Category:Hamtaro

The Adventures of Hamtaro (とっとこハム太郎, Tottoko Hamutarō^?, literally Trotting Hamtaro) is a children's storybook series by Ritsuko Kawai. The main character is a hamster named Hamtaro. The books include A Home for Hamtaro and Other Stories, Hamtaro Gets Lost and Other Stories, and Jealous Hamtaro and Other Stories. VIZ Media publishes the storybooks in English. A popular anime series has been made based on these stories.

Games[edit]

There are several Hamtaro games, mostly released for various Nintendo handheld and for Windows/Macintosh.

• Tottoko Hamtaro: Tomodachi Daisakusen Dechu (Game Boy Color): This is the first Hamtaro game, and was not released anywhere outside of Japan. It is a virtual pet simulation. The fully unofficial translated name is Hamtaro: The Great Friendship Plan.
• Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite! (Game Boy Color): The second game released in Japan, but it is the first game released in the United States. Taking place in a full hamster world, Hamtaro is tasked with finding all the Ham-Hams and bringing them together in the clubhouse. The game introduced the use of the ham chat. While it is simply the Ham-Ham language in the game, the ham chat in the game allows different uses of each expression. This was the final Game Boy Color game released in Europe.
• Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak (Game Boy Advance): The second game in America (third in Japan). Hamtaro has a nightmare one day about an evil Ham-Ham in a devil costume, who runs around and tears apart any couple he sees. However, this nightmare turns out to be a vision of his upcoming struggle against the evil Ham-Ham, Spat. Luckily, he's not alone, for Bijou is going to help him set things right. More of an enhancement of the first game, Ham-Ham Heartbreak slightly improves Ham-Hams Unite's graphics and colors and adds an interesting story, more ham chat vocabulary, and Bijou as Hamtaro's partner.
• Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue (Game Boy Advance): A game released in Japan and was translated for an American release, but it did not actually get released in America. It was released in Europe however, fully playable in English and several other languages. Prince Bo was happily crossing the rainbow, when suddenly, the rainbow disappeared and he soon fell from sky. Luckily, he happened to "bump" into Boss. Prince Bo wanted to return home, but without the colors of the rainbow, he was unable to return. Willing to help the prince, the Ham-Hams set out to find the seven colors of the rainbow. Rainbow Rescue improved on almost every aspect over its predecessors. It is graphically superior to the other two games, however, unlike the previous games, the gameplay relies more on multiple mini games. It is also currently the only Hamtaro game that allows usage of all the Ham-Hams (with the exception of Snoozer and Jingle).
• Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Games (Game Boy Advance): The third Hamtaro game in America (fifth in Japan). Prince Bo has invited many Ham-Hams to compete in a tournament known as the Ham-Ham Games. The Ham-Hams wish to win the tournament, but they must face fierce competition from their three rival teams. Focuses on story the least, but its graphics are slightly superior to Rainbow Rescue's. The game relies on mini games, but is less heavy on them than Rainbow Rescue. However, the mini games in Ham-Ham Games tend to be slightly more challenging than some of the games in Rainbow Rescue.
• Wake Up Snoozer!: A Learning Adventure (CD-ROM,Windows/Macintosh): Was released mainly in the United States by Riverdeep and The Learning Company in the Fall of 2003. The game is based around five learning activities including simple addition and subtraction, geometric shapes, phonics, letter recognition and more. Hamtaro, Boss, Bijou and the others are searching for the youngest ham-ham, Penelope and help save the day. The game also includes multiple levels of difficulty, auto-leveling and printable activities. This game is aimed at children ages 4–7.
• Hamtaro: Nazo Nazo Q (Nintendo DS): This was only released in Japan. It is a Quiz/RPG.
• Hi Hamtaro! Little Hamsters Big Adventure (Nintendo DS): A game released in Japan in March 2007, dedicated to the new series. It was released in Europe by 505 Games under the name "Hi Hamtaro! Little Hamsters Big Adventure" and will be released in the United States by Natsume under the name "Hi Hamtaro Ham Ham Challenge! Little Hamsters Big Adventure".