Katamari comes to the touch screen for the first time, due to the new capabilities of the PlayStation Vita. The idea is the same — roll a sticky ball around a course, collecting items and growing more powerful, in order to unlock the next levels. You have your choice of using either the Vita touch screen controls or dual analog sticks in conjunction with the rear touch pad to squeeze, stretch and roll your Katamari ball. 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.
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.
Back in the 1980s these six classic video games earned a lot of quarters. Today, all six come on a cartridge the size of a quarter. What’s more, they’re in 3D. The catch is that they’ll only run on the Nintendo 3DS. Titles include Pac-Man, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Galaga, and Galaga Legions, along with two new 3DS only games. In Pac-Man Tilt, you move Pac-Man through stages filled with obstacles, platforms and ghosts with tilt controls. You use flippers, platforms and power pellets to jump, flip, swing, and eat through to the finish line. In Galaga 3D Impact, the 3DS becomes a ship’s gun turret as you attack and defend the ship while ridding space of the incoming Galaga army. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Those frogs can now jump right out of your 3DS screen, in this new edition of the classic arcade game. Content includes six worlds to hop through, including New York, the Far East, and Space. There are 60 stages in all, each with multiple road crossing challenges that get harder. Along the way, you meet other frogs who might destroy obstacles, absorb damage or light the way in dark spaces as you progress through the game. Features include the ability to compete against other players in 4-player multiplayer over wireless, engage in street battles, and show off your skills in the new Forever Mode. Developed by Alpha-Unit Co. Ltd. for Konami. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
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.
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.
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.
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 set of timed maze game challenges is embedded with multiple-choice problems. For example, in order to use a ladder to rescue a kitten, you must “find and tap the number ten” (from four possible numerals) or “find and tap something round” (from four shapes). This is one of the four new free FingerPrint apps created by former Leapfrog executive Nancy MacIntyre. Other titles in the series include Big Kid Life: Veterinarian; Big Kid Life: Fairy Princess; Fingerprint Play Maker; and DoReMi, 1-2-3. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
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.
Puzzingo was inspired by classic wooden puzzles for kids. As children play with the puzzles, they learn what the different pieces are, as well as the different sounds they make. After they complete a puzzle, they are rewarded with minigames – including singing the ABC song, popping balloons, swatting flies, and more. In addition, once a puzzle is completed, children will unlock new puzzles to play. All the puzzles come together to build a circus ground. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
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.
The Kid-Tough See Yourself Digital Camera from Fisher-Price (in stores now, $70, www.fisher-price.com) features a swiveling lens. So your child can take a traditional front-facing snapshot, or flip the lens 180 degrees toward something of greater interest — their face. An SD expansion slot augments the onboard 256 MB of memory, and the 1.8″ color preview screen makes it easy to review pictures, crop photos, or edit on the fly with a set of playful face-warping tools. It is also easy to toggle the camera into video mode, making this a handy digital camcorder. The 4 AA batteries are preserved with an auto-off mode. 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 app, your job is to run a helicopter taxi that picks up different characters that need to get to certain places. Your kids can fly the helicopter by walking around the room, and rotate the iPhone to see all different angles as well as turn it upright to see the pilots Rita and Skip. When your kids get a call from someone who needs a ride, they place the iPhone on any flat surface to land and pick up new passengers. The app features five characters including Señor Fox, Minda, Rooster, T-Bot and Dr. Clifton, and five locations to bring them too. 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 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.
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.
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.
If you’ve played previous versions of Zelda, you’re in for few surprises in this 3D version, according to our well-Zeldafied testers, besides some nice 3D frosting and a few games that use the cameras. The game retains the analog control of the original version of the game via the Circle Pad, but players can also use motion controls by moving the Nintendo 3DS system to aim their slingshot or bow at an enemy with speed and accuracy. 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.
