Fairytale Maze 123

by GiggleUp Pty Ltd

Price: 3.99$

May contain `more apps` links

iPad

Overall Score: 100/100

version reviewed: 2.0

reviewed: 15/05/2013

Best for: Brain teasers, Attention & concentration, Eye-hand coordination, Thinking & problem solving

What it is: a set of 20 mazes based on popular fairy tales: The Three Little Pigs, Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid, Little Riding Hood, Cinderella, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Rapunzel, Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, Hansel and Gretel, Aladdin, The Pied Piper, Puff the Magic Dragon, The Frog Prince, Alice in Wonderland, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Jack and the Beanstalk, Robin Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Peter and the Wolf.

What you do with it: find the way through the maze (sometimes you may be asked to complete additional tasks, like collecting all Dwarfs on the way in the Snow White maze etc ). Tap on objects/characters for extra interactions.

What we liked: good variety of mazes (with varying difficulty levels). Ease of use (but see the note below). Fun illustrations. Sounds and sound backgrounds. Overall quality of the app.

What we didn't like: no hints for less competent kids. Some mazes require very precise movements. Can get repetitive after 2-3 plays (the solutions are always the same). No info about the fairy tales on which the mazes is based.

Free preview: if you are not sure, please see our 'See before you buy' video (below) or try the free version of the Fairytale Maze 123 app.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
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13
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iPad

Abby In Wonderland - Windows Phone

by Sesame Workshop

Price: free

STEAM project

Overall Score: 99/100

version reviewed: 1.1.0.0

reviewed: 19/06/2012

Best for: Interactive books, Attention & concentration, Creativity, Interaction, Personal & social, Thinking & problem solving, Understanding of the world

What it is: an interactive story about Abby - a little fairy-in-training from Sesame Street who entered Wonderland.

What you do with it: listen to the story (or read it by yourself, with the narrator turned off). Swipe to turn the page. Touch the text to zoom it. Tap on Elmo on every page to hear what he says (he asks questions related to the story, comments or just laughes/dances).

What we liked: the illustrations, high quality narration, nice engaging story and funny likeable characters, tips for parents (how to enhance the experience with the story). The text is highlighted while reading. You can easily access any page of the book from the menu. After quitting the app will start from the page which you ended up with. Elmo's laugh! (it's very catching).

What we didn't like: only a few interactive elements (with Elmo), no animations. You can't repeat particular words in the text (which will add more educational value).

General notes about our book reviews: although when reviewing books, we try not to review the story itself, the general impressions will be reflected in the Overall Score.

The Age Range assigned to books will be usually broader compared to other apps, as they can be useful for both younger (with parent/narrator reading) or older (reading on their own) kids.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

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Windows Phone

Karl's Castle HD

by Wolkenlenker UG (haftungsbesch...

Price: 1.99$ (was 2.99$)

May contain `more apps` links

iPad

Overall Score: 99/100

version reviewed: 1.1.2

reviewed: 09/04/2013

Best for: Brain teasers, Attention & concentration, Interaction, Music & art

What it is: an interactive castle scene with 3 mini-games (2 'seek and find' type games and one simple 'repeat the tune' game). Contains references to various fairy tales (Sleeping Beauty, Pied Piper, Frog Prince).

What you do with it: navigate around the scene (move, zoom), touch the characters for simple interactions (animations, sounds, mini-games).

What we liked: the concept. Beautiful illustrations and animations. Over 70 characters and interactions. Humor and fun factor. Sounds and sound backgrounds. Ease of use. No distracting elements. Overall look and feel of the app.

What we didn't like: only text instructions (we recommend parental assistance for instructions and explanations about the details of the scene). The activities are very good but very short (and we wish there were more of them). The educational value could be much higher (e.g. pop-ups with additional info and facts).

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

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iPad

Karl's Castle

by Wolkenlenker UG (haftungsbesch...

