This a memory game designed to provide practice making eye contact, or “eye contact skills.” It is designed for use with children with special needs, specifically those with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. You are shown a close-up view of a person, and a numeral is shown on their retina for a few seconds. You are then asked to type in the number, making this a memory game. By answering the correct number, you earn money. You can use the money you earn to buy things for your restaurant, creating a fun, accumulative play pattern. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This is a 32 screen rendition of Jack and the Beanstalk that follows the original story line, with audio narration, read-along text, and some interactive features. Created by Ayars Animation. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This title has been rereleased several times over the years (this is the 16th Putt Putt title in our database). In 2008, it was sold at retail computers.
In case you missed it the first time around, this is a cartoonish scavenger hunt-style program that lets you drive Putt-Putt (a car) around the paths in three zoo regions (the jungle, the arctic and the grasslands) in search of six missing baby animals. As you explore, you find special items necessary to help the animals. For example, a rope found in an arctic snow bank must be taken into the jungle and lowered down a waterfall to rescue a trapped lion cub. Freeing a stranded hippo requires building a bridge of uniquely shaped icebergs and finding a shovel to clear away an avalanche. Unless the necessary special items are found, the animals remain lost and the zoo cannot open. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
A cross between a Pokémon game and Animal Crossing (with a bit of “Carnival Games” tossed in), PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond lets you play as one of four different Pokémon, including Pikachu, Oshawott, Snivy, and Tepig, as you make your way through PokéPark and try to save the missing Pokémon. Once you get to the Park (an exotic theme park) you can try your hand at different game attractions that can be played with up to four players using the Wii Remote. These include a shooting gallery, dancing, and flying through space in a race around the stars. As you explore, you can make friends with other Pokémon by playing games such as Chase or Hide and Seek. 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.
With a look and feel that is nearly identical to the Kinect edition of the game, Kinectimals for iPad lets you pet, bathe and teach your large baby cats. The more you play, the more parts of the island of Lemuria that you unlock. There are five total, each with different challenges. For example, you can flick a ball to see how many times your cub can catch it, or swipe up to make your cub jump, in time to a jump rope. You can also transfer your pet to the Kinect, by holding your iPad in range of the Kinect camera. Once it recognizes your cubs pattern, your cub “jumps” into the Kinect 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.
The app starts with 10 clearly marked icons, each leading to a set of five or so games. Each has a nature or animal theme. Activities include puzzles, matching, coloring, concentration, hide-and-seek, dot-to-dot, and spot the differences. It is easy to get out of any activity instantly, and there’s plenty to discover. Features include the ability to adjust the sounds. 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 fourth in the Professor Layton puzzle series, this game is set three years before the events in Professor Layton and the Curious Village. In the story, Professor Layton receives a letter from an old schoolmate telling him that a mysterious giant is destroying his town. This time, the professor investigates with his young, smart new assistant, Emmy. There’s a wide variety of brain teasers and riddles; more than the others in the series. In the first, for example, you find a hidden clue by taking the first letter from each line, in a paragraph. 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 app features four levels, ranging from counting (drag a set of balloons to the matching numeral) to a game of concentration that involves matching sets of dots to numerals. The better a child does, the harder the problems become, and progress is tracked in a management section. Correct answers earn stickers. The management section lets you toggle the background music on or off. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
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.
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 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.
This is one of the four new free FingerPrint apps created by former Leapfrog executive Nancy MacIntyre. See also Big Kid Life: Firefighter. In this title, children are introduced to a story, step by step, and then are asked to remember the main events. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This app is designed to introduce children to parts of the body. There are three screens: Learn, Match and Compose. Learn lets children watch and listen; Match lets them listen to the song and choose the image that corresponds to the music; and Compose lets children compose their own song by selecting the pictures they would like to include in the song. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
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.
