Xbox 360 Christmas Gifts for a 6-10 Year Old
Zoo Tycoon
Ever wanted to run your own zoo, but simply didn't have the finances? Zoo Tycoon is a light management game that plonks you in control of your very own animal park, letting you do everything from choosing which animals you have, to keeping your guests happy and everything in between, with a streamlined and controller-friendly interface helping keep everything accessible. The bread and butter of the game is in placing your exhibits, filling them with animals and then making sure they're all kept happy, with enough food to eat, toys to keep them occupied and other creatures to keep them company. The happier your animals are, the more money you'll make, and you may even be graced with the pitter-patter of tiny paws, which in turn will bring in bigger crowds and net you even more cash. With a substantial set of missions to complete, there's plenty to keep you busy here too, and people with a penchant for simple management and cuddly animals are sure to have a whale of a time with Zoo Tycoon.
Buy this if they like: Animals, Zoos, A World of Keflings
Check back soon for our full review
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
Starting out life as an excuse to squeeze all the coolest Marvel super heroes and villains into a single game, Lego Marvel Super Heroes takes the popular co-op oriented brick 'em up to a whole new level. The story here is fairly straightforward - when some incredibly powerful Cosmic Bricks fall to earth, S.H.I.E.L.D's Nick Fury springs into action, rounding up every super hero he can find, from the Hulk to Iron Man, from Spiderman to, er, Rocket Racoon, to hunt down and find the Cosmic Bricks before they fall into the hands of Doctor Doom, Galactus and the rest of the baddies. What follows is a collection of platforming style levels that see you beating up the baddies, smashing up LEGO (and rebuilding it), while working together with your co-op partner (or a computer controlled player) to solve fairly basic puzzles. With each character having their own special ability, the emphasis here is on teamwork - whether you're kick-starting electrical appliances with Thor's hammer, hurling Captain America's shield frisbee-style at a switch on a wall or melting through ice with The Human Torch, you'll need to work together if you want to succeed. With fully voiced cut-scenes and minimal reading required, this one could be a game for the less confident readers, too - and with support for two player co-op, it's a great one for the family to play.
Check back soon for our full review.
Get this if they like: The Avengers (Marvel, not Steed), LEGO, co-op
Buy LEGO Marvel Super Heroes from Amazon
A World of Keflings
A downloadable game that sees your giant avatar helping out a bunch of square-chinned, hat-obsessed Keflings as they strive to rebuild their kingdom, A World of Keflings is a light-hearted city-building game that revolves around harvesting resources. Picking up your loyal Kefling villagers, and plonking them next to whatever it is you want them to collect - wood from trees, wool from sheep and ice cubes from piles of snow - it's up to you to keep a steady flow of materials heading to each of the town's shops, so you're never short of supplies. Following the game's ever so slightly strange storyline (OK, we lie - it's completely bonkers), you take on the role of the Kefling's chief builder, as you order building components from the shops (hence why you need to keep them stocked with resources), before plonking them down on the ground as shown on the handy blueprint to make whatever building the Keflings have demanded you construct next. It's a simple enough premise, but one that's overflowing with character, as you plough through the wacky, and genuinely funny tale, to help the Keflings rebuild their home. Better yet, the story can even be expanded with a number of downloadable add-ons. Whether you're helping aliens get back home (to the planet Yurbut, no less), reclaiming Candy Peak from the evil wizard Waldorf, or rescuing the princess from the terrifying Zombiesaurus, A World of Keflings is one of few games that has a genuine sense of humour - and kids will love the fact they can give their Keflings a boot up the bum when they get in the way, sending them flying with a shriek. Weighing in at £6.75 for the base game and £2.69 for each expansion, you can get yourself the whole Keflings experience for £14.82, which is makes it a pretty much perfect price for the £15 pre-paid Xbox Live Gift Cards you can buy in stores - although it is worth bearing in mind that as there's no voice acting in the game, a strong reading ability is required.
Buy this if they like: Bossing people around, kicking keflings, hats
For more, read our full review, or for suitability information, read our Parent's Guide
Buy Xbox Live £15 Gift Card from Amazon
