World of WALL-E Comes to Video Games

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Last weekend, more than 63 million people flocked to see the movie "WALL-E," an animated love story from Disney (the parent company of ABC) and Pixar starring a clunky but endearing robot that was left alone on Earth for 700 years when humans abandoned the planet after their waste made uninhabitable. When a sleek, modern robot named EVE is sent back to Earth to look for plant growth, WALL-E and EVE meet and fall in love.

WALL-E is as endearing in video games as on the big screen in multiple new offerings.

(Courtesy THQ)

As Hollywood's new robotic darling, WALL-E makes his video game debut in numerous games across multiple platforms. Since the "WALL-E" movie appeals to fans as young as 5 and as old as 99, the games vary in difficulty depending on the platform.

WALL-E for the Leapster

For the youngest fans, those between ages 4 and 7, the "WALL-E" video game on the Leapster (a handheld educational gaming system) is the best. This game offers five educational games featuring WALL-E and EVE and is set in the movie's universe.

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As in the movie, WALL-E likes to collect cool human gadgets and toys in the game, which he finds by sifting through trash before compacting it into cubes. Kids help WALL-E to find these treasures by playing games that teach math and reading skills. In one, they can help WALL-E locate constellations in the sky by identifying numbers or adding and subtracting. In another, kids sort garbage by tapping on two or more squares of the same color in a grid of trash cubes.

As kids play, they not only practice classroom skills but also learn about space and environmental issues.

RATING: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
From Leapfrog
$19.99 for all Leapsters, including the new Leapster 2
Best for ages 4 to 7

The DS Version

For kids ages 7 and 8, the Nintendo DS version of "WALL-E" from THQ is the way to go. This version is simpler than the console version and consists of a series of puzzles where the objective is to get WALL-E or EVE through an environment by manipulating things in their surroundings.

For example, after WALL-E compacts garbage into a cube, if he then throws that cube across a chasm to hit a button, a bridge appears that allows him to wheel across into a new area.