We Sing 80s

I was a teenager in the eighties and so this era holds a very special place in my heart.  So when I was sent a copy of We Sing 80s, the latest title in the UK's no 1 Wii singing franchise, I was pretty excited about belting out some of my favourite tracks!  With artists such as Spandau Ballet, The Human League and Simple Minds featured on the playlist, I was ready to get into the groove and recapture this fantastic decade of my youth!

Features of the game include:

• 30 unforgettable 80s hits!
• Four mics, four singers together!
• Iconic 80s tracks, including 21 worldwide No.1 hits!
• Solo, Party and Karaoke modes
• Eight Multiplayer modes
• Original artists and videos included
• Singing Lessons
• Replay your performance
• Rap Scoring / Star Notes
• Jukebox / In-game Awards
• Easy, Medium or Hard modes

As with all the We Sing games, I love how they get everyone up and singing, they really do create such a fun, party atmosphere.  Four people can sing at once, so there is no need to feel shy!  The scoring is clear on screen.  The range of songs on We Sing 80s means that everyone instantly knows a few of the songs.  Even my 10 year old was able to join in straight away with the chart topping hits and very quickly 3 year old Freddy began singing along to a few of the catchy choruses.  I love that the original videos play on the game which was a big dose of nostalgia for me!!  The karaoke mode allows you to sing without the original vocals so you can practice your party piece and feel like a real pro!

Tracklist:

Kylie Minogue - I Should Be So Lucky

Roxette - The Look

Spandau Ballet - True

Musical Youth - Pass the Dutchie

DeBarge - Rhythm of the Night

Smokey Robinson - Being with You

Yazz and the Plastic Population - The Only Way Is Up

Cyndi Lauper - True Colors

Tears For Fears - Shout

Yazoo - Only You

Lisa Stansfield - All Around the World

Paula Abdul - Straight Up

Simple Minds - Alive and Kicking

Baltimora - Tarzan Boy

Toto - Africa

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - The Power Of Love

Starship - Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now

The Human League - Don’t You Want Me

Sade - Smooth Operator

Lionel Richie - All Night Long (All Night)

Cameo - Word Up!

Queen - I Want to Break Free

Dexys Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen

Duran Duran - Rio

Tiffany - I Think We’re Alone Now

Blondie - The Tide Is High

Sabrina - Boys (Summertime Love)

Culture Club - Do You Really Want to Hurt Me

The Bangles - Eternal Flame

T’Pau - China in Your Hand

I love the selection of songs and it includes some real favourites from the era.  We Sing 80s is perfect for parties or for families or for those moments when you fancy a solo sing-song.

We Sing 80s is out now to buy from retailers such as Amazon.  (Playing requires the use of compatible microphones.)

Paper Jamz Pro Microphone

My daughters love their music and you can usually hear guitar playing and singing somewhere in our house at any time!  Toys R Us sent us a Paper Jamz Pro Microphone by WowWee which seemed like something my girls would absolutely love to test out.  It allows you to sing like a pop star using a series of special vocal effects.  You can download music to sing along to and the set contains a USB cable to connect the amp to your PC.  The box contains a full size mic along with a mini voice amp which clips on your belt for portable vocals.  The pink design was really funky, I love Paper Jamz branding.  This microphone joins the other products from Paper Jamz including guitars, drums and amps...become an instant rockstar!

The effects that this gadget can give your voice are quite amazing! The Pro Mic gives Perfect Pitch to your voice, automatically correcting it to keep you in tune.  The Chorus function multiplies your voice to give depth.  Auto Harmony allows for awesome harmonizing as you sing. You can do a one man duet!   Auto Vibrato gives you a warble that would give Leona Lewis a run for her money.  Melody Match tunes your voice for a perfect melody.  You can sing like a diva using this nifty toy, perfect for taking centre stage and impressing the family!

It comes with two pre-loaded songs to sing along to, I'd never heard of them but they come with lyrics enclosed to sing along to them!  Shame it doesn't also include a backing track that the kids could make up their own words to, that would have been a good addition to encourage some vocal freestyling!  The amp will hold up to three MP3's of your own choosing so you can belt out your favourite tracks along with your favourite artists.  The software is easily accessed at paperjamz.com.  The amp takes 4 x AA batteries.

The microphone created a synthesised version of your own voice, a little bit like a melodic robot with the Chipmunks singing backing vocals!  The effects can be switched on individually or all together giving lots of options.  The effect was pretty impressive and we all enjoyed singing into the Pro Mic.   Freddy was surprisingly taken with singing into the mic and made up his own song...a version of Postman Pat with a long note to finish!  It is the long notes that sound the best through the amp. I think he may become a future rock god/prima donna!  Kizzy used the mic to accompany her sister on her guitar which gave her confidence.  Ella had a go at a bit of electro-pop!  We also sang along with the two pre-loaded tracks. (Ella tried to Google them but they do not exist on the internet! Where did they get them from??  "Love Karaoke" is our particular favourite...it's a bit Lady Gaga-esque!!!)

The PaperJamz Pro Microphone costs £34.99.  It is a really fun product with huge novelty value as well as being a lovely way for kids to enjoy singing.  Anything that encourages music gets a thumbs up from me.  We are having a real blast with the Pro Mic...it's a very cool gadget for all ages!