Back at the Barnyard: Slop Bucket Games

Perfect for making a long car ride pass quickly, this collection of 10 games is based on the Nickelodeon movie/TV series, which is full of wacky talking animals.

You can play either in story mode, where you move around a map to discover and unlock the games, or in "Quick Event" mode, letting you jump directly to one of the games, providing you've unlocked it already in the story mode. We tried three of the games, and found them to be well designed, taking full advantage of the DS touch screen. For example, Chicken Launch gives you a catapult and a set of moving targets, and Stickbike Stunts is a clever racing game inspired by the online game, LineRider. In the story mode, you try to win the Slop Bucket trophy. Or, if you like, you can roam freely around the Barnyard and chat with the other Barnyard buddies. Some reading is required. Borrow it or buy it. Created by Firemint for THQ, Inc.

Link to buy Back at the Barnyard: Slop Bucket Games

Boy and Cat

Backyard Baseball 2010

In terms of graphics and sounds, this 10th edition of Backyard Baseball isn't the bestlooking, but it does deliver an excellent two-player baseball experience. The 2010 edition features new fields and an updated player roster with kid versions of players from all 30 MLB teams. These include David "Big Papi" Ortiz, Ken Griffey Jr., Vladimir Guerrero, and Albert Pujols. A new pitching camera perspective puts the camera behind the batter when hitting and behind the pitcher when pitching. In addition, the Wii version lets you swing the Wii Remote, both to pitch and hit.

Our tester (Daniel - age 9) has played most of the Backyard Baseball games, and this one tops them all. He liked that there are more fields and players in this version, and especially liked playing the Home Run Derby. By playing games in season mode, he was able to unlock Alex Rodriguez, one of his favorite MLB players. At $30 for a Wii game, this is a great value.

Link to buy Backyard Baseball 2010