NHL Slapshot is a licensed NHL game for Wii, but what makes this one really fun is the special hockey stick shaped controller holder that it comes with.  The hockey stick holds the Wii mote near the bottom, and the nunchuck at the top, so you feel like you are passing, shooting and even faking with a real hockey stick.  Each game comes with one stick, and individual sticks will be sold separately.

For those that don’t want to play with the stick or are finding those controls too hard, there is a kids mode in which the game will move the players automatically, and players can use just one button to pass and shoot.  This make the game accessible and playable simultaneously for gamers of many different age and skill levels.

The game also includes many different play modes, from realistic five-on-five action down to a “pee-wee” level 3-on-3 battle, with real life NHL players shrunk down to kid sizes.

When you start, you can either jump right into a game at any of those levels, or choose to follow or create an NHL star and work your way up from "pee-wees" to the NHL.

It was easy to find ourselves really getting into the hockey action with the stick controller, as we hunched over to win faceoffs, and furiously flicked our sticks to pass and shoot the puck.

We love the authenticity and the feeling of using the stick controller, and we think that by making the game accessible to players of different ages and skill levels that the developers of NHL Slapshot have made a game that the whole family can enjoy playing together.  Although there's a slight learning curve with using the stick, we think this is a great game for any family with hockey fans in it.

*FamilyFriendlyVideoGames.com Favorite* - This was one of our favorite family-friendly video games we saw at the E3 video game trade show in Los Angeles in June.