A Touch of Learning

Shape Builder – the Preschool Learning Puzzle Game (Age 3+)
	Overall: Quality: Education: Longevity: Fun:

Shape Builder LITE – the Preschool Learning Puzzle Game (Age 3+)
	Overall: Quality: Education: Longevity: Fun:

ShapeBuilder is Big-T’s current favourite. We started with the free Lite version, then purchased the real version once it became clear how much Big-T enjoyed it.  This review is for version 1.0.

Note: iTunes has it rated as a 4+ game, but my almost-three-year-old loves it.  Of course both my boys are geniuses … but aren’t they all?

The Application

Shape Builder is a type of jigsaw puzzle game.  An outline of some picture is shown and a series of jigsaw puzzle like pieces.  You drag the pieces (each with a different solid colour) onto the outline.  When all pieces are in place, a short sound track plays (such as “Donkey” or “C is for Cat”), the picture is revealed, and then a new game starts.  The lite version comes with 15 puzzles – the full version has 120 images.

The Good

Things I like (having watched Big-T play it for a while… Ok, played it far too long!)

• Each game cycle is short – you get rewarded pretty quickly (a minute would be a long game).  Great for little ones.
• The UI is well thought out, clean, and consistent (with a few really minor gripes below).
• When you put your finger down, the piece immediately wiggles so you know which pieces has been selected
• Transitions all have sensible sound effects to go along with them.
• When Big-T cannot work out where a piece goes, he just drags the piece around until it snaps in somewhere.  This means he never gets stuck for too long on a game.
• There are 120 different picture puzzles in the full version. (Update: latest version now has 140 puzzles.)
• There is a free lite version you can try first – and its a good indication of the full program capabilities.

The Bad

All up I think this is a great game.  The following are pretty minor, but were annoyances nonetheless.

• When you put your finger down on a piece it wiggles a bit.  As soon as you start dragging it, it jumps so the centroid is just above your finger – so you can see the piece above your finger.  This might sound like a great idea, but has been a frequent source of frustration for Big-T.  He has a piece almost in the right spot, goes to move it a little and it suddenly jumps to a new position.  Other games where the piece stays where the figure is he has manipulated without problem.  I personally think this is a cute idea, but which actually makes it worse.  I have seen Big-T intensely focussed on a small move, the piece jumps, followed by more a more frantic finger swiping as the frustration level goes up – usually followed by switching to another game.
• When you drag the final piece into position, there is clearly a threshold of how close you need to get the final piece to the correct position.  When the last piece is in place, it does a transition to reveal the real picture.  A minor annoyance is the last piece freezes close to when it should be.  Not a big deal, but it annoys me (but not Big-T which I guess is who really matters).
• Once a piece has snapped into position, it is not possible to take it off.  It would be nice if it had a “rubber band” feel where it was hard to get it off, but you could if it was hard enough.  I was taking turns with Big-T having a great time together until… “NOOO Daddy! NOT THAT PIECE!”  I mean it should have been obvious not to take that piece, shouldn’t it?  There was no way I could take it back.

Educational Value

I personally think the educational side of a game is important.  Life is to short to be sitting in front of a computer playing games when there is a whole world to explore.  However, I am quite happy to let Big-T play the occasional game just before bed or when in the car on a long trip.

• Improves motor skills
• Improves pattern matching skills.
• Teaches vocabulary. Each puzzle shows a picture, shows the name (e.g. “Violin”) spelt on the screen, pronounces the word, and frequently has a sound effect relevant to the picture.

My Score

4.5 stars.  I think its a great little program.  There is real educational value, and its put together well.  More importantly, Big-T comes back to this program time and time again. I have had no regrets buying this game.

Get it in iTunes

More information, screen shots, and user reviews can be found in the iTunes store.

• Shape Builder – the Preschool Learning Puzzle Game
• Shape Builder LITE – the Preschool Learning Puzzle Game

Other Suggestions

• Jigsaw Puzzle: Elephant Song, iPushFit Jigsaw
• Matching: Elephant Song, Memory Match, Preschool Adventure, ABC Match, iPushFit Jigsaw, Animal SNAP!
• Shapes: Preschool Adventure, I See Ewe – Animal Sounds for Toddlers, Toddler Teasers Shapes, iPushFit Jigsaw

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