Togetherville, the Facebook powered social site for kids, is finally figuring out that it can’t get between kids and communications. So, as of today, it is giving children the ability to type their own messages.
The features in called Me-Text, is moderated and can only be seen by existing Facebook friends. You can still use T-Text, which uses constructed chat.
Turn your iPad or iPod Touch into a balance beam scale with this math app. There are three modes of play, each with three challenge levels, and it is possible to alternate between ounces and grams. The challenge is the same — to see if you can pile on just the right amount of weight on one side of the scale, to balance it with fruit on the other side of the scale. There are 9 types of fruit, from the 10g cherries to the 490g melon. The weights come in six sizes. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This time-telling app offers four activities from the main menu. The first lets you freely move the hands of an analog clock with your finger, to see if you can make the time match a digital am/pm clock below. The background provides clues about if it is day or night. Correct answers provide a round of applause. The second lets you change the numbers in the digital display at the bottom to match the time displayed by the clock hands. The third is a free mode, where you can move the clock hands or the change the numbers at the bottom to see the time instantly change. The fourth turns the clock into a real, functioning clock, in a clever twist. Part of the “Learning is fun” collection. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Mixing a side-scrolling collecting adventure with multiple-choice workbook problems is nothing new, and this title is no exception. Children guide a Penguin through simple levels, earning badges as they kick rats, collect popcorn and complete activities. This title covers basic math content — such as comparing quantities, solving tangram shape puzzles and completing addition or subtraction problems. Created by InLight Entertainment for Leapfrog. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This new format Leapster cartridge (for Leapster Explorer only) targets girls with seven princess-themed games. As you flip through pages of the book, reading-related challenges come up. For example, you are asked to touch items that help clear the path, to get into a castle. Created by Other Dream for Leapfrog. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Of the three new format Leapster cartridges this one, targeting older children, seemed the most fun and was the best designed, perhaps due to some of it’s side-scrolling game play which looked passable on the small, crisp Leapster Explorer screen. In the story segment of the game, you try to defeat Dr. Animo to free Ben’s friends, working through five levels, each with a science/geography related activity. Designed by Virtuos for Leapfrog. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
The size of a typical door mat, this folding cardboard map of the United States has been coded to work with the $50 Tag Reading System — Leapfrog’s fat, talking stylus which has been out for several years. The stylus is not included in the $20 price of the map, and using the interactive features requires downloading and installing Leapfrog’s free, 50 MB or so “Leapfrog Connect” software utility on your Mac or Windows computer. This is required, along with a USB connection to transfer the audio files to your Tag. This process takes about 30 minutes, and only has to be done once. The map has two sides — each with two modes of play and several hide-and-seek types of games. One side deals more with state identification and the capitals, and the other has cultural highlights, with snippets of state related trivia, and music. Both sides feature a racing game, where you try to touch as many states or capitals before the music runs out. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This maze game app is part of the “Learning is fun” game collection. Your goal is to help the UFO find the exit by following a predetermined path with your finger while avoiding being electrocuted during your trip. It features 60 levels divided into easy, medium and hard. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Fresh from Disney, a children’s virtual world based on the movie Cars, making it possible to drive into Radiator Springs, chat with other car avatars, enter races, or just explore. If you have a Mac or Windows computer, you can have a car up and running by the time you finish this article by visiting www.worldofcars.com. There are three areas to explore, each with a different theme, stores and four player racetrack. Features include two types of chat, the ability to make friends and have private chat sessions, and subscription access to special areas of the world. In addition, Mattel is selling a set of die cast vehicles that come with special race codes. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Barbie Video Girl Xray
At first glance, Mattel’s Barbie Video Girl Doll ($50, Mattel, for ages 6-up) looks just like a regular version of the doll. But a closer look reveals a camera in her pendant, and a postage-sized color screen on her back, peeking through a square space in her blouse. To make a video, you insert a AAA battery into each leg; a tricky process that involves a clothing change and a screwdriver. The three button interface on Barbie’s back makes it easy to know when you’re filming, and you can transfer footage in AVI format to your Mac or Windows computer by way of the included hot pink USB cable (a first for us). The accompanying editing software is Windows only, however.
