Jumbline 2

Fans of Text Twist rejoice!  Now you can anagram on a smaller screen

Grade: B+ | Age rating: 6+| Price: $2.99/1.99/1.99

Jumbline 2 for the iPad, iPhone, and Android has finally solved one of the major stumbling blocks of online anagram games: typing answers.

Big fingers and small keypad don’t mix when speed matters.

How did they do it?  With a finger slide mechanism, of course!  Reorder a set of random letters as fast as you can by dragging and dropping them, then swipe your finger below to submit your words.

Why we like it:
Sometimes you feel like racing against the clock, sometimes you don’t.  With Jumbline2, it’s up to you.  You also get to decide whether you want your BIG word size to be 5, 6, or 7 letters.

You get points, but the heart of the game is continuing to advance to the next level.

There are a couple extra anagram games included (Cloud Popper and Star Tower).  They’re fine, just not as good as the Classic game.

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We tested version 1.81, which is compatible with the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. Requires IOS 3.2 or later.  Free versions available as well.  Developer: Brainium Studios LLC. Read our disclosure policy.

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W.E.L.D.E.R.

Oh, the joy of finding a really good new word game

Grade: A- | Age rating: 9+| Price: $0.99/1.99

W.E.L.D.E.R. for the iPhone and iPad takes a little getting used to, but man, is it ever worth it.

The object of the game is to form as many vertical and horizontal words as possible on an 8×8 grid.  No backwards and vertical words allowed!  As you advance through the levels, you unlock new swapping skills, such as the ability to jump, reverse and group tiles.

Why we like it:

Gorgeous graphics and sound effects and a completely scalable and replayable game.   If you love Boggle, Text Twist, and Bookworm, you’re going to love this app.

Words with Friends gets lots of publicity these days, but you know what?  I don’t want to play with my friends.  But maybe that’s just me.

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We tested version 1.11 which is compatible with the iPhone and the iPad (OS 4.0 or later).  Developer Ayopa Games LLC.  Read our disclosure policy.

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Free App Friday: Fat Cat App

An early reading iPad app based on phonics and phonemic awareness

Fat Cat App is an interactive educational app that teaches letter recognition, reading, spelling, and articulation.

Repetition and simplicity make this an effective teaching tool for parents, homeschoolers, teachers, and therapists.

Learning is based on phonemic awareness (the manipulation of sounds and letters) and phonics (sound to letter correspondence).  Children experience chains of words in which only one sound is changed at a time.

Remember the fat cat who sat on a mat?  Like that.

Want to try it for free?

How to enter

It’s easy peasy.  Just leave a comment below by Tuesday, January 10th, 2012.  The next day, we’ll choose 5 people at random and gift this app to them via email.

And the winners are…

Nancy, Missy, Kerry, Sue, and Deb!  Check your email and congratulations.

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Free App Friday: My Bird World

An educational iPad app that’s for the birds.  And the kids.

My Bird World is a lush interactive bird learning app for the iPad that will appeal to kids aged 6-12 or so.

Kids test their bird knowledge to win up to 24 birds, place them in one of six beautiful habitats, and play four fun games to keep them fed.  The photos are gorgeous and the bird songs are real — which is cool.

Don’t know much about the American avocet, the hummingbird, and the yellow warbler?  You will.  Lots of the questions are intuitive and you’ll learn fast.

Want to try it for free?

How to enter

It’s easy peasy.  Just leave a comment below by Tuesday, November 15th, 2011.  The next day, we’ll choose 5 people at random and gift this app to them via email.

And the winners are…

Ketan, Rhonda, Judi, Aisha, and Noel.  Congratulations and enjoy!

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Injini Child Development Game Suite

The only early childhood education app you’ll ever need

Grade: A | Age rating: 1+ | Price:$49.99

Injini Child Development Game Suite is a set of play-based iPad learning games for toddlers, preschoolers, and special needs kids.

Developed over two years in collaboration with early childhood experts and occupational and speech therapists, this is not your typical $.99 iPad app.

