What it is
Remember Tamagotchi? The original digital pet started a craze with a million (or so it seemed) knock-offs. Well, they’re back. The new Tamagotchi Connection is basically the same as the original version (feed, play with and clean up after your digital pet) with one major, and cool, exception: infrared communication! Now your pet can make friends with other people’s Tamagotchis, visit them in their eggs and, if there’s a love connection, produce an offspring.

There are also other features that will be important to caretakers and their parents; most notably a "pause" button, which allows the toy to be left home and not carried into meetings by parents who have been "forced" to take care of the critters while kids were in school - where they were banned.

Why it’s fun
Part of the enjoyment of Tamagotchi is the reward you get for taking good care of your pet. Seeing that little happy face bounce around the screen after you feed it or play a game with it is exciting and fun.

There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your pet grow and evolve to its next form.

Who’s going to love it
The toy is most likely to appeal to girls ages 7 and up, but if it takes off and becomes a fad as the original did, then all bets are off, and we’ll see everyone and their relations trying to get their hands on them. During Tamagotchi’s peak in the 1990s, 15 units were sold every minute in the US and Canada!

What to be aware of
We were a little disappointed by the graphics, which look very similar to the simple black-dot outlines on a grey screen. Fortunately, today’s kids are more concerned with play value than graphics, and for those who enjoy this play, there’s lots to engage them.