Archive for the ‘Children’ Category

Ladybugs Review

Action, Children, Puzzle | Posted by Meg
Sep 02 2010

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Ladybugs is a Mac game for very young children. You will have a lot of fun with your little toddler “working” on the computer. There is much opportunity here to teach your child the basics of the keyboard and mouse and have loads of entertainment as well.

There are short instructions where you can practice reading letters and words with your child. The white letters outlined in black make it easier to clearly see and read out loud, however it would have been more age appropriate with block lettering. Very young kids are able to learn so much it’s almost unbelievable. They can learn their letters and words if given a chance, enough instruction and patience on your part.

Ladybug 2The game has 3 modes of play and each one should be enjoyable for your child. Color Trouble is a section where you match the color of your ladybug to her house. Following the flower path, you guide the ladybug to the same color house. In the Ladybug Race you are racing the blueladybug to the houses. I think the blue ladybug is a little confused because she sometimes loses her way. This will give Ladybug 1your child a chance to beat her. In the Tangled Maze you guide your ladybug through a maze to her like color house.

All 3 games will help your child with color recognition, coordination, direction and learning to win or lose. Even if you must control the mouse and keys for your tyke, I think a 2 year old would still appreciate the cute ladybugs and colorful scenery. All of these factors are very important in the development of young children. I think it would have been perfect if the developers added a memory game mode to the puzzles. It is incredible how much a toddler remembers.

The simple graphics, large cursor and the happy music will set the stage for a lighthearted afternoon of fun while at the same time learning new things on a cute, joyful game like Ladybugs. An extra bonus is the priceless bonding with your little one.

Features of Ladybugs:
-Fun Hands on Play
-Colorful, Cute and Simple graphics
-Happy Music
-3 Modes of Play
-Non-violent

Rating: ★★★★☆

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Eco Match Review

Adventure, Children, Match, Puzzle | Posted by Meg
Aug 31 2010

Education is the name of the game in Eco Match a colorful and fun match 3 game. The planet is dying from air pollution, deforestation and more. This is not just a children’s game but a forecast for what is happening to our earth now and what it will become in the near future. Only you as the director for World S.A.F.E organization can restore the world to its once beautiful and pristine place for all species to live happily.

As the leader of this remarkable coalition you must travel world-wide to clean the air polluted atmosphere from industries, cars, and machines. In addition, you must reforest the devastated areas and return the balance back in the jungles. As you succeed in all these projects, you will, in turn, help save the endangered species. Also recycle factories are important to meet goals. You will take one step at a time in 7 continents with 15 levels each. After completing 10 missions, you can go on to another continent.

The levels consist of match 3 of the same items to clear. There are goals set for each level, and each level can be a match 3 like items to clear by one of the 3 methods: swap, drop or flood. At the upper right of the screen will let you know which of these 3 methods you will be playing. You must make matches over tiles or “eco zones” to finish the board. Coins collected can be used on the necessary projects. There is only a timed mode, but you can replay a level after unlocking it. You keep making matches until you fill all your goals at the right of the screen. Once these fill, you proceed to the next level.

There are useful power ups to assist you, and animals will help you on your missions. Jillian, your assistant, is there to guide and offer important data along the way.

Eco Match becomes an addictive match 3 play as you go along. The ecological information dispersed throughout the game is extremely important and useful for teachers, children and all beings who are into saving the planet. However, if you are a gamer wanting to play match 3 games, Eco Match will meet your needs. Some of the levels are easy, but some are a bit challenging and you may need those power ups. Have fun bringing back devastated forests and saving the endangered animals in an atmosphere of clean breathable oxygen.

Features of Eco Match:
-Over 100 Levels
-Swap, Drop and Flood Match Plays
-Power Ups
-Save the Animals

Rating: ★★★½☆

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Lua Lua Review

Action, Children, Match, Puzzle | Posted by Meg
Aug 19 2010


Good Mac games for young children are hard to find, but not impossible. Ladybugs and Bob the Builder are a few that are phenomenal games for kids. Lua Lua can also be added to this group with its many puzzles and fun to be discovered by young minds.

Lua Lua is a complilation of 7 different types of puzzles geared towards young kids but gets challenging enough for some older ones. La La Land is not a reference to Los Angeles, but a game where animals will sing and you must remember the sequence of animal sounds. It’s like the electronic game Simon or Bop It! Your progression is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Don’t worry if you do not remember the order, it will reset and show you again what to do. No pressure.

Thinky Thinky is a memory game where you turn over puzzle pieces to reveal the animal. You make matches of 2 identical pieces to complete. Cute characters to see and match.