Price: 0.99$ (was 1.99$)

May contain `more apps` links

iPhone

Overall Score: 99/100

version reviewed: 1.1.1

reviewed: 02/03/2013

Best for: Brain teasers, Attention & concentration, Interaction, Music & art

What it is: an interactive castle scene with 3 mini-games (2 'seek and find' type games and one simple 'repeat the tune' game). Contains references to various fairy tales (Sleeping Beauty, Pied Piper, Frog Prince).

What you do with it: navigate around the scene (move, zoom), touch the characters for simple interactions (animations, sounds, mini-games).

What we liked: the concept. Beautiful illustrations and animations. Over 70 characters and interactions. Humor and fun factor. Sounds and sound backgrounds. Ease of use. No distracting elements. Overall look and feel of the app.

What we didn't like: only text instructions (we recommend parental assistance for instructions and explanations about the details of the scene). The activities are very good but very short (and we wish there were more of them). The educational value could be much higher (e.g. pop-ups with additional info and facts).

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

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iPhone

Grimm's Puss in Boots - Android version

by StoryToys

Price: free

May contain `more apps` links

Android

Overall Score: 98/100

version reviewed: 1.0.2

reviewed: 08/02/2013

Best for: Interactive books, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Music & art, Personal & social

What it is: an interactive 'pop-up' version of Grimm Brothers' classic. About 34 pages and 10 interactive 3D scenes.

What you do with it: three reading modes ('read to me', 'read it myself', 'autoplay'). The interactive scenes/minigames include: chasing mice away from the mill (a version of 'whac-a-mole' game), a dress-up game, balancing a see-saw with treasure, etc (view our video walkthrough for more details). Touch objects in the scenes for extra animations and sounds.

What we liked: the concept, the story (in terms of the adaptation of the original tale), the activities/games complementing the storyline, spoken instructions, easy operation, quality illustrations and animations, good narration, sounds and sound effects, 4 language versions.

What we didn't like: the reading options could be better (the text is not highlighted when read by the narrator etc). The extra activities get repetitive after you have read the book several times (and they could offer more educational value - some of them are really simple, like the 'dress up' game).

General notes about our book reviews: although when reviewing books, we try not to review the story itself, the general impressions will be reflected in the Overall Score.

The Age Range assigned to books will be usually broader compared to other apps, as they can be useful for both younger (with parent/narrator reading) or older (reading on their own) kids.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

Android

StoryToys Puss in Boots

by StoryToys

Price: 1.99$

May contain `more apps` links

iPhone

Overall Score: 98/100

version reviewed: 1.0.0

reviewed: 30/01/2013

Best for: Interactive books, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Music & art, Personal & social

What it is: an interactive 'pop-up' version of Grimm Brothers' classic. About 34 pages and 10 interactive 3D scenes.

What you do with it: three reading modes ('read to me', 'read it myself', 'autoplay'). The interactive scenes/minigames include: chasing mice away from the mill (a version of 'whac-a-mole' game), a dress-up game, balancing a see-saw with treasure, etc (view our video walkthrough for more details). Touch objects in the scenes for extra animations and sounds.

What we liked: the concept, the story (in terms of the adaptation of the original tale), the activities/games complementing the storyline, spoken instructions, easy operation, quality illustrations and animations, good narration, sounds and sound effects, 4 language versions.

What we didn't like: the reading options could be better (the text is not highlighted when read by the narrator etc). The extra activities get repetitive after you have read the book several times (and they could offer more educational value - some of them are really simple, like the 'dress up' game).

General notes about our book reviews: although when reviewing books, we try not to review the story itself, the general impressions will be reflected in the Overall Score.

The Age Range assigned to books will be usually broader compared to other apps, as they can be useful for both younger (with parent/narrator reading) or older (reading on their own) kids.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

iPhone

iPad

Scarlet Flower fairy tale

by NTC Spider Group LLC

Price: 1.99$ (was 3.99$)

iPad

Overall Score: 96/100

version reviewed: 1.0

reviewed: 09/05/2013

Best for: Interactive books, Early literacy, Language, Music & art, Personal & social

What it is: an interactive version of a Russian folk tale by Sergey Aksakov. 51 pages, 2 additional activities (a dress-up game and a coloring page.