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 CD based series of four titles features a set of exercises drill with arcade-style games. There are four titles: Phonological Awareness, Following Directions, Sequencing, and Auditory Memory. In Phonological Awareness, children play instruments and form a rock band while learning to segment, blend and manipulate sounds. In Sequencing, children are shown a set of cards depicting an event, such as building a snowman, and are asked to drag and drop the cards in the correct order. The cards contain print, which can be read outloud as each word is highlighted. 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 70 page/screen book contains embedded spelling games. In the story, Chuck and friends are playing a game of chase when they encounter Flip, a new vehicle in the scrap yard. Chuck is not so sure about Flip and challenges him to a stunt contest. In the process, the two realize they can work together and become fast friends. Features include 70 pages of read-aloud content with narrative-driven matching, touch and reveal graphics and spelling activities that teach letter recognition, picture/word association and basic problem solving. 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 app features Olivia, a talking pig who is also a magician, as featured on the Nickelodeon show. Content includes 16 magic tricks, each performed by gliding your finger over the screen, copying a pattern. You start by finding a hidden object in a scene, and then trace a pattern over the screen. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Designed to introduce preschoolers to pre-reading and critical thinking skills, this app contains four activities: Bug Catcher – practice colors, shapes, number recognition and counting while you search for wiggly creatures to complete the collection; Present Search – follow the directions and listen to the hints to discover which of the pets is hiding a prize; Matching Duckies – a memory game where you must match the quacking ducks to reveal a message; and Barnyard Fun – master upper and lowercase letters with the help of barnyard cows. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Six sorting and memory games are presented by way of animated jellybean characters in this first of a planned series of apps for younger children. In the game, you help the wiggly Jellytoon characters win stickers by completing six minigames including: Flo’s Tidy-up Challenge – shape and color sorting; Inky’s Path Challenge – fine motor skills; Max’s Balloon Challenge – shape recognition; Noodle’s Fruit Challenge – logic; Pip’s Hiding Challenge – observation skills; and Rex’s ice Cream Challenge – counting from 1 to 10. Content includes 30 sticker rewards. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This third of the Hasbro Family Game Night series contains five classic board games from Hasbro. There are both classic and remixed versions of The Game of Life, Clue, Twister, Mouse Trap, and Yahtzee Hands Down. You can play in either local multiplayer capability (for up to four players) or — for the PS3 or Xbox versions — online. 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.
Designed by the same team that made Brain Age for the Nintendo DS back in 2006 (Dr. Ryuta Kawashima), Namco’s Body and Brain Connection takes advantage of the Kinect’s ability to know where your body is at any given time, bringing an exciting new twist (at times literally) to the puzzles. To enter your answer, you might have to kick balls into a goal, or move your arms in order to line up bridges to direct a moving stream of traffic. Like the older Brain Age title, you are given a pre-test, and your progress is recorded as you play. If you do better, the challenge increases, but if you start getting wrong answers, the challenge decreases. Content includes twenty activities designed to cover math, logic, reflex, memory and physical-related exercises. 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 exploration game is only Pokémon’s second appearance on the Wii. Using the Wii Remote turned sideways (handlebar style), you navigate through the PokéPark or participate in one of the races or other skill games that are scattered around the park. In the story, the rare Pokémon Mew summons Pikachu to the PokéPark to find the missing Sky Prism Pieces. You play as Pikachu in each zone of the PokéPark, exchanging bits of dialog (reading required) with different characters who need things, in order to get to the next level. Once you befriend a Pokémon, you play as them in a puzzle, making this game a fun way to meet a variety of better known Pokémon characters. It also keeps things interesting. 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.
Designed to work with the uDraw GameTablet (required) this is a screen adaptation of the board game where you sketch and guess clues. Content includes 3,000 clues, for up to four players or teams, and games can be saved for long-term play. The clues range in difficulty level. There are three game modes: Pictionary; Pictionary Mania; and Free Draw. 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 app mixes a variety of logic puzzles with a witty story. The story– about an FBI puzzle inspector, is full of twists and turns. There are three game-save slots; useful for multiple player homes. 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.
