Go Go Mongo! Review

Posted by Sharon Cohen on May 23rd, 2011
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

He’s a weird looking character, but Mongo is cute and loveable all the same. In the lowest levels of the game, he loves to eat vegetables and fruits, which is a big plus in my book. This is especially important given the growing number of overweight children. It’s at the top level that he’s eating donuts and cookies. Perhaps these treats could be more healthy? "Aw, mom!"

Go Go Mongo! is simple to play and a perfect way for preschoolers to learn how to tip their iPhone or iPod back and forth from side to side so that the falling fruits and veggies fall into Mongo’s mouth. The menu is easy to follow for choosing different levels. At each level, five pieces of a specific food need to be caught. The food that Mongo is supposed to eat is shown and named, so your children are learning as they are playing. At the higher levels, they need to distinguish one fruit or vegetable from another. This is a good cognitive skill for a preschooler. You probably will need to help at the beginning, and then your child will enjoy playing alone.

When your child catches everything without three mistakes, there are stars and a “Good Job.” I always like to see a game when the kids are rewarded. When three mistakes are made before getting all the food, which I did on purpose to see the fruits and vegetables get squashed, then it’s time to try again. Instead of just a “retry” box as comes up now, I’d like to see the narrator say something positive like “Let’s try again!” or “You’re getting the idea.”

Since the game is keeping track of the number of fruits or vegetables that Mongo’s eating, you could also use this as a very simple counting and addition/subtraction game. You can count together when each food starts falling. The number of stars that your child receives at the end depends on many fruits or vegetables are caught minus those missed. Colors are also another skill, since each of the foods falling from the sky is brightly colored. The music and scene changes seasons when going into the different levels, so then it’s time to talk about how these times of the year differ.

Both the game and the music are entertaining and catchy, as is Mongo’s grunt of pleasure when he gets his treat. It’s good for a laugh when he bangs into the corners when tilted too much or when the food, like a banana, gets smashed. And, while your children are laughing, they are developing their fine-motor skills, building their memory abilities and learning.

iPhone Screenshots

(click to enlarge)

Go Go Mongo Now with Sphero screenshot 1 Go Go Mongo Now with Sphero screenshot 2 Go Go Mongo Now with Sphero screenshot 3 Go Go Mongo Now with Sphero screenshot 4
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