Luckily, there a few different ways to play that make PictoImage somewhat interesting. There's a mode called PictoImage for Two where you don't even need two Nintendo DS in order to play with someone else. All you have to do is draw when it's your turn and pass the DS to your friend when it's his/her turn to guess and vice versa.

The fastest guesser out of the five rounds is the winner. If you rather play each with your DS, you can select Classic Play, Team Play, Picture Race, Grade Play, and Picture Pass. These modes are available in the Multiplayer section of the game. The goal of the game is the same, but some modes let you play with partners, others will have you cooperate to draw and guess as fast as possible in order to help Penzel to reach the goal. In Grade Play you'll be awarded scores depending on your guessing speed. Finally, Picture Pass tests your teamwork abilities by making everyone work on the same picture till it's completed. The last person will have to try to guess what the word is.

And…that's all there's to PictoImage, pretty much. In the Extras menu you can enter up to 50 of your own words. This may add some spice to the game if there's stuff you and your friends like to chat and laugh about. Imagine if you were to add the names of all your teachers and then someone gets to draw the teacher and the other has to guess! I can see this part of the game adding more excitement and complicity to the formula, equaling a bigger dose of fun. If they allowed you to enter more than 50 words, you could even use it to play in another language! It would be a good way to refresh your memory and enhance your vocabulary knowledge.

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The visuals in the game, which I didn't mention yet, are okay. It has a somewhat childish look that may not be appealing for everyone. It's part of the reason why the game seems like it was made for kids. You'll find cute drawings, crayons, colors, and a simple menu interface. There's really not much to it. Same with the music; there's a silly tune you'll hear over and over while in the menus, and a couple others you'll hear during gameplay. They're too simple and just continue to loop throughout the game.

If you're a parent thinking about picking up this game for your kid, I think you may be on the right track if you just want your kid to be creative, learn how to draw, share something with his friends, etc. However, it may not be as exciting for them as playing MegaMan, LEGO StarWars, or Animal Crossing, so you may have to give it some thought.

By Maria Montoro
CCC Site Director