Pony Friends, while not for the hardcore - will more than please it's target audience.

It’s no secret that Nintendogs was a runaway success for Nintendo, a title that proved that videogames could indeed be very popular with “nontraditional markets” provided the right content. Hot on the heels of that success (and targeting the same demographic) is Pony Friends, also an animal/pet simulator with similar gameplay and graphics. The good news is that Pony Friends meets, and in some ways exceeds the Nintendogs formula, expanding upon the gameplay in several important ways.

The game begins with the option to create your own pony, or to select from one of several common breeds (including Fjords, mustangs, Hokkaido’s, etc.). The player selects a breed then chooses from the available males and females, each with a favorite food. From here, the player is introduced to the various areas and activities she or he can participate in. There’s a field area, for petting and feeding the pony (and administering medicine if it becomes ill), a stable area where the pony can be washed, groomed, and even decked out in accessories. The home area is something of a progress checker, where records of chores (completed to earn money), photographs taken on trails (more on this later); and other collectibles are stored, and a list of “goals” (achievements like trophies, time played, number of ponies collected, etc.) is kept.

The meat of the game is in the Riding “overworld”. Here, there are several trails – more like action stages - where the player rides through, taking pictures of wildlife, picking up rare items, and scouting for gates that unlock new stages. This is all done in a first person perspective (from the rider’s point of view), using the stylus to move the camera and snap pictures/pick up secrets. The interface is very intuitive, and it takes a sharp eye to actually spot all the secrets and animals hiding out in the scenery. In fact, this is the area of Pony Friends that truly shines over it’s canine predecessor – riding beats those lame dog walking sessions any day, especially because it actually takes a bit of skill to snatch everything. And there’s no picking up poop, either.

Also on the Riding screen is the Pony Club, where racing events are held. The races themselves are a hoot, as the player controls the speed of the horse by yelling into the mic. Yelling too loudly startles the horse, slowing it down, so the player has to hit a fine balance and stay within the green. Players train their horses for speed by racing frequently and galloping through trails, and the progression is at just the right pace for younger players.