Diego’s Build and Rescue is a DS game that sees Diego and all his familiar friends in a world of Mega Bloks, which are large oversized building blocks similar to Legos.  Although at first the pairing may seem a bit odd, and perhaps even overly commercial, it actually provides for some neat gameplay elements and ends up seeming very natural.

Players will control Diego as he works to explore various habitats, rescuing creatures and spouting off educational facts along the way.  There are times when Diego runs from side-to-side throughout the world, and along the way he’ll be able to interact with objects, or sometimes even Mega Bloks.  Objects on screen will brightly shine, and players can tap them to perform some activity with the stylus, such as building a ladder out of Mega Bloks, or helping Baby Jaguar search in a tree.

Throughout the game, Diego also builds 5 different Mega Bloks rescue vehicles, which are surprisingly easy to control.  We tested the game with a three-year-old, who was able to effortlessly steer and direct Diego in all phases of the game.

And of course Diego’s Rescue Pack make a few appearances throughout the gameplay, as players need to select the form which will most help them progress through the levels.

What’s cool about Diego’s Build and Rescue is the way that the educational content is seemingly casually inserted into the game’s conversation and objectives.  So while kids are having fun helping Diego, they’re actually learning more about animals and habitats while doing it.

Mega Bloks Diego’s Build & Rescue is a perfect game for toddlers that is both easy-to-control and offers educational value.  And while the combination of Diego and Mega Bloks may seem overly commercial at first, it actually makes for some interesting gameplay elements as players will build their way out of trouble.