For more on Fireman Sam: To The Rescue, check out our full Fireman Sam: To The Rescue review. Or, for more of the best Nintendo 3DS games for a 5 year old, why not try our Family Game Finder
What is Fireman Sam: To The Rescue?
Fireman Sam: To The Rescue is a collection of nine different mini-games based on the popular kids' TV show of the same name. Games can be played in one of two modes - either by choosing the mini-game you want to play (great for young kids who have a favourite they want to play over and over again), or in the game's fully narrated story mode, which ties the mini-games together into three different Sam-themed scenarios, such as putting out fires, rescuing cats and tidying up after a cargo ship. It's sure to have plenty of appeal to young fans of the show - and with three different difficulties to choose from, all ages should be catered for too.
How do you play Fireman Sam: To The Rescue?
Generally pretty short and simple, the mini-games mostly revolve around tapping the touch screen or using simple button presses. Whether you're playing a round of connect four against Elvis, swapping tiles on a grid to make matches of three, or tapping on fires to put them out, each game is simple and easy to pick up and play. Others see you rotating pipes to restore the water flow to a hose, bouncing falling cats from a tree on a trampoline and into a waiting vet van, or steering a skateboarding Norman around obstacles to pick up paper planes - there's a fair amount of variety to be had really, considering there's only nine games in the collection.
How easy is Fireman Sam: To The Rescue to pick up and play?
Being a game that's designed for kids, there's relatively few pitfalls here too - reading isn't much of an issue given the story mode's narration, but somewhat strangely, the instructions for the mini-games are done solely through text. Most are fairly self explanatory really, but a few could cause confusion, and may require a bit of parental input the first few times. A couple of the games may be a bit on the complex or fast side for the youngest, particularly the sorting 'Ready For Action' game, which sees you shifting a fire engine left and right to catch items that move down one of three conveyor belts, sorting them into the correct compartments. Another one which may or may not cause confusion is the aforementioned match three game, which lets you shuffle the pieces from place to place without necessarily making a match. While in some ways, this makes it easier, as you can move any piece from one side of the board to the other, it also means there won't always be an obvious match on the board. For players of Bejewelled et al, this may take a little bit of getting used to.
Given that it's based on a children's TV show, Fireman Sam: To The Rescue is as family friendly as it's TV counterpart - there's no violence, gore or bad language whatsoever, as to be expected from Pontypandy's number one firefighter.
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: Nintendo 3DS
