SpongeBob Squarepants: Marbles & Slides HD – not every game I get Decker has to be educational. And while I am most definitely not a fan of SpongeBob, I will say that Decker loves this app over Angry Birds and Kicking Momma. And trust me — that’s saying something.
It’s a bit pricey for a game app ($3.99 for all levels or you can pay $1.99 for individual collections of levels — trust me, get the bundle), but Decker has figured out the game mechanics on his own (mostly) and I rarely have to step in and help him solve a level like I did with Angry Birds.
The game involves getting marbles to the exits — you draw lines to represent curves or barriers that the marbles can roll over or down or that will block them from hazards. Achievements are funny and easy to obtain, and the background music is, thankfully, a nice Hawaiian ditty that’s not annoying after five minutes. Instead of Angry Birds‘ stars, you get hamburger patties as scoring. The game also uses the iPad’s accelerometer heavily, requiring you to tilt the tablet left and right to get the marbles to go where you want them.
My favorite feature, however, and one that Decker is starting to enjoy is the ability to switch the game from 2D to 3D — throw on a pair of Red/Blue glasses and you get a slightly modified version of the levels in 3D that actually look good! It’s not headache inducing (and I get them from 3D) at all, but it’s just enough of a change to make a level fun again.
I’ll only say this to my fellow geek dads — I do love playing this game. It’s fun… not aggravating at all like the higher levels in Angry Birds. The levels have humorous hazards and tasks to perform, and you rarely have to spend long amounts of time trying to figure a level out. And, from what I can see, the developers are planning on adding more and more levels down the line.
If you’re looking for a really fun game for your young child that won’t require you playing with them (or solving levels for them) you might want to try this one out — the 3D element alone is worth playing it yourself.
Magic School Bus: Oceans — This is a narrated storybook that is easy for a child to navigate with a single swipe to turn the page. Interactive elements on a page are easy to spot (look for the animation) and clicking on them pulls down a screen that interrupts the story and provides more detail. Some of these have videos embedded, and Decker loved watching the Sea Urchin crawl along the bottom of the ocean. (Did you know that their teeth are sharp enough to drill into rock? I didn’t either, but I do now… and so does Decker.)
If you see a sign or book on the screen with text, a simple tap of the finger will have it read to you… and you can always click the narration text again to have the page re-read to you.
Some page have no interactive elements… others have a lot. Decker loved moving his fingers on screen in different ways to simulate how different animals swim in the ocean…
The story follows Ms. Frizzle and her class’ trip to the ocean. The kids think they’re going to the beach, but the school bus has a special ability that your child will discover quickly. Decker has learned that he has to keep his eyes open to catch the interactive elements embedded in the story — I think that’s what has kept him coming back to me to sit down and go through the app again and again.
I am very impressed with the large amounts of information that this story provides about the sea life. The developers have managed to cram in a lot of information that will give readers hours of listening and exploring time. I’ve enjoyed it too, as I enjoy spending time with my son where we both learn new things together.
If you just turn the pages and let the narrator tell the story, the entire app storybook will take about 12 to 15 minutes… but if you want to stop and click on every interactive item you encounter, plan on a few hours at least spread over a few days.
In addition to the story, the app also provides directly access to a few of the built-in games that can also be found in the story — just tap the Bus to open the menu and click on the Games button. The menu also has a Go to a Page button so you can jump to a section of the story that interests you.
Decker has not yet discovered all the interactive items — we typically make it through 5 or 6 pages of the story before he wants to do something else. But he always returns to the story to see what he’s missed. We usually vacation at the beach each year, so Decker has developed a strong interest in the ocean… but a bad jelly fish sting this past summer has him skipping over the interactive jellyfish swimming! Other than that, however, he’s fascinated with fish and sharks and whales. (He got to touch a shark at the Georgia Aquarium a few weeks ago.)
As with the Ultimate Dinopedia, if you’ve got a young fan of the ocean, this story and all its hidden surprises are a good value.
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I’m app-ed out. (Is that grammatically correct?)
I’m going to take a break from kids’ apps for a while and go dive into a hobby or two. And Decker and I want to thank all the companies who provided us with review copies of their apps.
[This article, by James Floyd Kelly, was originally published on Thursday. Please leave any comments you may have on the original.]
