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Follow UsLOS ANGELES- This holiday season offers a mother lode of games for children and teens, starring flying dragons, adventurous Santas, dancing Disney characters, colorful blobs and rhythm agents.
Players ride fire-breathing dragons in the movie-inspired "Eragon" game for Sony's PlayStation Portable. (Stormfront Studios/Vivendi Games, Rated T, $40)
In "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" for the Game Boy Advance, they fight Jack Frost's evil plan to wreck Christmas. (1st Playable Productions/Buena Vista Games, Rated E, $20)
Not ready to invest in hardware? "Dance Dance Revolution: Disney Mix" plugs directly into a television so users can boogie down to Disney songs with Disney characters. (Majesco/Konami Corp., Ages 4 and up, $30)
Following is an expanded list based on game store clerk interviews and video game fan site ratings and recommendations:
Sure bets for the pet lovers on your list: "Nintendogs" -- Dachshunds, Dalmatians, Labradors or Chihuahuas. (Nintendo, Rated E, $30-35) MTO and Ubisoft offer "Catz," "Dogz," "Hamsterz Life," and "Horsez" (Rated E, $30)
"Elite Beat Agents" -- In this highly rated game, players help members of a super-secret agency groove the world to safety by tracing and tapping to the rhythm and beat. (Inis/Nintendo, Rated E10+, $30)
Anything starring Nintendo plumber/hero Super Mario is destined to bring a smile. Titles include "New Super Mario Bros." and "Yoshi's Island DS." (Nintendo, Rated E, $25-$35)
PlayStation Portable (PSP)
"Gitaroo Man Lives!" -- A rocking remake of the cult rhythm game. (KOEI, Rated E, $40)
"LocoRoco" -- Save the LocoRoco blobs from the attacking Moja. (Sony Computer Entertainment, Rated E, $40)
PlayStation II
Last Christmas belonged to "Guitar Hero I" and this holiday's crowd-pleaser promises to be "Guitar Hero II," featuring a new playlist and a red guitar for the rockstar in everyone. (RedOctane/Activision, Rated T, $80)
"Elebits" -- This interactive hide-and-seek game takes full advantage of the Wii's motion sensitive controller. (Konami, Rated E, $50)
Microsoft Corp. is reaching out to the kids market with "Viva Pinata," a fun, colorful game based on the animated television show for kids. (Rare/Microsoft, Rated E, $50)
For most consoles, handhelds and personal computers:
"Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy" - Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Darth Vader duel it out in a world made of Legos. (Traveller's Tales or Amaze/LucasArts, Rated E or E10+, $30-$50)
"Rayman Raving Rabbids" - Rayman has been enslaved by out-of-control bunnies and must navigate a world of bizarre minigames that include throwing cows, shooting plungers and milking pigs. (Ubisoft, Rated E, $20-$50)