Tech Pet iPhone App review

Tech Pet
Bandai
£59.99 (plus free app)

Bandai, the company behind the Tech Pet, the same company that brought us the Tamagotchi, the hand-held digital pet that sparked a craze when it was first introduced back in 1996.

Then children competed over who could best look after their virtual animal and woe betide the person who mistakenly let theirs die.

The format of the Tech Pet is similar- it is a dog who needs looking after. The more attention you lavish upon it the happier it is and the more options you can unlock.

For instance you start by feeding it a basic dog bone but once levels have been unlocked the food options become more elaborate. You can also check on your pet's health, medicate it and give it toys.

The Tech Pet is an app-based toy that works with an iPhone or iPod. It is powered by a free iTunes App and the basic functions work with just the App.

However to take full advantage of your four legged friend you need to buy the actual toy, priced at £59.99

That way the dog can perform tricks triggered by voice and image recognition - it can walk, wag its tail, dance and bark along to songs.

A slightly disturbing feature, but one that children will love, is the 'Face Morph' option whereby you can add a photo of your own face onto the screen and animate it so that your eyes blink and your mouth moves.

If you happen to have more than one Tech Pet they can interact and play with each other using Bluetooth.

The happiness meter ensures that children can still compete over who loves their pet the most, but the Tech Pet can't die because Bandai says that was the most complained about aspect of the Tamagotchi.

Unlike the pocket sized Tamagotchi, this isn't a cheap product and I wonder whether children might get a bit bored with it after exhausting its options.

Bandai has suggested that the Tech Pet is suitable for children aged 12 years and older but I this isn't a product for teenagers. It should really be aimed at young children, many of whom are adept at using an iPhone at a very early age.

Overall this is a fun, innovative idea that has already gone down a storm in Japan. There is certainly the potential for it to do the same over here.

The app will be available in October and the Tech Pet will be released on November 3