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.
Each of the 12 pages in this app document Grover’s creative attempts to keep Elmo (and your child) from turning the page and getting to the end. He tries glue (you can rub it off), locks (you match colors to solve the combination) and so on. See also The Monster at the End of This Book. Created by Callaway Digital Arts for Sesame Workshop. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The basic Tetris challenge is the same as always; to steer a falling block into place on a grid as quickly and efficiently as possible. Color and shape matches earn points. Content includes 20 game modes with names like Marathon, Computer Battle, Fever and Survival, plus Party Game Modes for two to eight players, using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Developed by Hudson Soft for Nintendo. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Drag-and-drop puzzles abound these days in the app store, but not many have animated pieces. The animated features bring a new type of timed problem solving to the challenge. For example, you can watch an animated part of the scene move, and use that as a clue to know the order in which the parts go. Songs include Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Oh Where Has My Dog Gone?, Down By the Bay, Itsy Bitsy Spider, You Are My Sunshine, Old MacDonald, This Old Man, I’m a Little Teapot, Twinkle Little Star, Yankee Doodle, Bach Minuet, Wheels on the Bus, London Bridge, Saints Go Marching, Boccherini Minuet, and Coming Around the Mountain. 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.
We tried the Kinect version of Puss in Boots: The Video Game, and quickly became exhausted — in a good way — as we kicked, waved our arms, balanced, strummed a guitar, clawed and snuck our way through the first of what looked to be about four levels (we cannot confirm this). We also did not try the two player features. The PS3 Move compatible version lets you use your controller, or choose to use the Move remote and transform the gameplay into a full-motion sword fighting experience. In the Wii version, you use the Wii Remote to slash with Puss’ sword, the Nunchuk to dodge attacks, and button combinations to deliver damage to enemies. The handheld DS/DSi version continues the movie’s storyline with a new plot that has Puss engaging in swordfights, flamenco style dance battles, dozens of mini games, and rhythm-based activities. 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.
You heard it right, Pokémon fans — 3D, for the first time. The game contains 600 Pokémon, including the libraries from both Pokémon Black and Pokémon White.
There’s also Boss Pokémon, which is stronger, and two new battle modes. In Team Battle, you are joined by two of your own Toy Pokémon as you battle numerous mini bosses in a quest to defeat a Boss Pokémon. In Charge Battle, the strength of your team is challenged when two large battalions of Pokémon collide. The game also allows for two players to team up and play over a local wireless connection, or you can use the StreetPass features and challenge Toy Pokémon that other nearby players have collected, and view customized Mii characters within the 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.
This second edition of Bartleby’s Book of Buttons contains 17 pages, each containing one or more puzzles that must be solved in order to unlock the next page. In the page labeled “Whale in the Way”, you must figure out how to get a sleeping whale to wake up, in order to see the door to a hidden cave. This requires playing records on Bartleby’s phonograph (spun with your finger). If you pick the right record (street noises) long enough, the whale wakes up. Other screens have you tilting the screen to steer a bubble and shining a spotlight on various points on 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.
Based on the printed book “When I Grow Up” by Al Yankovic with illustrations by Wes Hargis, this 18 screen book deals with the age-old question “what will I be when I grow up.” In this case, the question is answered by the author, “Weird Al” Yankovic, the famous wisecracking comedian/musician. Note that the app was initially released as a book but has since been enhanced with five story-related games. For example, in Haute Cuisine Hero you’re a cook who is supposed to tap an ingredient when it is above a pot of stew. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This four-pack of previously released apps consists of four chapters: Into the Snow We Go (make pictures in the snow, decorate a snowman); Rainy Days and Rainbows (draw paintings, dig through leaves for treasures, race pine cones); Backyard at Twilight (look for bugs, discover constellations, learn about shapes); and Go-There-Square (pop musical bubbles, collect dandelions, build a bridge out of flowers). Each adventure combines original animation from the Canadian Television series, and three activities that support free play. 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 ever tried to roll a marble through a maze (by tilting the game board), you get the idea of the Mercury games. In this new edition, called Hg (the element symbol for mercury), 60 new levels offer nearly unlimited challenge. Why? You can always go faster. The game uses the six-access motion sensing in the PS3 controller (we’re not sure how the Xbox version works) to move a ball of Mercury through a series of creative twists and turns. 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.