According to Mattel Spokesperson Michelle Chidoni, Barbie first talked in 1968, when you could pull a string to hear her say six phrases. She’s since had fiber optic clothing, and an impeller that pushes glitterized fluid through her wings. Her vocabulary development nicely maps onto microprocessor speed, from six words to Teen Talk Barbie’s 270 phrases, with a moving mouth. This edition comes with 256 MB of memory (30 minutes of video) and the 2 AAA batteries last just over an hour. See the sample video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3ZcgE_K4D8
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This racing game consists of an eight inch tall talking dog, with 12 bones that fit in a container in his back. The idea is to follow directions, and try to be the first to slip the bone into the dog’s mouth. After setting up the game by randomly placing the twelve bones around the floor, you press Red Rover’s nose and he calls out which bones he wants. You must run to find the right bone and feed it Rover. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Part of the “Learning is Fun” line, this $1.99 app includes 36 tangram puzzles. The idea is that you drag-and-drop the puzzle pieces, scattered on the bottom of the screen, onto the outline. Incorrect matches self-correct by dropping to the bottom of the screen. Correct matches snap into place, as if by some magnetic force, to the sound of a crisp bell. When all the parts are put together, you hear a round of quiet applause. You can then return to the menu to select another puzzle. We reviewed version 1.4. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This gimmick-free app offers free-form letter and numeral tracing, with narration in English or Spanish. Content includes upper and lower case letters, and numerals 1 through 100. Other features include the ability to set the size of the line, and a “shake to erase” feature. The menu that controls the features is shown on the main screen, but it can be hidden. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
The first of two letter tracing apps (the second is Letter Writer: Space, that deals with lower case letters), this App combines a set of upper case letters with real ocean facts. For example, after you trace the letter ‘W’ three times, you are presented with a short poem about the Whale, as a large whale swims across the screen. To complete a letter, you must follow a pulsing line of dots with your finger. See also Letter Writer: Space for practice with lower case letters. Note that both apps are designed for the smaller iPhone or iPod Touch (they are not iPad native). Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Completely re-designed around a Flash-based format (the same as the didj), this year’s Leapster Explorer ($70, for ages 4-9) won’t run older Leapster cartridges. But it will run older didj software, making this a new beginning for the trusted Leapster line. The didj has been discontinued. The games we tested featured characters from Toy Story 3, Dora, Star Wars, SpongeBob and the NFL. A USB link lets you download additional “Leaplets” (or apps), including ebooks from Leapfrog’s TAG library. Requires 4 AA batteries. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
After you sign into one of the three game-save slots, you can select the gender of the pilot in this flying game. You then begin a tutorial that helps you learn to fly through some rings by holding the controller like a pair of handlebars. Next you try putting out a fire with a water canon which involves carefully buzzing a building, and then clearing sheep from train tracks with carefully aimed buzzes. There are 40 missions including hunting for lost pirate treasures, abducting cows in a UFO, and eventually becoming the Sky Captain. You can play alone, or invite a friend to fly cooperatively (in split screen) in any of the missions. You can also compete head-to-head in mutliplayer mode. Developed by Torus Games for D3Publisher. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This fitness game for the Wii features 18 games. After a brief introduction by a real personal trainer (Brooke Burke) you are asked to sign in and design an avatar. Next, you can choose a mode of play; either quick play or routine. The quick play option lets you jump right to a game; the routine mode gives you a sequence of activities. If you play in two player mode, you see a split screen — this could be fun for parents and children to play together. The game requires a Nunchuk, and a Balance Board is optional. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
In this game, you play as Buzz, Woody or Jessie as you run, ride and fly through scenes inspired by the film. For example, in one scene, you jump along the cars of a moving train, ducking under low poles or swinging buckets, and navigating across train cars with moving logs. You can complete missions to earn rewards such as gold and new customizations, and purchase new toys with your virtual earnings. Or you can customize new buildings, and then change how they look with paint and accessories. A “Toy Box” mode lets you add new characters and game elements. Developed by Avalanche Software for Disney Interactive. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
After you setup your child’s account, you can create a schedule, and then see a log of what your child has done, while using the Mixels service. It is possible to link up members to chat online with friends, play games, and read about current events. The service is free for a 14 day trial, after that the cost is $5.99 per month, or $55 per year. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
