DESCRIPTION

Following in the footsteps of Mario Party and Sonic Shuffle comes Nickelodeon Party, a collection of five mini-games designed for four-player action. Before entering single- or multiplayer competition, players can choose from eight NickToons characters: SpongeBob SquarePants, Jimmy Neutron, Invader Zim, Otto Rocket, Reggie Rocket, Angelica Pickles, Tommy Pickles, and Eliza Thornberry. Game modes include Blast, a 25-event contest for solo players; Replay, where any of the unlocked mini-games can be played separately; Cup Challenge, which consists of two tournaments; and the multiplayer Party Play.

No matter which mode is selected, players advance through multiple versions of five basic games. In "Food Fight," players scramble around a room picking up snacks and tossing them at their opponents. Each character can duck to avoid getting hit and even grab and throw other characters. The last person remaining or the "cleanest" person at the end of the time limit is considered the winner. "Pipe" has players piecing together color-coded pipes in order to reach a specially marked area, with points being earned the longer the connection remains intact. Characters are also free to steal each other's pipe pieces.

"Roll-A-Ball" combines in-line skating with basketball as players perform various tricks to increase the value of a basket. "Coin Rally" involves collecting as many coins as possible while staving off the competition. Finally, "Squirt and Splash" has each player armed with a squirting device as they attempt to blast each other into a pool of water. All five games have individually themed boards based on the characters from each animated series, and a number of power-ups are available on each board to spice up the action. Spelling out the word "GOOOZE," for example, automatically gives the lucky player a special squirt gun to temporarily slow down the other characters. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide