Tikkabik

The game's been around for a while, but we haven't had the chance or the budget to pick it up. Being able to pick up Taiko Drum Master for only $10 each before Christmas was a deal I couldn't resist.

We bought two of them, one for me and one (in the interest of evening out who got what) for Emmeline, both marked as from Santa. Both of the packages included the game, but both of them also included the drum itself -- a replacement for the Dual Shock analog controller that looks like a tiny taiko drum, a traditional Japanese drum.

Another music-based rhythm game, Taiko Drum Master has you pounding out rhythms to a variety of pop, classic and video game songs, and it's a lot of fun without being impossibly hard. Depending on the level of difficulty you have to match various beats, beat out drum rolls, and tap either on the center or rim of the drum. The effect is completed with the inclusion of a pair of plastic drumsticks with which to beat your tiny taiko drum.

I played a few games against Emme and James this afternoon. Despite his young age, James resoundingly beat his sister, reaffirming his mother's suspicion that James is a natural drummer.

I, of course, beat them both.