What does the inside of a seashell look like? What about an insect, a motorcycle or an iPad? Here’s an app that lets you find out. The app contrasts two images — before x-ray and after x-ray, and every possible gradation between. To move between the views, you swipe with a single finger, from top to bottom. Content includes 26 everyday objects, arranged from A to Z. A double-tap offers a stereoscopic option, or you can pinch to zoom and reveal detail. This app is based on the photography of Hugh Turvey, the Artist in Residence at the British Institute of Radiology. The accompanying text is by author Paul Rosenthal. There are different versions, one for iPad, the other for iPhone or iPod Touch. 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 log in using the innovative interface (you see yourself rendered inside the menu, and touch what you want), you choose which of up to eight players will play in the three game modes. To play, you must shape your body to match the shapes you see on the screen. The games include Shape Frenzy (mimic the shape that appears on the screen to earn points based on how well you fill its silhouette); Twist & Fit (avoid the wall and fit your silhouette through cutouts coming at you on a moving wall, scoring points by passing through a wall without touching); Break It Down (work your way through a stack of colored blocks by assuming their form. When a shape is removed, the wall above will begin to crumble); and Spot On (Challenge up to three players or four teams of two) in a game of contortion H-O-R-S-E. Create a shape and see if your friends can match it. 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.
Skating/surfing and SpongeBob come together in game for the Kinect (we did not test the DS version). In the game, you must move down a hill (or a river ) and steer to avoid obstacles. In the story, the friends have strayed from Bikini Bottom and landed on a beach. The game features a two player mode that lets you surf or skate side-by-side. The DS version contains a wireless multiplayer function that we did not test (ratings apply to the Xbox version), and a single player mode lets you set off on a road trip with SpongeBob and friends. Content includes 12 courses (six waterways and six seaside streets). The DS version contains 24 boarding maps and 10 unlockable snowboarding stages. Developed by Blitz for Xbox ($50) and by Sabarasa for the Nintendo DS ($30). Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This 7-inch Android tablet is designed to be of use to both kids and adults. It comes from Singapore-based Karuma, and is wrapped in a thin silicone cover for protection against drops that doubles as a flimsy kick-stand for watching movies. It is powered by a 1.2 Ghz processor with 8 GB of onboard RAM. A micro SD card provides an additional route for expansion. Slightly thinner than the Nabi, this tablet has fewer ports (there is no HTMI out). The tablet is both synced and charged through a flat micro USB port. Apps can be downloaded from standard Android stores — two come pre-installed — Soc.io and Applibs, but we found it hard to find anything child appropriate other than a free version of a St. Patrick’s Day-themed version of Angry Birds, in Chinese. Other apps, like the free Pac Man app would run, but only in a phone-sized screen orientation. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Content of this two player game for Kinect and Wii includes 30 songs that feature Dora, Diego, and the Backyardigans as models. It is easy for a second player to jump into the dance, say for a mom or dad to dance along. Created by High Voltage Software, published by 2K Play for Nickelodeon Kids & Family. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This 7 inch Android powered tablet isn’t kidding around when it comes to such things as the ability to play Netflix movies, or apps like Cut the Rope. Nabi comes with a Kid Mode that gives parents what they’ve been asking for on an iPad — a parent-controlled, password-protected interface that locks a child inside a gated digital community. This means you can pick the apps, videos and sites you want your child to see, and because the app runs Flash, this can include sites like PBS kids. If you want to use the tablet to watch a movie or check your own email, you start “Mommy Mode” by entering your password. An essential part of the business model is the Nabi App Store, home to 500 pre-selected apps, games and other content, and there’s a direct pipeline to the Toysrus.com app. Fifteen apps come pre-installed, plus some ebooks and movie trailers which helps to make the out-of-the-box experience nicer. 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.
