Last spring the people behind Planet 51 took me on a press trip to Madrid, Spain with other game critics to see the studio where Planet 51 (the movie and the game) was being developed.  Planet 51 is an unusual project in many respects...the movie and game were both being produced simultaneously, in house, by the same company.

Like many of legendary game designer Will Wright's universes before Spore, this one is being churned-out into a variety of titles some of which bear only glancing similarity to the original beyond the name. Rather than enriching the series, giving new dimension to an idea found in the original product, Spore Hero Arena cheapens the franchise.

I was very touched by the movie Up, though it's tug at the heart message is probably more meaningful to adults than children. I was, therefore, very disappointed by THQ's lackluster video game. This is another sad example of a license being slapped on to all-too-familiar videogame forms. As with most of this ilk, the game lacks depth or precision, feeling rushed out the door as just another piece of merchandising.

Here is the link to my latest segment on the Today Show.

I'll be appearing on the Today Show on August 27 to talk about Back-to-School hi-tech for kids from preschool to high-school. Follow the link for some of the products I'll be demoing.

At a preview of what is to come at the 2009 Toy Fair, Mattel showed off a high tech toy that prints fashion designs right on little girls finger nails.  Featuring more hi-tech bells and whistles than many printers, the new toy is something of a technological marvel.  Here's how it works:

On December 8, 2008 I showed off some great family friendly hi-tech gadgets and games for the holidays on the Today Show. To view the segment click here.

Ultimate Band (Disney $49.99) Apparently Disney’s marketing people didn’t get my memo suggesting that naming their programs the “ultimate” was serving up low hanging fruit for critics such as myself. “Ultimate”? Really! Really? No, not really.

With the economy in tough shape, the Today Show asked me to come up with four back to school tips that won't break the bank. I decided this was an opportunity to include free, top-notch, open-source software, a topic that has rarely gotten major play in the mainstream media. You can see the video here.

The Backyard sports franchise still does what it has always done best: provide simple game play for children who want to play sports games, but aren’t ready for the big leagues. There is even a bit of graph reading as kids choose ups sides, though it hardly counts as a math lesson.