Underwear comes to your iPad, in this set of four activities that feature underwear as the main theme, as drawn by cartoonist Todd Parr. There are four activities: a coloring book, an underwear matching game, an underwear catching game, and a game of underwear concentration. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This is a collection of 30 multi-player (1-4 simultaneous) mini-games, exclusive to the Wii. You race to earn points by aiming a water gun at burning windows, dodging a bull dozer, decorating Mater in the shop, and more. The theme is inspired by the Cars Toon animated shorts and features Mater, Lightning McQueen and the Cars gang, and the narration is right out of a movie. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This 17 screen ebook nicely mixes jigsaw puzzles with a collecting theme, creating a good language enrichment experience for young early readers. It runs on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, and joins four well designed apps for iPad, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, and The Princess and the Frog. Embedded in the story are hidden honey jars that can be touched to be collected. There are also four easy to play jigsaw puzzles with large, drag and drop pieces. 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 board game of the same name, Pictureka is a hidden picture game where you race the clock to see how many objects you can find in 60 seconds. You race to earn points. There are both adventure modes and a turn-based mode that lets you compete against another player. 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.
Go George Go! consists of two play patterns: Dress Up and Mazes. You start by dressing up George with an outfit by dragging and dropping different uniform parts into place. If you dress him as a farmer, you see him in a farm-themed maze, where you move either by tilting the screen, or by tracing a path with your finger. There are two levels of difficulty. 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 phonics teacher inside your preschooler’s plush toy, with Smarty Ants, a $30 talking dog designed to teach early reading essentials. Borrowing from the Webkinz model, the $30 toy comes with one month of free content (a code is included) that gives your child access to a virtual world, called Smarty Ants Reading World (designed by Two Fish). Once you’ve setup your child’s account, they can steer an avatar representation of their dog inside the world, take a pre-test, and play games. You can then adjust the content inside the plush toy to your child’s level, by plugging it into your computer with the included USB plug and customizing the level. Currently there are two animals — a white dog and a husky. Both have a moving mouth and robotic neck. The sound is clear. Powered by three AA batteries (included). Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
The game looks and feels a lot like past versions of Mario Party, and there’s a LOT of content, with 80 diverse activities found in 13 party game modes. In Animal Tracker, for example, you place two or four Wii Remote controllers on a table. The game will make a noise, and the first player to grab the remote associated with the noise wins. Hide ‘n’ Hunt has one player asking the other players to leave the room while the Wii Remote controllers are hidden. When the other players return they have only a few seconds to find the hidden controllers. More traditional minigames include Derby Dash (use the Wii Remote as if you were holding a whip to spur your horse to victory); and Chop Chops (use the Wii Remote to see who can cut through vegetables the fastest). 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.
There aren’t many mysteries when it comes to the design of this 23rd interactive edition from the Nancy Drew series. This time, Nancy is off to Japan, where she meets up with friends Bess and George and tries to figure out why a ghost has been scaring away the guests of a hotel. As you explore, you pick up some authentic Japanese culture, trying your hand at origami, a tea ceremony, and calligraphy. 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.
thinkSMART for the Wii and DS is a collection of exercises paired with a record keeping system. After you sign in and make an avatar, you choose from a series of mental challenges that include math, logic, memorization, language, and spatial reasoning. These are organized into free-training exercises, a daily routine, a test, and a multiplayer mode. All include the same challenges, but the free-training and multiplayer modes allow you to set your own difficulty. Created by dtp young entertainment for Mentor Interactive and Conspiracy 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 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.
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.
Children explore with their fingertips, in this colorful underwater playground, where a school of quick swimming fish illustrate numerals (up to 20), the alphabet song, and a set of shapes. In the alphabet song, children can swipe forward or backward, hearing the alphabet backwards if they like. If they stop at a letter, such as U, they hear “U is for Umbrella.” The number line works the same way, only the quantity is presented along with the numeral, in the form of a line of small eggs on the bottom of the screen. The “Playtime” activity fills the screen with dozens of differently colored fish, of every shape, size and pattern. Other more structured activities include a game of concentration, and a discrimination game, that asks children to find the fish that doesn’t belong. The iPhone and iPod touch versions are available for $.99 at http://tinyurl.com/fishiphone; the iPad vesion is $1.99: http://tinyurl.com/fishipad. 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, 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.