The full title doesn't exactly leave much room for doubt. Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun. If only we could take the publishers' word about that "Great" part there wouldn't be any need to review the game at all.
Sadly, a more accurate title would probably have been 10 Quite Fun Games Plus Twice As Many Dull Or Utterly Infuriating Ones. That may not have sold quite as well. While it was inevitable in a compilation such as this that some games would turn out to be more fun than others, the gulf is nevertheless frustrating. The best will have you waving, twisting and shaking your Wiimote as enthusiastically as when you fired up the console for the first time; the worst will have you wanting to throw it out the window.
Among the former are such gems as wall climbing, rapelling and bobsled – all of them easy pick up, get the hang of, and then become unreasonably competitive about with your friends or family. Among the worst are giant slalom, ski jump and figure skating, where the controls are often so unresponsive as to make it almost impossible to succeed – and often so-badly written as to make it only possible to understand through trial and error.
Instead of including something as straightforward as a tutorial video, each game offers a written-through list of the actions involved, featuring such handy instructions as "swing the Wii remote with good timing" for speed skating or the "right timing" for the ski jump. The game has three different modes – challenge, in which you must play a set selection of events – battle, in which you can choose your own and co-operative, a smart inclusion which works fantastically for events such as curling, in which you take turns to slide stones and sweep. The graphics are cutesy and aimed at children, and while they clearly aren't testing the limits of the machine, they work perfectly well.
Unlockable games and characters are included in a bid to add some longevity, though it's unlikely that many people will keep coming back to the one-player modes. The multiplayer modes hold some appeal, if probably more for kids than grown-ups, and it should be noted that this is a budget title with a recommended retail price of £19.99. In the end, though, 30 Great Games is likely to leave you feeling somewhat indifferent.