“Up With A Fish” is a fast-paced stacking game, not unlike “Scoops” (both are made by Nimblebit), where you lean your iPhone or iPad left or right to collect falling objects, which are balanced on the Cat in the Hat’s head. Catching fish bowls increases your life. Dodging trouble-making kids will also increase your score. You can pause the game at any time by tapping the screen. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Lean the iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone left or right, to steer a single balloon through a maze of tree branches or clouds that gradually get harder. The higher you go, the more points you score,and high scores can be posted on a leader board. The free version has less content. The $.99 version contains more mazes and balloon options. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
The Princess and the Frog comes to your iPad with this 23 page/screen adaptation that mixes highlights of the movie with two games, two songs, three coloring activities, the ability to record your own narration and a new feature for the read-along series, three jigsaw puzzles. Features include the ability to have the story read automatically, or to let the child flip through the book, one screen at a time. A pair of mouse ears at the screen bottom lead to a tray of options that include a microphone for recording your own narration, the coloring activities, and a scrolling set of pages, that makes it easy to jump directly to any page. There are two games: Facilier’s Fortune and Firefly Chase. Both games are active, and have three challenge levels. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
If you’ve played any of the other Oceanhouse Media Dr. Seuss titles, you’ll find no surprises with One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, a $3.99 app from Oceanhouse Media. The story can be presented in three modes: Read to Me (each page is presented, one at a time), Read it Myself (touch the words or pictures to see them labeled) and Auto Play (which presents the story, slide show style). To turn the page, you swipe the screen, which either presents a new page, or zooms in to highlight one of the features. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
The electronic edition of Dr. Seuss’ classic graduation story features three modes: Read to Me (the narration starts automatically when a page is swiped), Read it Myself (touch pictures or the text to hear it read or described) and Auto Play (the story is presented, slide-show-style). Each page is turned with the swipe of a finger, and illustrated with swooping animation, using a Ken Burns effect, to highlight specific scenes. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Magic Piano leverages the power of the iPad’s multi-touch screen to give a child their own 3 1/2 octave long piano keyboard. There are five modes of play. In the default mode (solo) you can configure the keyboard in a spiral, circle or traditional horizontal format. While the keys are small, the multi-touch screen makes it possible to play chords — just like a real piano. The Songbook lets you choose one of 20 classic songs, and play along, in a paint-by-number fashion. Selections start easy, with Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and get as hard as the Nutcracker March and Flight of the Bumblebee. A settings control panel lets you control such things as auto-sustain, pitch mapping and toggle on a “no-fail” mode for the song book. According to the credits, this app was inspired by Lang Lang. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
In this game, challenges are presented as side scrolling adventures. In order to advance, you have to exactly match each beat, presented in 10 locations such as a tropical beach, a town, a frozen city or a deep forest. Each level has a different tropical-sounding song, as well as a variety of items to collect. There are both story modes and free modes, and there’s a two player download version, for a social experience. As with other Disney titles, there’s a D gamer link on the main menu, making it possible to share scores with other players. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This year’s edition of the long-running Backyard Sports baseball simulations continues the tradition of being fun and easy to play. When you’re pitching, you get to choose the type of pitch, as well as the hardness of the throw. When batting, you slide the stylus on the screen in order to try to hit the ball, which takes some getting used to. In the DS version, which we reviewed, there were eight fields options, plus a story mode, a homerun derby, a season mode, and the ability to have a quick game. Created by HB Studios and Powerhead Games for Atari. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Toy Story comes to your iPad with this 23 page/screen adaptation that mixes highlights of the second movie (Toy Story 2) with two games, two songs, three coloring activities and the ability to record your own narration. Features include the ability to have the story read automatically, or to let the child flip through the book, one screen at a time (the pages curl, like paper). A pair of mouse ears at the screen bottom lead to a tray of options that include a microphone for recording your own narration, the coloring activities, and scrolling set of pages, that makes it easy to jump directly to any page. This includes two games: Parachute Drop (tilt the screen to steer a soldier through a maze of obstacles) and Toy Barn Maze (swipe to move Buzz through a maze, collecting toys). Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Part of the grant-funded International Children’s Digital Library out of the University of Maryland, the StoryKit app (for iPod Touch or iPhone) combines a simple drawing program with text-entry features. In addition, you can import photos from your device’s photo library and add copy below them, to create your own stories, which can then be saved and emailed, providing your device is setup for email. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