Turn your slippery iPhone screen into a guitar fretboard with this Magic Guitar app with this follow-along style app that lets you mimic various guitar styles. You hold your phone like a guitar neck, and beams of light tell your finger where to go. A shake will bend the tone, and a swipe will give texture. The idea is to match the moving marks as closely as possible to earn points, which are recorded on a leaderboard. 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 the story, an alien spaceship crashes in the otherwise peaceful realm of Planet Pop Star, and its pieces are scattered throughout the land. You must guide Kirby to find the ship’s parts and help an alien return to its home planet. But, this time, Kirby is not alone. At any time during the game, up to three more players can join in and play as Meta Knight, King Dedede, Waddle Dee or a different color Kirby. The game features Kirby’s Copy Ability, which allows him to inhale, spit and transform as he encounters enemies. Other features include classic and new abilities including: Sword – Kirby dons a green cap and wields a sword; Beam – Kirby wears a jester hat and can shoot energy from a magic wand; Whip – Kirby wears a cowboy hat and can lasso enemies; and Leaf – Kirby is surrounded by a whirlwind of leaves. 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.
Slightly larger than a fortune cookie, this robotic creature can “slither” on smooth surfaces, propelled by special offset wheels that give it a unique motion that is best described as “creepy.” It is the sixth of seven Hexbugs. A nose-mounted sensor can detect such things as a leg of a chair, and change directions, accordingly. It is available in five colors, and uses three LR44 button cell batteries. See the video at http://www.youtube.com/childrenstech. 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.
Slip your iPhone or iPod Touch inside this plush holder, and download a free app called Beary Happi. The result? You can turn your iPod Touch or iPhone into a teddy bear. There are ten modes hidden behind the parent options: HappiTaps, Toddler, Nighty Night, Story Time, Sing Along, Peek-a-Boo!, Feeding Time, Rattle & Fun, Sleep and Expressions. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Loud Crow Interactive and Peanuts Worldwide have partnered to produced a series of digital interactive books based on the cartoon specials. The first in the series, A Charlie Brown Christmas, features narration by Peter Robbins, the original voice of Charlie Brown, along with original scenes and dialog from the 1965 animated classic, and digitally remastered illustrations, animation, and music optimized for your smartphone or tablet. See also “My Charlie Brown Christmas Tree,” a free add on designed to give you a taste of this app; that lets you decorate your own tree. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-charlie-brown-christmas/id484320301?mt=8 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 Bob Books app is based on the print editions of a popular workbook series (learn more at www.bobbooks.com). The app presents a step-by-step word-building experience, where the more letters you match, the more the picture fills in. Reading Magic 1 contains twelve scenes for 32 words, presented in four levels to provide increasing challenges to children as they play. Also available is Reading Magic 2, with 12 new scenes, different animations and 50 words. 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 toy/screen experience turns your Nintendo DS into a remote control for a robotic dog. Instead of using standard infra-red signals, however, this dog is controlled by sound, in the form of coded chirps that come out of your Nintendo DS speakers. A microphone in Wappy Dog can “hear” the chirps, which can be sent to Wappy Dog’s computer for different responses. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
The Xbox 360 version of Instant Artist, the title that comes bundled with the $80 uDraw game tablet package, includes all the drawing basics — pencils, brushes, chalk and charcoals, and an infinite number of colors. You can easily fill or undo with one button, and a redraw feature lets you review your painting, as you drew it. A smart pallet system remembers your most frequently used colors and tools. 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.
Toca Kitchen turns your iPad or iPhone into a virtual kitchen. You start by choosing from one of four characters to feed (a boy, girl, goat or cat). You then choose from 12 food items in the fridge by dragging and dropping the items on the plate. To feed your person, you touch the food and drag it near the mouth. They will either eat it, or refuse it. If it is the latter, you can visit the kitchen where you can cut it, blend it, boil it, fry it, or use a microwave. Each item can be made in many different ways. Each of the characters in the app have specific food preferences, and their reactions are dependent on how your prepare the food. They may refuse to eat certain foods, or they may start drooling even if the food is uncooked. 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.
