composing simple melodies and developing print designs for clothing, flags and signs.
Major themes include helping neighbors, writing letters and keeping the village clean and tidy. Daily activities including fishing, harvesting fruit, collecting sea shells, weeding and chatting with animal neighbors. On-going challenges include furnishing your house and paying for the cost of expanding it.
If this all sounds mundane, all I can say is it’s presented in such an engaging way that kids forget that they’re doing anything other than having fun.
Music is a huge part of this game. Players have an opportunity to compose the “town melody”. Different locations, characters and even times of day have different musical themes that play in the background. These are so pleasant, varied and of such high quality that they really add to the play experience. Read the rest of this review...
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