How many times can you touch a target in 60 seconds? That’s the challenge of this fast-paced matching game for one to four players, that runs on the iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. First you are shown something to pick, such as a colorful tomato or a potato. Next you see your item, mixed in with two other choices. The goal is to touch it as quickly as possible. Wrong answers result in a buzz — correct answers bring up a slightly larger, harder set of items, one of which is yours. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
The classic storybook, about a spider in search of friendship, comes to the iPad. When a page is turned, you see a preview of where the hotspots are on the page. You can also touch images for surprises, paint pictures, solve jigsaw puzzles and play games. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Turn your iPad into a beautifully illustrated story book, with this 37 page (screen) iPad version of How To Train Your Dragon (called merely “Dragon Book” in the App Store). If your child liked the movie, he or she will also like this storybook. That’s because the illustrations are taken directly from the movie, pixel per pixel. Children can swipe their way through the book, one page at a time, front or back, listening to the text read aloud. The book follows the movie, highlighting each key moment, and the narration sounds like it came from the movie as well. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Set in a swamp at night, this app features frogs in secondary colors of orange, green and purple. These frogs are hungry for a firefly snack, but they will only eat flies that match their color. You must mix the red, blue and yellow flies by touching one of the flies, and combining it with another, to mix the colors. This creates a new color. If the color matches the frog, the fly is eaten and you get the points. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
It used to be when you wanted to sketch out the plans for an invention, you grabbed a napkin. The iPad equivalent is Doodle Buddy, a multi-touch sketching utility. Content includes 24 backgrounds, including white, black and several for word games like dots and tic-tac-toe; four drawing tools and an infinite color selector. There are also 80 tiny stamps, and the ability to import a photo from your photo library. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Based on the Webosaurs.com virtual world, this app features 3D versions of the Webosaurs’ characters including Stretch, Pterry, Horns and Rexxy. Players can race their Webosaurs through various environments by moving their iPhone face up and down to maneuver through obstacles and jump over ramps. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
The Pokémon empire continues to grow, with two more titles that share a nearly identical design, but offer different collections of Pokémon to find and trade. Following the same tried-and-true formula of the original Pokémon games, SoulSilver is a spiced up version of the GBA Pokémon Silver version released ten years ago. These new titles contain 115 new Pokémon (or “pocket monsters”), some wireless game play features, plus a Pokéwalker pedometer that lets you earn game credits by moving around. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
The Pokémon empire continues to grow, with two more titles that share a nearly identical design, but offer different collections of Pokémon to find and trade. Following the same tried-and-true formula of the original Pokémon games, HeartGold is a spiced up version of the GBA Pokémon Gold version released ten years ago. These new titles contain 115 new Pokémon (or “pocket monsters”), some wireless game play features, plus a Pokéwalker pedometer that lets you earn game credits by moving around. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Strikingly beautiful graphics, a fun format, but limited game play and content are the hallmarks of the iPad version of Disney Fairies Fly (called just “Fairies Fly” in Apple’s App Store). Note that limited versions were previously released for iPhone and iPod Touch. The beauty comes with a price. This is a large (458 MB) download. To fly, you simply tilt the screen to control your fairy as you progress through a side scrolling maze, moving up or down to collect items such as flowers or orbs, while avoiding hazards like stinging bees and thunder clouds. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This collection of 25 minigames is organized into six happy themes, all available through six numbered tabs on the top of the touch screen.
In the Invitation Game, children play a spin on whack-a-mole that requires some fast decisions. In Button Factory, they sort the buttons on a moving conveyer belt, in order to create outfits for the party. On the last tab, you can paste together a simple outfit and take a picture. Each game is timed, and you are given instant feedback about your choices. Created by Barnstorm for Majesco Entertainment. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This Nintendo DS title is based on the feature film of the same name. The idea is to let you produce your own Garfield movie. You use Garfield’s moves, dances, tricks and props, along with lighting, camera, and sound effects. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.