Extreme sports compilation for kids lacks edge

— -- Active Life: Extreme Challenge is the second offering in the Namco Bandai Active Life series of sports games on the Nintendo Wii. The series debuted last fall with the release of Active Life: Outdoor Challenge, one of last year's best kids' games on the Wii. This series of sports games is played on a special Active Life Mat Controller, which requires that kids move to play the games.

Active Life: Extreme Challenge falls short of the high standards established in the first game of this series. It only offers nine sports, compared with 16 in the original. Two of those nine (jump-roping and inline skating) are extensions of sports introduced in the first Outdoor Challenge game. Several of the nine sports are similar in how they are played. In the multiplayer mode, there is competitive play for two players, but the game is missing the cooperative mode that helped to make Outdoor Challenge so attractive. Extreme Challenge doesn't offer the Exercise Training mode found in the original, and you can no longer keep track of your active points or target parts of your body to work out.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad game; it just isn't a great one. Since Outdoor Challenge pioneered what a good sports compilation should look like for kids, expectations were high for this second game in the Active Life series. But a lot has happened in the last year, and Namco Bandai didn't innovate enough to make this game rise above other great active games like EA Sports Active and Wii Sports Resort.

Here's what you get with Extreme Challenge. Like its predecessor, you play the game by using a special exercise mat. Kids will jump, sit, run and — new this year — kneel in front of the mat controller to hit its markings. Some games use the Wii remote and nunchuk as well.

The sports included are street luge, jump-roping, rock climbing, BMX racing, kite-surfing, skateboarding, inline skating, base jumping and wakeboarding. The game also offers many variations on how to play the core sports.