One of the most prolific video game companies out there -- the company behind Assassin's Creed, Beowulf and Blazing Angels 2 -- is going girly.

Just in time for the holidays, Ubisoft® has introduced a unique line of games designed just for girls -- specifically girls between the ages of 6 and 14, that all-important Hannah Montana-loving tween audience.

The Imagine line comes in four swirly-girly flavors -- Fashion Designer, Master Chef, Animal Doctor and Babyz -- with more on the way.

All bubble letters and heart-dotted "i"s (or in this case, star-dotted "i"s), the Imagine line for Nintendo DS™ is looking to snag an audience that many say is sorely underserved.

Sure, there are titles out there that girls like, but until Imagine, there was nothing out there especially for casual girl gamers, who, according to Ubisoft's research, own a whopping one quarter of all DS consoles.

Ubisoft

Fashion Designer is one of four news games designed just for tween girls.

"Until now, girls could only play what was available to them, things like Mario and Pokemon," said Shara Hashemi, Ubisoft's brand manager for Imagine.

Tween girls. It's a market ripe for the picking, which is why Ubisoft ventured into the orchard.

"We did some research and saw what their favorite activities were and that's how the brand was born," Hashemi said.

The Imagine games are SIMS-like, letting girls become the title character.

In Animal Doctor, for example, the player opens a clinic and treats pets. Responsible not only for diagnosing and caring for animals, she also has to garner the trust of her clients and build her business, which includes buying pens, food and everything else a successful animal clinic needs.

Ubisoft

From diagnosis to playtime, the player cares for a variety of pets in Animal Doctor.

Along the same nurturing line -- something that's big with tween girls, according to Ubisoft's research -- is Babyz. No, the player doesn't give birth. She's a babysitter, caring for up to six babies. Quite the daunting task.

In Fashion Designer, the player is transformed into a "hip young designer running a boutique agency in New York." In the age of "America's Next Top Model," what aspiring fashionista wouldn't love this game?

And in Master Chef, the player takes over a kitchen that she customizes and cooks up what are sure to be some mouth-watering dishes. All without the real-life cleanup.

I played a couple of the games, and they are fun, but I, admittedly, am not the target audience -- not by many years.

Looking for a couple of "expert" opinions, I handed off Imagine Fashion Designer to 11-year-old Nadja, and Imagine Animal Doctor to 11-year-old Elizabeth, who also gave Fashion Designer a whirl down the catwalk.

Both girls, who are at the middle to upper end of the intended audience, loved, loved, loved Fashion Designer, which seems to track with what Ubisoft is seeing sales-wise.

"It was really fun, but sometimes a little hard," said Nadja, who doesn't have her own DS console (at least not yet).

"It was challenging. I got to do makeup and hair and jewelry."

Elizabeth also had a great time with Fashion Designer.

Ubisoft

Mixing and matching clothes and accessories is just one aspect of Fashion Designer.

"I liked the fact that you got to design your own clothes and do a bunch of different things -- design clothes, photo shoots and fashion shows," she said.

A veteran DS owner whose most recent favorite game is Nintendogz, Animal Doctor seemed like a natural fit for Elizabeth.

While she liked it, she liked Fashion Designer more.

"There's not as much variety [in Animal Doctor as in Fashion Designer]," she said.

Plus, she thought some of the veterinary stuff might be a bit much for the younger end of the target audience.

"I don't think a 6-year-old would know what an endoscope is or does or what some of the diseases are," she said.

Also an animal lover, Nadja thought Animal Doctor sounded fun although she didn't get the chance to play it.

Both girls agreed that they'd love to try out other Imagine titles, especially the upcoming Figure Skater, due out in March.

But back to Fashion Designer for a minute.

Elizabeth said she got "pretty far" and Nadja copped to playing for nearly four hours over a couple of days.

Girls do love their fashion.

They also seem to love the role of caregiver -- that's where Animal Doctor and Babyz come in.

Some have said that theses games pigeonhole girls, but they're not meant to be "what I want to be when I grow up" games.

"Their only purpose is to entertain them with things they already like doing," Hashemi said.

Things like playing with dolls.

Ubisoft

Babyz allows the player to try and be the best babysitter ever.

"Babyz is a more interactive way for girls to play with dolls," Hashemi said.

In fact, the game is the first "virtual" doll to be inducted into London's V&A Museum of Childhood's world-famous doll collection.

Another goal of the Imagine games, aside from pure entertainment, is to introduce girls to video games.

The Institute on Media and the Family issued its 12th annual report card earlier this month, and some of the games out there can be scary -- literally.

Not so with the Imagine line. The games fall into the "casual gaming" category. They're meant to be easy to pick up and play without a big learning curve or major time investment. You don't have to play for an hour to get to the "good stuff." And they are very friendly to all ages, especially those tween girls.

"[These games are based on] something that they really want to do, something that they already do in real life," Hashemi said.

When asked about the four Imagine titles, both Elizabeth and Nadja agreed, that yes, these are things that interest them. And both like the girly-ness of the games.

So, do girls really want -- or need -- their own line of games? According to NPD Group, a market research firm, the Imagine line is Ubisoft's No. 2 seller right now, and Fashion Designer is at the top of the Imagine list, so there's your answer.

"I play video games with my dad and these are a lot more girlish," Nadja said. "That's a good thing."

Elizabeth has a similar opinion.

"I do like the games that are pretty much for girls," she said. "Sometimes with the guy games, it gets a little weird."

I asked Elizabeth if she had seen the commercials for Assassin's Creed. When she said she had, I explained that the Imagine games are from the same company.

She thought that was kind of funny.

So, Elizabeth and Nadja enjoyed testing the games, but would they shell out $30 per game?

"On a scale of one to 10, I'd give Fashion Deisgner a 9.5," said Nadja.

Elizabeth's rating wasn't far behind -- a solid 9.

I'm taking that as a yes, they would buy 'em.

Gaming is huge this holiday season. Ask any kid. And electronic gadgets, including the Nintendo DS, are high up on many girls' wish lists, making it the perfect time for them to Imagine.