Advice needed please!

Thinking of getting this, mostly for my better half.

Never played any animal crossing games before.... are they any good, or is she going to be bored after 10 minutes?

Also, Wii Speak..... I don't think there is going to be much point to get it for animal crossing, as no one she knows will be buying it, but as a stand alone channel, is it any good?

that is a question I want answered. How good is Wii speak? Is it like talking on a phone but from across the room.

for the game itself, your daughter will pobably like it. it's more one of those games you play 15 minutes a day for a few months, then a game you blow through the campain mode in 3 days flat. i havn't played the wii version, but it's not really different from the past versions (ones i have played) so it should still be enjoyable.

as for the wiispeakm i have no idea.

 I'm a bit worried it's going to pick up a lot of interference from everything else in the house

Wii Speak is very fun. You can download WiiSpeak Channel (one dowload per package) and talk to 3 friends at the same time.
I have 4 good friends that we chat in the Channel and in Animal Crossing and it's fantastic, the game becomes much more alive and fun!
The sound of it is similar to any open-speaker telephone. You hear any sound in the room. There is a slight delay sometimes but nothing to reduce the fun of it. The channel is also good - we use it to arrange a meeting with friends. At some point I had 3 friends in my home and we were speaking with other 5 friends (9 people total). It was confusing but very fun at the same time. The volume of your TV should not be too loud because you hear your voice after you finish the word you said. I recomend it - It's a great add on to the fun of gaming or just chatting with a friend without having the phone stuck to your ear. Definitely worths the pricetag.