Eight timed games give young children a chance to play with firehouse themes. Games include Firetruck Traffic (help the firefighters get to the fire while avoiding other cars by tapping on the screen); In The Trees (tilt the screen to guide a firefighter into the trees to rescue pets); Put Out the Fire (spray water on burning windows); Safety Net (guide a net to catch jumping animals); Find & Rescue (a hard to control maze game); Helicopter Drop (a confusing game where you drop water out of a fire helicopter onto flames) and Firefighter Gear (a confusing matching game). Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Lego Life of George lets you test your pattern matching skills under the pressure of a stop watch, providing you have a camera equipped iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad 2, and have downloaded a free app called Life of George from iTunes (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grNO42UK5q8). The app serves as your blueprint, timer, progress tracker, and — most interestingly — your judge. The $30 kit contains the basic supplies — 144 Legos and a special cardboard grid that serves as a backdrop, allowing your camera to “see” your work, using special software called EyeCue (see www.eyecue-tech.com). In addition to Game Mode which can be played alone or against one competitor in a pass-and-play format, it is possible to design and capture your own models to be saved in a scrap book. 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 one player game you navigate through the maze-like stages by learning a series of two-step swipes. For example, to get Kirby to float, you have to drag a star onto him, and then draw a line. In the story, Kirby is split into 10 pieces by an evildoer with a magic cane. You use the stylus on the DS touch screen to control a group of Kirby characters (up to 10) as they set off on a journey to return to their original form. The number of Kirby characters you control is important, because some challenges require a specific number of Kirbys in order to be solved. When the number of Kirby characters is increased, you can gain the upper hand. You can control each Kirby in a variety of ways, for example, a Kirby character can be launched into the air with a flick of the stylus, or you can make a swarm of Kirby characters dash to a given point by tapping on that spot on the touch screen multiple times. You can also swipe the touch screen to launch them in a mass attack against enemies, then tap the enemies into submission. The goal is to collect medals hidden throughout the various stages and to unlock additional minigames. 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 well intentioned app looks good, but it is (at times) painfully didactic. It combines matching games with a playful Winnie the Pooh story; proof that some things don’t mix particularly well. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Nearly identical in spirit to The Incredible Machine (1995, Sierra Online), this is a virtual invention lab with 100 levels, and 100 gadgets. The title is part of the thinkSMART series from Mentor Interactive. There are four modes of play: Action Mode – play alone and break the riddles; Co-op Mode – break the riddles with a friend; Party Mode – play against another; and Sandbox Mode – edit your own level to set up chain reactions and share with friends. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Disney’s virtual world for kids, Club Penguin, is reaching into your mobile device with this game built around a series of cannons that float in the air. The cannons shoot a ball-shaped Puffle (the furry pets from the Club Penguin virtual worlds) through a course full of moving hazards. To make it through, you steer your puffles from cannon to cannon by touching the screen. As the Puffles float, they bounce off balloons. The better you do, the more levels you unlock. The challenges are arranged in 24 levels that can be unlocked. 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 fast-paced shooting/fighting game gives you the fight you’d expect from a Transformer’s game. A new gameplay mechanic called Stealth Force lets you turn into a third, hybrid state that combines the weapons and firepower of Robot Mode with the agility and maneuverability of Vehicle Mode. Environments include Jungles of Central America, Siberian military facilities, Urban Cityscapes, and more, along with a diverse roster of Transformers characters to choose from as you try to save mankind. The PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii versions also allow for you to compete with or against friends around the world in multiplayer modes. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This app designed for preschoolers mixes limited creativity with a maze type of flying game. You start by making a robot by selecting legs, a body, a head and arms using multiple-choice style menus. Next, you are taken to the testing area, which consists of a maze with hidden stars. The goal is to fly your robot to a magnet by touching the screen to activate the foot rockets. The longer you press, the greater the power. You steer by moving your finger on 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.
Good for older readers (upper elementary and middle school) this children’s magazine (by Bayard Presse) on an iPad mixes age-appropriate content with some mid-to good-quality interactivity. There’s no doubt that this is a British publication, and the narrator accent is proof. The idea is to continue stories from app to app, so there is continuity from issue to issue, like the printed counterpart. We reviewed the first issue (#1) so quality might improve. At the core of each issue is an animated story. For this issue, “How about a MOOH?” is about Stella the little calf who wakes up but does not moo. The farm animals are worried but a little cuddle with her Mom is all she needs. Features include the ability to record your own voice, or zoom into illustrations for a closer look. Content also includes Science – Why do aeroplanes leave trails in the sky? (note the British spelling); SamSam – GumGum the giant – follow the cosmic adventures of the smallest of the big heroes plus watch an episode of the SamSam TV series; Animal world – learn about Humpback whales; Games – fly your kite, join the dots, maze, match the pairs, find the correct order; and Polo – an adventure without words to lead you into the world of dreams. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This one or two player game brings together four characters from Ratchet and Clank, Jak & Daxter, and Sly Cooper. They work together (you can choose who to play) to compete in a series of challenges using the PlayStation Move controller (required). In the story, aliens have swiped chunks of the worlds of Ratchet, Jak and Sly in order to create a mysterious new planet in the galaxy. After they are abducted to this new world, Ratchet, Clank, Jak, Daxter, Sly Cooper and Bentley compete in competitions. You can use a variety of weapons including Ratchet & Clank’s combustor, Sly Cooper’s cane and super power weapons that are customized to each character. Medals are earned for completing missions and challenges; and the more medals you earn the more missions you unlock. 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 seek and solve game you must unravel the mystery behind the Malgrave Island by using the Wii Remote to search for clues, solve puzzles and find concealed items in multilayered hidden object scenes. There are three multiplayer modes for up to four players, consisting of three rounds, and you can choose options such as skill level. Multiplayer games include: Swift Pick – compete to find hidden objects; Tick Tick Pick – find hidden objects and pass the bomb before it explodes; and Classic Pick – race to find the most hidden objects. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This game of concentration features three challenge levels — a 4×2 grid with 4 pairs of picture cards; a 6×4 grid with 12 pairs; and an 8×5 grid with 20 pairs. A correct match displays the name of the animal in one of five user-chosen languages – English, Spanish, French, Russian or Ukrainian – and is also pronounced in that language. 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.
