OK, before we go any futher it’s probably worth pointing out that this game has received what can only be described as mixed reviews. This is mainly because it has been touted as a alternative to Wii Fit, and whilst it does have ’some’ similarities (mainly that you interact with game using a ‘Power Pad’ which operates along similar lines to the Wii Fit Balance Board) the comparison is a bit misleading. The ‘Power Pad’ is the device through which most of the on screen action is achieved. Games such as Hurdles,Log Jumping,Trampolining and Skipping are fairly self explanatory and involve a lot of jumping up and down, something which younger children never seem to get tired of! ‘Whack A Mole’ invites you to stamp your feet on the Power Pad whenever a mole appears on the screen  - and you can take a break from all that action with ‘Canoeing’ and ‘Tobogganing’, these games require the player to sit down and hit the left and right pads on the mat to navigate the course.

The variety of different games on offer is one of the strong points of Family Trainer : Outdoor Challenge (it has a slightly different title for the US), and with 4 single player and 3 multi-player game modes including battle, team and relay it will probably be a long time before the game gets put back on the shelf, the inclusion of the ‘power pad’ is probably the reason it has drawn comparisons with Wii Fit, and as long as you aren’t expecting Wii Fit 2 this family based game could be for you.

  You can get the game from here…   ACTIVE LIFE OUTDOOR CHALLENGE (USA) can be ordered from Amazon.com