My Little Garage Review

My Little Garage is a charming role-play app that allows one to pretend to work in a full-service garage, performing a very nice assortment of car-related activities. This app opens up with a vehicle looking for service and rolling into a garage. Being a language-neutral app, images within speech bubbles will alert players to what the car owner feels is needed and is willing to pay for (be it new tires, a paint job, or a tune-up) but feel free to play and explore the many different activities that are included; such as filling up the tank with gas or possibly recharging an electric car. Tire choices, hood, door and rear body options are available as are fun decorative touches such as propellers or a satellite dish.

One can spend time spray-painting cars and doing custom work with a variety of spray tips as well as choosing shapes; including classic skulls, flame or wolf head. Patterns can be added with the use of broad strokes of the can, such as adding polka-dots, stripes, or diamond patterns. A car wash is also available. There is an opportunity to buy special car parts from the money the clients pay out at the end of the visit, allowing one to buy such items as tires, custom body parts, or other novelty add-ons to use in the future - a fun interactive moment.

My favorite section allows one to look under the hood; adding windshield washing fluid, coolant, or oil. Also, do use a wrench to tighten up areas of the engine that look loose and rickety when the key is turned and the car is started. I enjoy how realistic it looks in this section, allowing children to perform such tasks as checking the oil by inspecting the dip stick as one performs a simple tune up, and sometimes charging the battery. Also be aware that children can race cars around a few track choices such as a country to a city track, sometimes involving the car they have created. There is also the option of races against other vehicles. Feel free to hold down on the gas to go fast, but caution needs to be exercised around the curves. Slow down to stay on the track.

Parents will appreciate the length of gameplay found within this app, as children can really spend time working and painting each car or cycle through different cars quickly. The choice is up to the young player. I really appreciate the details included within this app, the different cars that enter the shop, and how sometimes odd things may be found while tuning up the car that will translate into more money to spend on accessories later. Also cute is how added car accessories such as sirens or propellers sound as they flash when moving from one area of the shop to another. I do wish every car that was worked on had the option of racing around the tracks - an issue that I noted as not every vehicle from the shop was included in the racing section of this app - but this is a minor note as I really have enjoyed my time with My Little Garage.