Barbie Pet Rescue by Vivendi Universal

Forget the cat litter, all-hours dog walks, and outrageous vet bills; Barbie Pet Rescue features some of the most realistic, adorable animals we've ever seen in a computer program--and without all the work involved in owning a real-live pet. Visit Barbie and her kid sister Stacey at the Pet Rescue Center, where you'll wait for rescue missions, explore in the playrooms, or tend to pets in the Care Center.

Rescue missions come in over the phone or via e-mail; after learning which pet is missing where, travel with Barbie on her scooter to one of three different environments in which to search for one of eight lost pets. In many missions, you'll have to use your wits to figure out how to entice scared animals to come to you, or how to retrieve pets trapped in trees or other sticky situations. If you get stuck yourself, Barbie's full of helpful hints to send you on the right direction. With each successful mission, you'll receive a printable Paw & Purr Award that hangs on the PRC wall.

Rescued pets come back to the Pet Rescue Center with you and Barbie to wait for their owners and receive a little TLC. Nurse them back to health in the Care Center, where you'll give recovered pets water, treats, vitamins--even baths and brushings; sometimes you may also need to bandage a hurt leg or pick burrs from ruffled fur. After creating a file for them in the computer and giving them a name you select from a list of suggestions, the animals go to one of two playrooms to wait for their owners.

In the meantime, you can play with them, plus all the other pets already in the playroom--a kitten, bunny, hamster, puppy, and even a turtle--in what is perhaps the best of the game's activities: petting! Select which animal you'd like to pet, then use the cursor to stroke an animal's head or back, or perhaps scratch her under the chin. The animals respond to your attention as they might in real life, by licking, rolling over, purring, or barking. It's the next-best thing to a romp in the park with a real-live kitten or beagle.

There is a related game for each kind of animal--Kitten Keepaway, Puppy Treat Toss, Hamster Trail, etc.--and if you do well enough, you'll see the animal do something especially cute. A few of the games test kids' logic and spatial aptitude, but mostly they challenge players' mouse mastery and hand-eye coordination; a speedy "click" finger yields frequent success.

Our only complaint: once players have completed all eight rescue missions and the activities in the playrooms, there's not a lot more to do. It's always fun to pet the animals, but it's not likely to hold kids' attention for frequent replay. That said, this graphically rich program is a real treat for any animal lover. We plan on keeping this game around for those moments when we really wish we had a dog around. (Ages 5 and up) --Leah Ball

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