What you do with it: read the story (or have it read by a parent). Tap characters/objects for simple interactions, animations and sounds.

What we liked: the story. Beautiful artwork. No distracting elements.

What we didn't like: no narration (parental assistance is required for non-reading kids). No consistency with interactions: some are very good (simple mini-games) but many are very basic (and may not be too engaging for the target age group).

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
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iPad

Puzzle by Chocolapps - Android version

by Chocolapps

Price: 1.99$

May contain `more apps` links

Android

Overall Score: 94/100

version reviewed: 1.0

reviewed: 23/05/2013

Best for: Brain teasers, Attention & concentration, Early math, Eye-hand coordination, Memory, Thinking & problem solving

What it is: 4 sets of puzzles for various age groups: Forms (shape type puzzles, 1-5 pieces), Classic (classic jigsaw puzzles, 12, 20, 30 pieces depending on the difficulty level), Mathematics (require performing simple calculations to match the pieces, 12,20 30 pieces), Time attacks (classic jigsaw puzzles with time limit)

What you do with it: slide the puzzle pieces to complete the puzzles.

You can create your own jigsaw puzzles puzzles using the device's camera or pictures from the Photo Library.

What we liked: good variety of play modes. The 'Calculation mode' (good for fun math practice). The option to create your own puzzles. Ease of use.

What we didn't like: the puzzles must be unlocked one by one (we would like to see some sort of 'free choice' as an option). Prominent links to other apps by the publisher. The background music doesn't help concentration.

Free preview: if you are not sure, please see our 'See before you buy' video or try the free version of Puzzles by Chocolapps.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

Android

Puzzle by Chocolapps

by Chocolapps

Price: 0.99$ (was 1.99$)

May contain `more apps` links

iPhone + iPad

Overall Score: 94/100

version reviewed: 1.2

reviewed: 15/03/2013

Best for: Brain teasers, Attention & concentration, Early math, Eye-hand coordination, Memory, Thinking & problem solving

What it is: 4 sets of puzzles for various age groups: Forms (shape type puzzles, 1-5 pieces), Classic (classic jigsaw puzzles, 12, 20, 30 pieces depending on the difficulty level), Mathematics (require performing simple calculations to match the pieces, 12,20 30 pieces), Time attacks (classic jigsaw puzzles with time limit)

What you do with it: slide the puzzle pieces to complete the puzzles.

You can create your own jigsaw puzzles puzzles using the device's camera or pictures from the Photo Library.

What we liked: good variety of play modes. The 'Calculation mode' (good for fun math practice). The option to create your own puzzles. Ease of use.

What we didn't like: the puzzles must be unlocked one by one (we would like to see some sort of 'free choice' as an option). Prominent links to other apps by the publisher. The background music doesn't help concentration.

Free preview: if you are not sure, please see our 'See before you buy' video or try the free version of Puzzles by Chocolapps.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

iPhone

iPad

The Grimm’s Collection ~ Vol.1 - Android version

by StoryToys

Price: 9.99$

Android

Overall Score: 94/100

version reviewed:

reviewed: 01/03/2014

Best for: Interactive books, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Language, Personal & social

What it is/what you do with it: 3 interactive 'pop-up' books (Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel - about 30 pages each). Three reading modes ('read to me', 'read it myself', 'autoplay').

Extra activities include jigsaw puzzles and 3D sticker books.

What we liked: the concept. Interactions and mini-games complementing the storyline. Quality extra activities: puzzles and 3D sticker books. Spoken instructions. Ease of use. Quality illustrations and simple animations. Professional narration. Sounds and sound effects. 4 language versions.

What we didn't like: no word highlighting.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

Android

Best apps for kids: Fairy tales.

Fairytale Maze 123

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Abby In Wonderland - Windows Phone

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Karl's Castle HD

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Karl's Castle

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Grimm's Puss in Boots - Android version

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StoryToys Puss in Boots

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Scarlet Flower fairy tale

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Puzzle by Chocolapps - Android version

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Puzzle by Chocolapps

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The Grimm’s Collection ~ Vol.1 - Android version

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