Nine carefully crafted, multi-level learning games are designed for young children with special needs. But they could be used in regular ECE settings as well. Designed to be early intervention tools, this $50 app is designed to “reinforce fine motor and language skills, understanding of cause and effect, spatial awareness, memory and visual processing.” Content consists of 100 puzzles of varying difficulty; more than 50 hand-painted tracing game illustrations; eight farm-themed mini-games; scaffolding methodology to support successful game playing and subtle level changes to support different stages of development. There are also short tutorials that model how to play each 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.
This iPad app presents children with multiple-choice-style shape matching problems. Content is based on 14 geometric shapes. First, you touch one of six areas, with eight scenes full of shapes. The idea is to build a house by touching each shape, to hear it labeled. A review mode lets children touch the shapes in the sky, where they are rewarded by fireworks. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
These twelve ingenious activities marry logical thinking with body motion, further establishing the Wii system as the leader in the kinesthetic interface. Note that you’ll need to have one of the newer Wii Remote Plus controllers (or an older one with the Remote Plus attachment) to make the games work. Fortunately a new black controller comes in the box. In Wind Runner, the controller becomes an umbrella handle that you must tilt to ride gusts of wind along a race course. In Spooky Search, you hunt for invisible spirits using the controller as a ghost detector. And in Veggie Guardin’, you use the Wii Remote Plus to swat away pests. The game features multiple difficulty levels for up to four players, and all the games can be played in both single player and multiplayer modes. The game comes bundled with one Wii Remote Plus controller. 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 maze game (search “A-Maze-ing” in the app store) lets you navigate through 16 detailed, hand-drawn scenes by dragging vehicles through a map. As you explore the connected maps, you find 85 hidden items embedded in the pen and ink maps. Your mission is to find them all, a task we stopped at around 11. Because up to five player profiles can be stored at once, it is possible to sign in or out and continue progress at a later time. Hidden items include stars, letters, penguins, numbers and ice cream trucks. Created in the Netherlands. The free version limits the number of levels and the amount of fuel for your car. See also Roxie’s Doors. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Your challenge is to spot the “odd one out” from a set of moving fruit, shapes or colors in this app. You start with a challenge, e.g., “spot mango” (with a picture of a mango). As the mangos fly across the screen, mixed with other types of fruit, your job is to tap just the mangos, and not the strawberries or bananas. The shapes and colors present harder levels. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Based on the book by William Joyce, this is an interactive edition of a short animated film that nicely tells the story of a man (Morris Lessmore) who loves books. Each of the 27 pages weaves interactive features with the storyline. For example, you help scatter the books during a windstorm by circulating your finger on the screen, spell words using alphabet cereal, or tilt the screen to fly Mr. Lessmore through a tunnel of words. Programmed by Twin Engine Labs, created by Moonbot Studios. 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 unique game uses two styluses at once. You start by creating and customizing your own own avatar. Content includes seven “sports,” including Home-Run Challenges, Archery, Soccer Penalty Kicks, and more; Rank Match – Play to be the best and earn points in each sport; Score Try – Practice each sport with specialized trials and challenges; Today’s Challenge – different sports challenges every day; and Tap Exercise – Hone your touch senses with these activities requiring you to perform feats of dexterity using both hands. 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 newest Ben 10 game (based on the television series) lets you take control of Ben Tennyson and up to 17 alien forms including Armodrillo, WaterHazard and AmpFibian, as you jackhammer through enemies, unleash water blasts, and emit explosive radiation beams. You will journey to Paris, Tokyo, China and Rome in search of an ancient alien artifact that will help save humanity from a mysterious cosmic storm. You will use the power of the new Ultimatrix, an upgraded alien watch that transforms Ben into the most powerful, hyper-evolved alien forms ever in the game. The new Quick Switch feature allows you to transform from alien to alien quickly, and create custom alien combos, and the new Upgrade System lets you enhance your alien’s strength, speed, defense and special attacks by gaining experience from defeating enemies, collecting rare sumo slammer cards, and crushing cars, forklifts, furniture, and various objects throughout each level. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Shape Builder turns your iPod Touch or iPhone into a self-correcting set of 146 jigsaw puzzles.Now available in both English or Spanish and also for Android devices, the app makes it easy to drag-and-drop pieces into place to make common objects, like musical instruments, dishes, animals, and vehicles. Narration is provided by speech therapist Jill Dews. Content includes 30 Musical instruments with sound effects, 17 Fruits & Vegetables, 37 Animals with sounds, 26 Letters that are sounded out, 20 Numbers and others. Made by Darren Murtha and Chris Lott. 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 Oceanhouse Media titles, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! is based on an existing print Dr. Seuss book. But, for the first time in Oceanhouse history, this title offers a new interactive feature, allowing you to “build” each page. 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.