If you’re looking to entertain your child in the grocery store line, this one probably isn’t for you.

If, however, you want your children (with or without developmental delays) to practice spatial awareness, fine motor skills, and visual and memory processing skills, you’re in luck.  Oh, and it’s fun too.

Why we like it:

With nine intuitive and appealing learning games built in (including puzzles, pattern recognition, matching, and tracing), this app will provide countless hours of challenging fun to all kinds of kids.  They’ll be to busy shearing sheep, feeding frogs, and popping colored balloons to notice they’re learning.

Injini has been tested on children with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and developmental delays as well as on typically developing toddlers and preschoolers.

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We tested version 1.0, which is compatible with the iPad (version 4.3 or later). Developer NCsoft Corp. Read our disclosure policy.

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My PlayHome

A sweet and simple dollhouse app that’s good for girls and boys

Grade: A- | Age rating: 2+ | Price:$2.99

My Playhome is a calming app that encourages open-ended play.

Kids as young as two (and as old as ten) will enjoy discovering the many interactive features built in to this seeming simple but multi-layered dollhouse app.

There are no scores, deadlines, power ups, or lives to lose.  Just four fun-filled rooms to explore in a sweet and simple house.

Why we like it:

There are so many fun surprises in every room!  Put in a new CD.  Take a bite out of an apple.  Fry an egg.  Brush your teeth.  Pet the cat.  Get some cold pizza out of the fridge.  Your kids won’t get bored any time soon.

As if that’s not enough, you can add family members into the tableau and make them part of your story too.

Maybe future updates will include the option to choose the family’s ethnicity.  If it had that, it would be pretty much perfect.

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We tested version 1.4, which is compatible with the iPad (version 4.2 or later). Developer Shimon Young. Read our disclosure policy.

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The Moron Test

A think-fast game (with a bad name) that builds mental agility for the iPad, iPhone and Android

Grade: B+ | Age rating: 7+ | Price:$0.99

The Moron Test HD has a terrible name.  Terrible!  But if and when you get beyond that, it’s a unique brain building app.

It’s not so much an IQ test as a game of reflexes and quick thinking — kind of a cognitive development thing.  Exercises for the brain.

Also, it’s stylish and very, very entertaining.  My kids compete for family high score regularly and laugh while they play.

Why we like it:

The point of the game is to graduate from Moron to Genius by successfully completing a series of seemingly simple (but really tricky) tests.  Their motto?  It’s fun to FAIL!  It’s also head-slappingly frustrating.

You’re asked to do things like tap the rubber ducks in order from large to small (they move), tap the green button five times (it changes color), and set the green clock to 6:15 (it’s gray, so don’t touch it).

A lot of times you aren’t supposed to do anything.  Just wait.  It tests patience and confidence.  Good luck with that.

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We tested version 1.o, which is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Developer DistinctDev, Inc. Read our disclosure policy.

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Weird But True

Enjoy and rate over 300 wacky facts from National Geographic Kids

Grade: B | Age rating: 7+ | Price:$1.99

Weird But True for the iPhone and iPad taps into kids’ natural love for the weird, random, and obscure.

If you’ve ever tried to read in the same room as a kid reading tidbits aloud from a world record book, you know exactly what I’m talking about here.

“Which state has the most alligators?  What is the fastest running insect?  Which country has the most cell phone accounts?” (Louisiana,  Australian Tiger Beetle, and Italy).

But enough about my life.

Why we like it:

Kids and adults alike will love shaking or swiping to learn that Yoda was designed to look like Albert Einstein.  Did you know that if you could travel at the speed of light, you would never get older?  Me neither.

Icons on the side of each screen allow users to favorite facts, rate them, and email them to friends.  The sound effects are a nice touch too.  For example, an ironic, “Yummy!” accompanies this fact: Hot dogs can last more than 20 years in landfills.

Yummy indeed.

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We tested version 1.o, which is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Requires IOS 4.0 or later.  Developer National Geographic Society. Read our disclosure policy.

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