Distributed by
Tiger Toys

Ages 6 and up

Price: £39.99

Players: 1

The main use here is in Jedi training, of which there are four levels. Courtesy of the sensors within the hands, chest and an internal one, Yoda - who must be placed at the same height as your sweeping movements - and your lightsaber, will instruct you to swipe your stick around in short, sharp motions and gain the praise of the great one. Be warned though, practice doesn't make perfect, but LOTS of practice makes 'getting nearly there'.

Two other games are built into the unit. They're quite simple ones, but are effective and are suitable for all ages.

Yoda Says is "Simon Says". When I was a wee nipper, one of the hot toys was a circular object with green, blue, red and yellow buttons. Press them in sequence and, if you manage it, the same sequence will be repeated with one extra addition. And so it goes on.

Here, it's a case of 'left hand', 'right hand', 'force' (chest sensor) or 'tilt'.Tiger Toys also have a variant on this called 'Copy Cat'.

Ask Yoda requires you to think of a question that can only be answered with yes, no or maybe. After doing the necessary, he will reply, making it rather like one of those 'magic 8-ball's.

I haven't really mentioned Yoda's voice, other than the name of the actor/director who does it. As he talks his lips move, the eyes open and close, but he's always speaking in backward-English tones, be it "Tired of this, I am", "Put me down, you will", "You must unlearn what you have learned", or if you've been rather cruel..., "Upside down, am I" !

When Yoda groaned though, he sounded exactly like the moment from an episode of The Simpsons when they went back in time and we heard a young campus security guard, who later rose through the ranks to become Police Chief Clancy Wiggum, clearing his asthma.

Overall, Interactive Yoda is a toy that can teach some learning skills to the young - and is mostly for their age group, while no doubt providing another must-have for the Star Wars generation. I did tire of it fairly quickly though.

OVERALL

OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2000.