In the video you can see we struggled to get accustomed to the controls a bit. Getting the review so close to Christmas we rushed to record the video. Over the following weekend my ten year old and four year old picked up the app many more times and really enjoyed the challenge. I was asked to help my four year old a few times, but that is common with a game of this sort.

Elf Rescue By Lapland Studio Ltd isn’t really Christmas over done. Sure there is an elf, who dies a lot, reindeer, presents, and snow, but that is about as far as the theme goes. It seems pretty appropriate to me.

I wonder if Lapland Studio is actually located in the north of Norway or it is just a name themed on Laplanders since early on that is where St. Nick was supposed to have come from I think. In either case the game play is unique and fun and very challenging. The same experience as an Angry birds, where you are challenged and want to come back for more, but the game play is much more interesting in my opinion and those of my children! I played this game much more than I should have I guess!

Attention – 5
Fun – 5
Learning – 1 (some fine motor skills and the Zelda type of learning too)

Total – 11

Of course we have our iPad wrapped in the awesome Big Grips iPad Frame. We love that frame/case and still recommend it. My daughter can play the iPad in the car, at her grandparents, and just about anywhere else! Instead of worrying about her dropping the iPad we just need to ensure the iPad is charged and we are all set!

After you pick your photos the book begins and as you probably guessed, it uses your photos in the book. My four year old was very happy to see her own face in the book. She has seen apps like this before and they are always a big hit. This Christmas twist just makes it that much more fun.

Outside the novelty of picking your own faces the other faces in the book are a cute addition. They book is well done in tradition Oceanhouse Media format. I prefer this narrator to others for some reason and I can tell my four year old does too. I have a feeling Picture Me Christmas Cutie By Oceanhouse Media is an app that will remain on the iPad so that we can revisit it each Christmas. We have already went through the book about five times and will probably do it a few more times as different people come to visit over the holidays.

Fun – 5
Attention – 5
Learning – 1 (my four year old did learn to select the image and rotate it. She is working on her fine motor skills, so this counts!)

Total – 11

Of course we housed our ipad in the Big Grips iPad Frame. We love it and would never leave home without it.

The game is as fun as it is novel. As long as you have an iPad and at least one iPhone hooked to the same WIFI network you are set. You easily setup the game on the iPad then start the app on the iPhone(s) and you are linked. I haven’t seen a case where this didn’t just work. My iPads even connect to a different wireless band then the iPhones 4s so it was cool it worked just fine.

Game play is challenging especially if you are like my ten year old and like to hit boost constantly! The cars handle like 1940′s cars might. Very loose. The tracks are fun to build and you can see in the video we try to make them as crazy as we can before the app tells us NO!

Hooking up two iPads is fun, but not any more fun than one iPad. This is a novelty game that is fun for the whole family and some friends. Definitely worth the download!

Fun – 5
Attention – 4
Learning – 1 (Some games are just fun!)

Total – 10

I am marking PadRacer By SMHK Funlab as an iPad only game since it requires an iPad to play the game.

My four year old likes the app and has played several times. She cannot make it very far unless the vacuum comes out, but still she has fun doing it. Check out the video for more!

Fun – 5
Attention – 3
Learning – 1 (perhaps they learn to count a bit or hand eye coordination)

Total – 9

Hokey Pokey Superheroes by Cambridge English Online ltd brings back that same fun and silliness. Hokey Pokey Superheroes by Cambridge English Online ltd makes the game fun again by playing the song so we can dance along. There are a few other treats in the app as well like a song that lets you add your own body part.

The point is the game is simple and fun. Camping? Play the app? Sitting around the living room with the kids and have five minutes before bed? Do the hokey pokey. It just works.

Fun – 5
Learning – 1
Attention – 5 (it isn’t that your kids will play for hours, but rather that you will play with your kids for a bit!)

Total 11

The point of this game is to get your wrestler to crash the fortress of the other wrestler ala Angry Birds. It is very entertaining and fun to play especially if you are a WWE fan at all. Just download the app and have some fun. Kids and grown ups can enjoy! I have tackled the app a few times and you can watch a video of my ten year old daughter playing the app below.

Fun – 5
Learning – 1
Attention – 4

Total – 10

My four year old is scared of the “scary” song, but not really. I think she likes to think it is scary and she is a big kid because she can listen to it without freaking out. The only catch is that the child might get stuck in a song if they are in the back seat and out of reach since the go back or exit button is kinda hard to find. It might be nice if the song just ended and left you to pick a new song. Maybe not?

In either case it is a fun app that will hold your child’s attention for a good while!

Attention – 5
Fun – 4
Learning – 1

Total – 10 and that is ok. Some apps are just plain fun to play with. This is one of those apps!

Kids can earn different animals to place on the Savannah? floor and the interact with the animals and place trees and other plants too. The animals can be made different colors and all of that adds up to some real attention and some fun. When your child wants more animals though they need to answer some questions like I mentioned before, but the interface is too hard for a young child and the questions to easy.

My 10 year old liked the app a lot because she was able to accomplish this massive amount of animals and forest. She found the questions really easy, but at least she was entertained. The questions do get harder as the game continues and the controls are top notch. You can tilt, shake, and mess with the app in just about every way imaginable.

Attention – 4
Fun – 3
Learning – 1 just because it is too hard for a young child to get to the learning part and an older kid will know these answers.

Total 8

My oldest daughter likes the app and tries to beat my score. My youngest just tries to make it as far as she can. It is a tough game to master and it ends quickly if you mess up.

Is it fun? Yep. Is it interested? Yes. Do they learning anything? Perhaps.

Fun – 5
Learning – 1
Attention – 4

Total – 10

Still a buy app (we rarely would review an app and not suggest you spend a 99 cents to a few bucks on it).

Check out the video:

Fun – 5
Attention – 5
Learning – 1
Total = 11