Title: Mario Party 5
Company: Nintendo
Type of Game: Mario Bros.
System Requirements: Nintendo Game Cube, 1-4 Players, 5 Block Memory Card Required, Progressive Scan Compatible
ESRB Rating: E

Mario is partying again and this time the celebration is "funner" than ever!

If you liked the old Mario Party games, you're going to have a great time with the new one. Over 70 new mini games, each better than the last. You can be new characters, now, too, including Boo, Toad, and Koopa Kid! In Party mode, you can now choose from a variety of courses, from Future Dream to Pirate Dream. There's even new Donkey Kong spaces- earn bananas and D.K. will give you coins!

Kids of all ages will have fun with this- I tested it on my younger brothers, too! Sometimes the mini game instructions are difficult to understand, though, and you might have to do a few practices to get the hang of the game. My 6 year old brother had to have somebody play Mario Party 5 with him- this is a READING REQUIRED GAME! Mario Party 5 is the perfect holiday gift for anyone who can read. Younger kids could enjoy it also but moms shouldn't count on it to keep them busy- they'll need some extra help. Beware of selecting definite teams at the beginning of the game, you will do everything together. By everything I mean everything, not just teaming up on 2-on-2 mini games. You will share coins and stars... this can be a really stinky aspect of the game if your team mate is not very good.

One new addition to Mario Party is capsules- small devices dispensed from the capsule machine for FREE that can help or hurt you. But it's not the only new addition there's literally hundreds more. So if you're looking for a good Christmas or Hanukkah gift and you're thinking a video game would be nice, Mario Party 5 is just what you need! (January, 2004)