Viva Pinata Takes Top Parents' Choice Award

Children's media review and award group the Parents' Choice Foundation has given Rare's Viva Pinata top honors in its latest Parents' Choice Award Program, with Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam also recognized for their 'excellent production values, universal human values, appeal to children, and age appropriateness.' The Parents' Choice Foundation has since 1978 been evaluating and awarding audio recordings, books, toys, software, magazines, television programs, home videos, dvd, and video games for children based on a panel of educators, scientists, performing artists, librarians, parents, and kids themselves. This year Rare's Viva Pinata took the top prize, followed by Humongous Entertainment's Backyard Basketball 2007 for Game Boy Advance, and a number of educational titles including the Leapster portable's Animal Genius. Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam was also given an award, as well as The Game Factory's Strawberry Shortcake: The Sweet Dreams Game for PlayStation 2. Last year's winners included such titles as Animal Crossing: Wild World , and Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3: Night of the Quinkan.