Stretching the term “non-fiction,” The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library is an ebook adaptation of the Dr. Seuss series, done in classic Oceanhouse Media style, where you can touch any item or word to see it labeled. You can also tap the stars on some of the pages to reveal constellations and see them identified. Other titles in the series will explore subjects including dinosaurs, pets, marine life and trees, each featuring classic characters from the original The Cat in the Hat series. 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.
Along with Mario Kart 7, this title marks Mario’s debut on the Nintendo 3DS. By combining the motion sensing abilities of the Nintendo 3DS with a 3D screen, you can use depths and distances to get from one platform to the next. You can also share the game with another player using the Street Pass feature. New enemies include Goombas with tails, tall stacks of Goombas, and a Piranha Plant that spits ink to obscure your view. 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.
Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure combines a video game with collectible toys, with a set of 32 plastic figurines (three come with it) that interact with the game using a “Portal of Power”. The toys “come to life” within the game for you to control when placed upon the Portal of Power. You take on the role of a powerful Portal Master and can control 32 different characters, including the fire-breathing dragon Spyro. As you explore the 3D world, you fight creatures, collect gold and solve puzzles while trying to save your world from Kaol, the evil Portal Master. Each interaction figure remembers your shared experiences and leveled-up abilities, allowing you to customize and power-up your toys, and bring them to life on a friend’s Portal of Power for co-op play and player-versus-player arena battles. This feature makes this one of the most innovative toy/video game marriages to date. 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.
As with other editions of Scribblenauts, children use language to unlock puzzles, by typing in the items they need. Need to kill a shark? Type “hair dryer” and drop it in the water, to electrocute it. Want to get through a gate? Type “shovel” and dig under it. Content includes 10 original levels designed specifically for Apple devices, along with 40 fan favorite levels from Scribblenauts and Super Scribblenauts. The more levels you solve, the more Starites you earn, and these unlock in-game achievements. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Two years after the the original Mindflex (CTR Feb 2009), comes Mindflex Duel — with two headsets for two players instead of one, and a higher price. The headset fits tightly onto your head so it can capture information related to your body’s electromagnetic energy, by way of two sensors — one you clip on your ear lobe, and the other that you fit on your forehead. The levels of energy are fed into a computer that controls a small blower that causes a small foam ball to go up or down, Bernoulli Blower style. When in two player mode the game is like a tug-of-war — the idea is to move the ball across the game’s obstacle platform to your opponent’s side. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This app features two puzzle sets, each with nine puzzles that start easy (with six large pieces) and become more difficult. A hint system makes trial and error possible. The pirate is playful and it is hard to not complete a puzzle to see the ending. Preferences let you turn off the background music. 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.
Based on the children’s line of plush pillows from CJ Products, the idea is to collect accessories for your pets by completing each level. You also help pets find their friends. The story idea works well. Content includes 16 Pillow Pets characters, levels that include “Fantasy Woods,” and “Rainbow Valley”, and the ability to accessorize your pets with 40 items. Developed by First Playable. 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.
