For more on Pokemon Dream Radar, check out our full Pokemon Dream Radar review. Or, for more of the best Nintendo 3DS games for a 7 year old, why not try our Family Game Finder
Pokemon Dream Radar is a downloadable eShop game that makes use of the 3DS's front facing cameras to turn your living room into a Pokemon catching paradise.
By holding the 3DS in front of you, it's up to you to make use of the console's motion sensors, and move it around, as you hunt down a number of pink clouds. Find a cloud, and press the A button, and you'll fire a laser at it, which will either break it into a number of dream orbs, which you can shoot to collect (and which can then be spent on power-ups), or a bright, yellow sphere, which will contain either a Pokemon, or an item. Hard to chase down, it's then up to you to keep track of the sphere as it whizzes around, firing at it whenever you get chance, in the hope of reducing its health to zero, and finding out what you've caught.
While it may sound as though you'll end up with children down the back of the sofa as they run after that last, elusive Pokemon, though, there's actually no risk of that here. You don't actually have to move in order to chase the Pokemon down - instead, all you have to do is angle your 3DS. The Pokemon are displayed on a 2D image of your environment, and far from popping out from behind coffee tables, TVs, or expensive vases, are simply superimposed on top of the image.
While older children may have fun with this (although there is a rather limited selection of Pokemon), younger children may struggle to get the hang of tracking the Pokemon down by moving the 3DS. Some of the spheres move very quickly, and it can be a little bit disorienting trying to keep up with them. It's also worth bearing in mind that you can only go hunting for clouds a maximum of three times a day, meaning this isn't a game that can work as a time sink - and may even be frustrating for younger children, thanks to the arbitrary limit.
As an add-on for a Pokemon game, there's nothing for parents to worry about here - no violence, gore, swearing, or sexual content.
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: Nintendo 3DS
