148 Apps on Facebook 148 Apps on Twitter

Tag: Funny »

The Going to Bed Book Review

Posted by Nick Papageorge on June 7th, 2011
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

"The Going to Bed Book" is one of two Sandra Boynton books available on the app store (the other is "Moo, Baa, La, La, La") and like "Moo, Baa" it is a fantastic book with top notch production value that takes a great story and adds some unique and wonderful interactive elements, making it a joy to read both as a parent and for our children.

"The Going to Bed Book" is produced by Loud Crow Interactive, the makers of the PopOut! series (Peter Rabbit, Night Before Christmas, etc). Loud Crow has been featured in the app of the week as well as New And Noteworthy because they're fantastic. They are designed to simulate a real "pop-up" type book, with characters that spring from the page, tabs to move back and forth, windows/doors to open. It really does give the books a tactile feel, and I honestly believe there is more interactivity in their books than almost any on the app store to date.

As with most of Sandra Boynton's books, they are very silly, and "Going to Bed" is no different. It's a story about a boat full of about 10 animals getting ready to go to bed. You get to follow them through quite a few different activities to get them there, starting with scrubbing them clean in the bath to scrubbing their teeth in the sink.

This interaction in the book is similar, in a very good way, to the PopOut! book series. There's not a single page that's left out from interaction. You can tilt your iPad and it'll swing a chain that's hanging, you can touch on an animal and they'll bounce like they're on a spring. Another you touch will squeak, moo or make some other sound. I hate to spoil this, but it's too good not to talk about... At one point in the bathroom, you get to turn on the hot water tap and very slowly and subtly, it starts to fog up the entire iPad screen. It's terrifically realistic and once it's done, you... I mean, your kids, get to use their fingers as a squeegee to clean off the screen. Yes, it's silly, but it's a really nice touch.

The story is about 13 pages long and allows you to either read it yourself or "Have the Big Guy Read It". The narrator is perfect as his voice is deep, warm and inviting, like the perfect grandpa. With the narration off, you can touch on each of the words to hear them spoken aloud, something I find important in the path to learning how to read.

On that note, the language in the book is very simple. There is more of a complete story here than you'll find in "Moo, Baa", but the language is still very easy to understand and comprehend. I'd still say the age range for the direct target would be 1 - 4, but I can confidently say that this would be a hit for children as young as 6 months to as old as 6 or 7 years old. My daughters still absolutely love it and I believe they will at 7, a testament to the quality of the story and humor.

It is clear by now that I'm smitten with these books. But it's not that I'm blinded by the author, if the books weren't good I'd be the first to say it. But they are good. No, they're great. They're experiences that shaped my daughter's early years of reading, and I hope that you'll find they do the same for yours, too.

Gobliins 2 Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Rob Rich on May 26th, 2011
Our rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar :: AWKWARD
Gobliins 2 is certainly a classic adventure game, but it might be a bit "too" classic for some players.
Read The Full Review »

Head Spinner Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Chantelle Joy Duxbury on March 15th, 2011
Our rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: SILLY BUT FUN
Snap, Crop, Mix & Combine portraits to create and share a hilarious mash-up photo.
Read The Full Review »

iAwesomizer Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Chantelle Joy Duxbury on October 11th, 2010
Our rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar :: LESS THAN AWESOME
Make crazy, wacky photos with the dozens of preset filters in this photo editing App.
Read The Full Review »

Time Geeks: Find All, Retro Graphics and Modern Humor

Posted by Chantelle Joy Duxbury on October 5th, 2010
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

The Time Geeks need your help to find the lost objects and people scattered through time and space by The Zoorgs in this pixelated cartoon world. Be ready for cute retro graphics and a healthy dose of humor. Now available on the App Store!

Created by Ivanovich Games with art and music by Markus Gmür, this game will have you searching for hidden objects and playing mini-games. While searching in this pixelated world for the objects you seek you might find a reference or two to our own Pop Culture; in particular, the developers claim to have included several in-jokes for 'Lost' fans.

This game has an astounding number of challenges (at least a hundred!) and levels within the main game itself as well as the minigames. There are six different game modes in all: History, Challenges, Arcade, Relax, Mini-games & Editor. Each of these options gives you a different experience, and you can even create your own 'Island' with hidden objects or people with the Editor Mode, then share with your friends on Facebook.

The game also offers another level of interactivity by including both Game Center integration and Open Feint so you can play against leader boards and unlock achievements.

Time Geeks was recently featured as New & Noteworthy on the App Store. You should definitely check this out if you're interested in find & seek games, a fan of retro art and music or just looking for a quality game for a very reasonably low price. It's not everyday that such a comprehensive game with quality graphics and a fun and interesting storyline comes to iOS at this price, while remaining geared to geeks and flash game enthusiasts alike.

The promo trailer for the game is included below, and I highly recommend having a look. It gives a great overview of not only the game play, but also the tone and humor with which this game was created.

smackBOTS

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Jason Philo on June 26th, 2009
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: MINDLESS FUN
SmackBOTS is a fun game for kids. Nothing entertains me more than a game I can dive right into without having to worry about strategy and story lines. The animation is simple, yet amusing and the game play is challenging in spite of the deceptively easy c
Read The Full Review »