Mix-and-match different heads, bodies and legs of animals, in order to make a match. To change a part, you swipe. As more characters are created, more surprises are revealed: kids can poke animals to hear them roar, chirp or tweet; balls bounce; and a lion helps keep count of his steaks. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This is a collection of 600 puzzles for one player. Games include Sudoku – the classic numbers game in 3D; Bridges – link all the islands on the screen with bridges, making sure to match the on-screen numbers to the amount of islands you are connecting together; Boxes – divide the board into rectangles where each piece has to be included with the digit that will be the size of the boxes; Museum – light up an entire hall without overlapping the lighting with the limited number of lights given to you; and an exclusive unlockable 3D puzzle created specifically for the Nintendo 3DS. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This 2.1 megapixel digital camera comes with a 1.5 inch LCD preview screen and uses three AAA batteries, not included. The interface is confusing to use. Features include a flash and a digital zoom. The camera connects to your computer with the included USB cable. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This Kindle-sized Android powered tablet comes with a Kid Mode that gives parents what they’ve been asking for on an iPad — a parent-controlled, password-protected interface that locks a child inside a gated digital community. This means you can pick the apps, videos and sites you want your child to see, and because the app runs Flash, this can include sites like PBS kids. If you want to use the tablet to watch a movie or check your own email, you start “Mommy Mode” by entering your password. At this point Nabi is no different than any other Android tablet. Fifteen apps come pre-installed, plus some ebooks and movie trailers. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This toy delivers a close to endless supply of letter-related skits, stories and-or songs, delivered on a very low-tech black and white LCD screen. It is possible to personalize the content with your child’s name, including customized emails from family and a music playlist. Note, however, that this requires plugging the device into an Internet-connected Mac or Windows computer. This also syncs the device with the Leapfrog’s online Learning Path. Included content includes one story, one email and three songs, and holds up to five stories, ten songs and three emails at a time. Requires 3 AA batteries which are included. 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.
Now Moshi Monsters (the popular virtual world)can fit in your pocket, in the form of this one player Nintendo DS game. Your mission is to explore eight areas of the Wooly Wilderness to see if you can spot hiding creatures, called Moshlings. There are 52 Moshlings to find, and each has specific needs that are met by shopping, searching and combining various elements such as the string with a banjo. 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.
MadPad, the latest app from Smule (of Magic Piano and Ocarina fame), turns your camera equipped iPhone or iPad into a sound mix board. Instead of using existing songs and beats, it lets you capture everyday sounds, which can be easily recorded and played back or warped with a two finger swipe. To make your first sound collection, you touch “create” to divide the screen into 12 empty squares. Touch one of the squares and your microphone instantly starts listening. A feature called “SoundTrigger” grabs up to about 4 seconds of sound. To make a set you tap any box to start the recorder, or you can import sounds from the Smule server. 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.
To make the program, 2K Play told me that they used motion capture on professional cheerleaders, which adds a sense of realism to the models that you follow. If you miss a move, you see a glowing region around your weak spot. At the end of the routine, you are scored and you get to unlock new levels or try again. You will learn High V, Broken T, and Right Punch, as well as more advanced, combination moves including the Blad Cap and Touchdown Sway. Songs featured include both licensed cheerleading songs and popular cheer dance hits including Rihanna’s Disturbia and Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl. 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 one player Zelda game turns your Wii into a flying, sword-fighting puzzle solving adventure, complete with problem solving opportunities and reading. Note the E10+ rating, for plenty of fantasy violence mostly due to the realistic fighting. Also note the gender bias, with a story line full girls who tend to giggle and boys who are warriors who must prove themselves for the girl’s approval. You must play the male role. This title requires a Wii MotionPlus controller. Zelda, like Mario, is one of the hallmark Nintendo characters. As a result, the limited-edition version of the game ($70) includes a gold Wii RemotePlus controller and a music CD featuring the Zelda Symphony. 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.
Created by Frontier (the same studio that made Kinectimals) Kinect Disneyland Adventures lets you move around a realistic 3D version of Disneyland. To walk, you point your hand. To walk faster you raise your hand higher — a navigation scheme that takes a while to learn. At any time, a second player can jump in (or out) making this a great context for social play. Each activity has you moving in a different way. In Frontierland, you can jump onto a mine cart in Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, pumping your arms to go faster or slower. You can fly through Neverland with Peter Pan, with your arms extended like wings or challenge Captain Hook to a sword fight. Content includes 18 rides or attractions and 35 Disney characters. 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.
