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| Animal SNAP! Lite (Age 4+) | |||||||||||
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| Animal SNAP! (Age 4+) | |||||||||||
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I came across this game when searching for animal games. It is now a “Apple retail demo app”, so Apple like it. My eldest boy (Big-T) is only 3, and after trying to teach him the idea of the game of snap he still does not quite get it. So this review may be colored by this fact.
Big-T does however frequently go this this game. He sits down and watches all the cards flip over appear one by one and calls out their names. He never goes snap – the the computer always wins the real game – but Big-T enjoys watching all the pictures appear one by one. He has to remember and call out the name quickly. I guess an example of how a game can be fun, even if not in the way intended.
Disclaimer: I have not tried the full version, only the lite version. The full version allows two players to go head to head.
The Application
This is the traditional game of snap. The iPhone and a player have a deck of cards each. Cards flip over (the game has a bit of a 3D feel to it) and when the same picture comes up twice in a row you have to touch before the iPhone does. The iPhone does do occasional intensional mistakes (“No match!”) rather than be a completely boring “I always win” computer. Whoever is quickest gets all the cards turned over so far. The winner is the side who ends up with all the cards.
The Good
- The intro is cute. Its a 3D animated sequence of cards flying through the air and onto a kitchen table with background sounds like the radio is tuned into a local radio station. Gives the feel of a saturday afternoon friendly game in the kitchen.
- The computer makes mistakes, making it feel a bit more human.
- You can beat the computer, but its not trivial. There is a bit of a challenge to it.
- It has pictures of animals and the name written on each card.
- It has a bit of a animated 3D feel to it.
The Bad
- The intro, while cute, is consistently jerky every time the app starts for me. A cute intro for me then turns into “they could not get it right” reaction.
- You have to touch the right area on the screen. Even I sometimes touched the wrong area, meaning that even though I spotted the match first the computer ended up winning the cards. Frustrating.
Educational Value
The app encourages pattern matching skills. You have to see matches quickly as well. For my boy, he also learnt a couple of new animal names.
My Score
3 stars. Big-T does not yet understand the idea of the game of Snap, so this might not be a truely fair score, as I am trying to do these ratings by observing my children play the games. I equate how he plays the game similar to passively watching TV. He says the names of the animals, but otherwise he just likes to watch the different pictures appear.
It may be an Apple favorite, but watching my boy play it I cannot give it a really high score.
Get it in iTunes
More information, screen shots, and user reviews can be found in the iTunes store.
Other Suggestions
- Coordination: iWriteWords Tracing Game, Alphabetic, Drum Kit, BubbleWrap
- Matching: Elephant Song, Memory Match, Preschool Adventure, Shape Builder – the Preschool Learning Puzzle Game, ABC Match, iPushFit Jigsaw
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