Dora and Boots are always ready to help their friends! Pirate Pig has lost his treasure, and Dora and Boots promise to search for it. Along the way, they'll encounter flying bats, crocodiles and snakes, but not to worry, there's always a way past and the rewards are just around the next tree.

Dora the Explorer: The Search for Pirate Pig's Treasure is a simple platform game based on the popular Nickelodeon show, Dora the Explorer. The show's primary audience is children ages 3-8, and the GBA game is aimed at about the same age bracket. Collecting stars and coins while navigating the worlds is the main object, with progressively harder obstacles presented in the levels. These obstacles mainly consist of snakes, bats, crabs and the like, most of which can be avoided by sneaking past. Finding all the items becomes more tricky in later levels, but a little exploration will reveal all areas if players just persevere.

There are eight levels in all, each of which is based on various environments such as a forest, a beach, an island and the like. However, each level is essentially the same; higher areas are reached by small, ladder-like ledges and hanging vines every time, some areas are reached by crawling. Each level also looks pretty similar, despite the different locales.

In every level, there are three different areas to explore. To successfully finish a particular area, Dora and Boots must find three stars. She can also collect coins, but they're not necessary for the area completion. Various items that help advance gameplay are also scattered around, in the form of keys to open chests, watering pots to grow plants that Dora can bounce higher on, her bouncy ball to knock down logs, and other like objects. Each level is saved by means of a five-symbol password. Parents need to make sure their children write these down.

The gameplay is simple and straightforward, with picture signs that show children that a particular action is needed, or a specific obstacle is coming up. When Dora runs into a hazard, she just falls down and begins again at a designated point. "Death" of the characters is never final, so frustration is at a minimum for young players. The obstacles are easily avoided, and while there is a small amount of blind jumping, there is always something to land on beneath.

The essence of the Dora show is captured well, with the same music, items, sound effects and Spanish words. The three stars are always counted in Spanish at the end of an area, and Dora says the Spanish equivalent of "Let's Go!" every time at the beginning of a level (this is supposed to be "vamanos", which is what she says in the TV show, but for some reason Dora keeps saying "vamana", which is incorrect).

The music is great, with the same catchy, Latin style theme song from Dora the Explorer. The graphics are equally well done, with bright, vibrant colors and cute animations. The obstacles are distinctly drawn and easily visible against the various backgrounds.

This game is a lot of fun, and young children will enjoy exploring with Dora. The designers did an excellent job of combining just enough challenge to keep things interesting, with easy, non-frustrating gameplay. They definitely knew their audience, and parents and kids alike will be pleased. Still, there are a couple of things that do detract slightly from the game, which are a lack of things to do other than collect items and a wholly lame ending. There really should have been a few easy mini-games that could be played independently from the levels, which would help with replayability issues.

In the manual, kids are told that if Pirate Pig's treasure is found, he'll be glad to share with them: "stickers, gold coins, jewels and even chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting." Well, at the end of the game, Pirate Pig gave us nothing and the game simply ended with a listing of credits. We were then redirected to the main game menu to start the game over. Where were the cupcakes and jewels?

Despite these small quibbles, Dora for the most part is an enjoyable game that kids will like playing over again, although some added mini-games would keep their interest longer than simply trying to collect coins they may have missed the first time around. Parents who're looking for a game that young kids ages four-eight can play on their older sibling's GBA will want to take a look at this game, but may balk at the price tag of $30, which is a little steep for a game that even the young fry will essentially finish in a few days.

Graphics: 7 
Nice colors that are bright and cheerful, in keeping with the TV show.

Sound: 8
Excellent music! Just like the show, and even though it's essentially the same tune over and over again, it never gets wearing.

Concept: 7 
Yet another game based on a children's TV show, but one that is done much better than most games of this type. The designers worked hard at keeping the age of the players well in mind.

Overall: 7.3
A great platformer for little kids, but one that may lack lasting appeal, due to nothing else to do besides play the same, short levels again. A few fun mini-games would have helped.