My girls love it (age 3 & 7), i also think it is well worth the money. 3+ Rating refers to the suitability of the content not if a 3 year could use it!! How dull would those games be with no words! They would also grow out of it within days as it would be so so simple.
This game is suitable for a 3 year old with help. Sit down and play with them to get them started, so they know 'what it's about'... Interact. It will not be long before they are shooing you away so they can get on with it themselves.
There are around 20 fairies who all want to be your friend. Tinkerbell can collect things by helping other fairies, playing mini games, finding shining sparkles. You can change her clothes and accessories and make accessories all gradually as you collect the items needed to make them i.e. Fairy medals to buy clothes or hunting for jewels to make jewellery.
I love ds games and this one is fab. The night sky in the game changes according to the time of day it really is (worked out by the the realtime on the ds) there are loads of gemstones to collect, flowers, beads, dresses, tops, shoes, hair 'clips', bracelets and anklets... What more could a girl want?
It is a really friendly game that gives the player that disney feel good factor (yes .. If you can read, but hey a 3 year old can't have everything!) but the fairies' expressions do change so the younger gamer will get the jist of how the fairy feels, super happy as apposed to blandly happy.
There would be only one little complaint (emailed disney who apologised, its an innocent comment in the states, but its still there on the game)... Rosetta fairy cares for the bugs and tenderly refers to the bugs as cute little 'bu**ers' ...yes she really does keep talking to her, she'll say it!(not out loud, you read it)