Everything's Rosie

Everything's Rosie is a CBeebies show for toddlers about an inquisitive young girl called Rosie and her menagerie of friends. It's twee, saccharine, and should only be watched to sedate crying infants.

Rosie actually follows hot on the heels of another CBeebies tie-in, Raa Raa the Noisy Lion, which only managed to escape the harshest of criticism because it functioned as intended, providing faux education to pre-schoolers.

It was a collection of bland mini-games, and it is only notable here for being exactly the same game as Everything's Rosie.

The problem is, while Rosie is as 'good' as Raa Raa, it is hard to ignore the fact that some people may (to all intents and purposes) end up buying two of the same game.

I can't overstate how similar these products are. Bar swapping a few sprites, changing the chirpy theme tune, and adding a few extra dull mini-games (which add content but not fun), there's nothing in Everything's Rosie to differentiate it from Raa Raa.

The same five categories of games are present, offering a selection of rudimentary memory, rhythm, hand-eye coordination, and logic puzzles that all do a fair job of helping children 'learn'.

Finishing a game earns your nipper a score that, at best, seems arbitrary - quitting or outright failing a task is met with an enthusiastic, 'Wow!'.

This may keep snivels at bay, but we can't help but suspect that it renders the whole exercise pointless.

But, while totally uninspired, Everything's Rosie meets its mediocre goals. Its sprites aren't animated, there are almost no sound effects, and the incessant looping music will have parents pouring superglue into their ears, but the controls are responsive and the games (such as they are) work.

It's an unashamedly simplistic game for children, so it can't be criticised it for that. Raa Raa received a 4/10 on these pages for exactly the same approach. Having played both, however, I can say that Everything's Rosie is just lazy.

I can forgive a functional but educational game with a veneer that tots will recognise as their favourite show, but there's a real concern here that people will be charged twice for the same product.

Parents in search of edutainment software could do worse than either of these, but certainly not both.

This is a re-skin of a cash-in. No thought has been given to the show's character or look, with it busier style translating poorly in comparison to Raa Raa.

If your kid wants everything to be Everything's Rosie, and she's young enough, then this will probably give you what you're looking for. Just check the box carefully before you buy any other CBeebies tie-ins, because your offspring deserves better than a rehash.