Dr. Panda's Airport Review
Price: $1.99
Version: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPad 3
Graphics / Sound Rating:





Storytelling/Gameplay Rating:





Intuitiveness Rating:





Re-use / Replay Value Rating:





Overall Rating:





I am always very happy to hear when a new roleplaying app from Dr. Panda has been released, and the new Dr. Panda's Airport is no exception.
For those who do not know, the Dr. Panda apps are universal interactive apps for children which allow them to pretend to take on many adult roles from running a daycare, working on a farm or in a supermarket, to being a handyman, restaurateur, doctor, or art class teacher. These apps star a series of animals and sometimes their children - cartoony creatures such as a hippo, monkey, raccoon, or elephant - who children help in a number of ways in specific themed mini-games or tasks.
Animals may need help locating their bags via working their way through a maze or simply finding their bag on the luggage carousel, and some animals will need help being shuttled to their gates, allowing children to match the letters asked about within speech bubbles to the differently labeled airport gates. Do help these characters go through security as well, placing their bags on the conveyer belt to be x-rayed as well as help to empty their pockets of items such as a nail file or lighter if the metal detector is triggered.
My son has really taken to these activities, and the layout is a good representation of an airport for children. Like an airport, at first glance the amount going on may seem overwhelming and parents may have a hard time figuring out where these ten mini-game sections are to be found, which may seem flawed to some. My boy, however, has really enjoyed exploring all that there is to see and do, as other interactive hot spots are to be found within the terminal as well. A luggage bag is also included that one can add a sticker to when a series of activities has been accomplished.
I would, however love to see the gameplay involving security to be more randomized as the with Hippo with Dreadlocks from Kenya as well as the raccoon from Saudi Arabia are, from what I have seen, the two main animals stopped as they pass through what is here a hybrid of a metal detector and a body scanner, as a button tapped will highlight the mistaken items being carried. I have tested this section many times and I have seen few other characters from other countries fail this search, but please do note that this section of this app is super cute and fun, and the items found on these animals are totally innocuous such as car keys or a nail clipper. I enjoy this area very much, but I would appreciate seeing each of these animals making these same mistakes equally, such as the female cow character from China or the monkey wearing the cowboy hat and the America flag sweater, instead of a disproportionately large number of characters who in real life may be profiled in such places as airports.