Ok, I’ll be honest. When I hear Lovely Lisa and her Friends, I think of things that aren’t in the slightest bit appropriate. And if you’re a guy, you probably have the same reaction. But since we are men, we shouldn’t be expected to realize that Lovely Lisa and her Friends is really the latest girl-friendly DS and DSi title from TOMY, one that focuses on fun and fashion.

The second entry in the series of “fashion doll simulations”, Lovely Lisa and her Friends lets young girls develop their creativity and personal sense of style, by taking part in a wide variety of fun activities. Not only are there fashion-based activities like nail decorating, make-up, and hairstyling, there are also tasks around the home like shopping and cooking with mom and furniture assembly with dad, and working on career skills like babysitting, cake decorating and nursing. Not surprisingly, Lisa brings along her friends Alice and Maria to share in the fun.

Through these activities, you can earn Lisa-points, which you can use to purchase new clothes, accessories and styles, and prepare yourself for the Heart Hills Idol Pageant, where the girl with the best skills in all categories will win, a much more forward-thinking emphasis than your standard pageant outlook.

Lovely Lisa and her Friends also takes advantage of the camera on the DSi, allowing young gamers to take their own photos and apply them to Lisa’s clothes. Its a great, but simple addition, and one I can see being very popular.

It certainly feels like a significant amount of content, and ideal for the intended pre-tween audience. But one concern that springs to mind, because apparently at some point I became an enlightened husband, is that the options presented to the girls, especially in the career skills area, seem a little . . . anachronistic. Nothing against the nursing profession, but why can’t girls aspire to be doctors, instead of the nurse role more traditionally associated with women.

But young girls who play the game will be more interested in fashion dolls, hairstyles, makeup, and babysitting than they will be feminist dissertations. Their moms (and enlightened dads) might have an issue with it however, but perhaps that just provides more content for future Lovely Lisa titles.

“With the success of Lovely Lisa on the DS, we have refreshed the popular girl’s property with new DSi functionalities, making Lovely Lisa and Friends a great complement to the line of girl-friendly dolls and games,” said Mark Shinohara, executive vice president and COO at TOMY Corporation. “Lovely Lisa and Friends brings true fashion doll play patterns to the DS and DSi with wholesome and suitable content that both young girls and their parents can enjoy.”

The E rated Lovely Lisa and Friends will be available this February, for the DS and DSi.