My Universe - Pet Clinic Cats & Dogs

The favourite game of future vets aged 7-10. Kids will need to be able to read to run the tests, and have some familiarity with a controller for performing the treatments. Expect X-rays, injections, bandages, tick removal, and even medicine production... and of course plenty of hugs for your furry friends! Kids love it!

While some games in the My Universe series can be fun for adults, too, Pet Clinic Cats & Dogs is clearly designed for ages 10 and under... but within that age group it's a sure-fire hit!

You start the game in a vet clinic that has seen better days, with closed rooms and a general air of dilapidation. Fortunately, all of the essentials are there for you: reception, a waiting room tailored to animals, and the consulting room.

Don't know where to start? Never fear! Hannah, the receptionist, is at hand to help her veterinary employer stay on the right path thanks to a very well-organised to-do list and a selection of patient files.

In the beginning, of course, your clinic only gets a handful of patients every day, and their health conditions are pretty basic. Dogs come in with injured paws, and cats with ticks or stomach issues.

The treatment administered to your furry patients takes the form of minigames. You'll need to calm your patient by stroking them to earn their trust, and then use a magnifying glass to find the problem area. Next, you'll be taking care of individual issues: cleaning wounds, removing ticks, giving injections, and wrapping bandages.

There's loads of different breeds of dogs and cats, and the graphics are simple but cute.

We liked the carefully dosed challenge in the minigames, which never leaves kids facing failure. Within a given time, players need to be able to identify the problem, combine ingredients to make medicine, and wash their patients. To do so, your little gamer will often have to press a particular button in time to the beat, or keep some buttons held down. If the clock runs out you'll get a lower score, but there's no other penalty. Once you've treated the problem, you'll have to choose from three different diagnoses and find the best match. Then, it's time to say goodbye to your patient, who will often show their gratitude by joyfully licking their vet.

Our favourite part? the "clinic building" part of the game, where you can upgrade your clinic and open up new rooms like a pharmacy (where you can make medicine), an X-Ray room, and a grooming room. This in turn paves the way for new gameplay mechanics, and more complicated conditions to treat. Plenty to keep you busy!

Our advice? Kids aged 5+ can play the game, but you'll need to be there with them to read out all of the text.

Fans of that most famous vet, Dr Pol, will love this one.