Put a science center in your iPad, with this collection of three activities, featuring Sid the Science Kid characters. Following a noisy introduction — just like the show — you tap one of the three Sid characters to start a no-fail activity. In the Collection Inspection, you use a magnifying glass to notice subtle differences in 14 sets of items. Chart It presents seven collections, which vary by shape, color and pattern. You can move them onto dynamic charts. Wrong answers fall back to the bottom of the screen, giving the charts authenticity, and realtime feedback. Time Machine lets you play with time relationships as you freely explore 14 sets of objects such as an apple being eaten, a candle burning or a plant growing. Created by Jim Henson Studios and Carsten’s Studios for PBS Kids. 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.
As with other I SPY titles, the riddles form the basis of the castle theme. They also hide 12 mini games and three logic puzzles. The more riddles you solve, the more items you collect. These, in turn, unlock more rooms. A hint system helps you find the most challenging objects. There are three sign-in slots, so three players can save their progress. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Combine the board game Monopoly with the zany spirit of Nintendo and you get Fortune Street, a fast-paced business game that contains 15 game boards based on popular Mushroom Kingdom and Dragon Quest locales. Using virtual dice, you move around one of 15 themed boards in random intervals, buying shops to build your portfolio and collecting symbols you can cash in at the bank to earn gold. You can play the stock market, purchase shops and collect shopping fees. Players with multiple shops adjacent to one another see them grow in value and their shops level up, and if another player lands on those squares they have to pay an increased fee. A beginner setting lets you learn the basics, and there is an advanced mode with more challenges, options, and the ability to play the stock market. 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.
Inspired by the 1963 book “Flat Stanley” by Jeff Brown and moved into the age of apps and Facebook by Dale Hubert, a Canadian elementary teacher, the Flat Stanley App is a free download that lets you superimpose a Flat Stanley cutout character over a photo taken with your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch camera. The idea is not unlike a message in a bottle. But instead of a bottle, your image captures your location, and you can type a little story about what Stanley is seeing. 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 is part of a series of apps that feature a new Mom-Comm tracking mechanism, that lets you look over the should on what your child does using Facebook or email. Play Maker was created for Fingerprint by Krome studios. After you design a character by mixing and matching heads, bodies and legs, you can record a happy sound and sad sound. Next, you see your character filling the screen with letters attached to them. You are asked to match all the characters holding a number 9 card, and are told not to touch a robot with the wrong number or you’ll loose. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
One of the first ever math facts programs to use augmented reality, Lunch Rush provides an “out of device” experience. Here’s how it works. After you download the app, you must print out a set of cards from the Fetch Lunch Rush web site: http://pbskids.org/fetch/games/hollywood/lunchrush.html. There are nine cards; one per number. You lay the cards around a table (or room) and sign into the program. You’re then given a math problem, such as 14 – ? = 5. To enter the answer, you find the correct card (9) using the iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch camera. This also causes a set of food items to appear over the numeral, superimposing computer graphics onto the real camera image. Content includes five rounds of addition or subtraction questions (three per round). Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Using the PlayStation Move controller and PlayStation Eye camera to track and score moves, you can test your dancing skills with three difficulty levels, each featuring unique routines. You can also dance solo, team up with a friend for a cooperative Partner Routine, challenge a friend to a competitive Dance Battle, or use the Party Play mode where up to 20 players can go head-to-head in the ultimate dance-off. The game features a Dance Class feature to improve your skills through routine breakdowns, a Dance Creator feature that lets you develop your own choreography, a Dance Workout that tracks your fitness progress and calories burned; and Sing-Along. 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 plug in one or two mats into your Wii (for one or two players, or one player with two mats), you can choose from 80 music tracks that include classics and original music created specifically for the game by Vanilla Ice and Maxi Priest. There are three modes of play:School Mode, for new dancers, offers an option for training. More skilled players can choose the Challenge difficulty level, which also features a new Doubleplay functionality that allows a single player to play on two DanceDanceRevolution mat controllers simultaneously. The Workout Mode lets you enter your weight and track your fitness progress and estimated calories burned. The game features all new dance characters and is compatible with your Mii so dancers can capture a likeness of themselves or the dance partners. Prices are $50 bundled with the Dance mat and $30 for the standalone game. 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.