From Thinkfun, the creators of the original Rush Hour game, comes a well designed touch screen version with slide-to-park interactivity. The goal is to arrange a set of tightly parked cars in order to get one car (colored red) through the parking lot exit. There are 2500 games and four levels in all, and the game remembers your current level. Other smart features include an instant undo, a hint, and the ability to replay a level, letting you retrace your steps through the puzzle. 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 two-player drop in, drop out game lets you take on the role of one of four fantasy characters from the Gormiti cartoon. In the story, Razzel is cleaning the library and knocks some old books into a Portal. The books travel down to the Island of Gorm, where a battle between vast armies is going on. The books land at the feet of Magmion, the evil Lava Gormiti, who reads a book and learns the legend of five sacred amulets which have been scattered across Gorm. Once the amulets are reunited the holder will have the ability to open an inter-dimensional portal to Earth. The Lords of Nature need to use all their powers to stop Magmion and save Earth. Got all that? The story is explained with subtitles in an introduction. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This collection of 60 mazes turns your iPad screen into a spatial relations puzzle. After you choose a character and one of six challenge levels, you can try to make it through the maze by dragging your finger, leaving tracks. In order to move through the maze, you drag your finger in the direction you want your animated character to move, or you can point where you want him/her to walk. Your character will leave tracks around the maze, and the reference maze at the top corner of the screen is designed to make navigating easy. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Another in the series of the Disney Puzzle Books, this “finding Nemo” inspired ebook follows the same tried and true formula of mixing a familiar Disney story, with professional level graphics, sounds and four jigsaw puzzles. There are two levels to the puzzles (easy and hard) which varies the number of pieces, and children can collect fish tank items as they read, to decorate their own aquarium at the story’s end. 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 animated film, this game lets you take on the role of Yogi Bear in his efforts to save Jellystone Park from shutting down. The DS version is a traditional side-scrolling platformer for one player, where you try to steer Yogi through a maze, collecting food and parts to gadgets, while avoiding skunks, mean squirrels and tourists. There are three game-save slots, and progress is saved automatically. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
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.
This maze game features four penguin characters featured in the TV series from Nickelodeon and DreamWorks (Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private). You start by picking one of three game save slots (progress is saved automatically) and then start with an easy maze, set inside a zoo. The idea is to get all four penguins in the same place in the maze. 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.
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.
Thomas the Tank leaves the Island of Sodor for the very first time to build a new Search and Rescue Center, in this 23 screen eBook. When Thomas helps a friend in need, he is rewarded with a trip to the mainland. Along the way, he gets lost at sea and finds himself on the mysterious Misty Island, where he meets Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand. Together they help Thomas find his way home. This is the first iPad Thomas app. Thomas Tilt & Go was released previously for iPhone/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.
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.
The size of a regular Hot Wheels Car (about an 1.5 inches long), these clever cars fit inside a case that doubles as your remote control. So the entire toy is not larger than a deck of cards. To use, you slide the vehicle out of the case. There are two controls (forward/back, and left/right), so operation is simple. There are four varieties (each $25); two with caterpillar treads, designed for gripping and climbing. 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 for one or two players, FlingSmash is a combination of tennis and pinball, with perhaps a bit of Boom Blox (EA) mixed in. By “flinging” a round ball-like character with a Wii Motion Plus enabled Wii Remote (required), you clear a path through a sidescrolling tropical island called Suthon in order to save the island from the evil Omminus. The ball, a yellow round critter named Zip, will bounce around like a pinball to smash through barriers and enemies. A second player can join in using an additional Wii Remote Plus or Wii Remote/Wii MotionPlus combo (sold separately) to control Zip’s friend Pip. There are three game save slots. Designed by Artoon for Nintendo. 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 party game (for up to four players) for the Wii contains 18 activities inspired from Chuck E. Cheese pizza restaurants. To start, each player chooses from one of six avatars. Good scores earn tickets that can be traded for up to 50 prizes. An online leaderboard lets you compare scores with others. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Symmetry Shuffle, created by Daren Carstens, the math educator who also created Math Arena and Sums Stacker, contains 12 sets of objects that can be randomly shuffled on a board. The goal is to slide, flip and turn each object, until all the shapes are correctly aligned and filled in. You can flip a shape by tapping on the edge, or turn it by flicking the corner, a process that takes some learning. There are two modes of play– race or solve, and it is possible to save your high scores 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.
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.
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.
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.
Turn your iPhone or iPod Touch into a drag and drop creativity space for collages. After you choose a background color and a head shape using as set of slide-open menus, you can freely drag and drop different items into place to try out different looks. Finished products can be saved or shared on social networks. The program look and runs fine on the iPad although the version we reviewed was not universal. The clip art library was developed by illustrator Hanoch Piven. Content includes 20 face outlines and 100 objects. 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.
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.