Taquin or teaser is a slide puzzle game. In this game you slide tiles to make a picture of an animal. Click on the empty space to move a tile. It starts off very easy but each level becomes increasingly more difficult.

Pig Tac Dog is a tic-tac-toe where you are the winner. You are the dog playing against the pig, and it is very difficult to lose. Loads of happy times for the young ones.

Drag n Drop is where you drag and drop a picture of an animal to the outlined forms.

Soopa Koopa can be challenging with re-assembling of animal faces. In the beginning there are only 2 rows to slide until the face appears. However, this puzzle goes up to 8 slices of a face and with this many rows to align, it may take some time before the face appears.

Catch a Match is an action packed game where you click on pairs of the same animal falling from the top of the screen. It begins slowly and easy, but it will challenge some kids with many different animals floating down the screen. However, you do not get penalized and there’s no big buzzer to out you just a pleasant game to work on your cursor skills.

All these games will challenge different parts of your children’s brain in a fun and entertaining fashion. These puzzles are kid versions of adult plays. The games states it’s for kids from 3 to 7 years, but I think some 2 years old have the concentration, if not the coordination, to enjoy the game. You’ve seen 2 year olds learning the state capitals, all 50 states, names of dinosaurs, world countries, presidents, languages, etc. The list is endless. If the adult has the patience to go over things with a 2 year old, they have the ability to absorb all the information.

4 of the games are available to try out in the demo and the other 3 are locked. The larger cursor is great for little tots. Lua Lua is kid friendly with fun music and great, colorful graphics. In fact you can access free adorable dog icons. My favorite is Sharpeipei. Others are Chocolab, Pugglywuggly, Bostielu, Dogbully and Toxicodog. You can view these pictures at Lua Lua Dog Icons. Also any and all upgrades are free so you can’t go wrong with this awesome Mac game for kids.

Features of Lua Lua:
-7 Different Games in Full Version
-Great Fun for Kids
-Free Upgrades and Icons

Rating: ★★★★★

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Burdaloo Review

Action, Children, Match, Puzzle | Posted by Meg
Jul 04 2010


Think Beach Boys or Jan and Dean when you hear the surfer music while playing Mac match game Burdaloo. With that in mind, relax and have fun matching the colorful crazy looking birds on the playful Hawaiian islands.

Go from island to island matching 3 or more same colored birds to make them fly off the vines. You click on a row and move the burds from side to side or up and down. This is similar to Chuzzle, another fun play. In order to complete the level, you fill the silhouetted burds at the left for one form of the match game. Other forms of play are to not let the burds reach the top of the screen, match burds in order given or match the burds to the small pattern on the left.

There are rankings given to you on how well you accomplished your goals in each level. They are gold, silver and green. You can always go back to better your score. Also there is the ever present shop where you can buy upgrades. The first item is free, but you will need burdaloons to pay for the other gently used products. An interesting shop buy is the paint that will cause all of the birds of the same color to fly away and clear out your board. Lots of fun shop buys to unlock.

It is not all fun and games, there are blocks in this play in the form of black burds called Herman. They will block you from sliding the rows either horizontally or vertically if they are sitting in your way. Also the foliage will impede you from moving the rows. As the game progresses, so do the blocks from Herman to less matches, but that’s the fun of it so keep trying. You can always come back to that location on the island if you wish. You can always play in the Zen mode. It’s the endless play.

Burdaloo is just plain fun match game to play and listen to the ukulele music while watching the colorful and stylistic artwork of Hawaiian background. The burds are cute and funny with their own personalities. Enjoy yourself.

Features of Burdaloo:
-Fun Match Plays
-Power Ups
-Burds and Hermans

Rating: ★★★½☆

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Fizzball Review

Breakout, Children, Shooter | Posted by Meg
Apr 29 2010



All fans of Professor Fizzwizzle and breakout Mac games will definitely enjoy Fizzball. Initially it looks simple with bright and colorful cartoon characters for children, but this brick busting play will get challenging for all gamers as it goes along.

There is a mystery on a group of islands where all the humans have disappeared and left the animals to fend for themselves. Professor Fizzwizzle with his genius inventions comes to the rescue. He uses the Fizzball to encapsulate the animals and puts them in a sanctuary until the mystery can be solved. The play is simply to shoot the bubble towards the animals to catch them. If an animal is too large for the bubble, it will bounce off the livestock such as a cow or horse startling or maybe annoying them. When the size of the bubble increases them the bubble will engulf the animal. In between getting the animals, the ball will break whatever is in its path. Some of the broken items will have surprise bonuses. The coins collected will go towards feed for the animals. The professor is at the bottom of the screen, and you move him back and forth bouncing the bubble of animals back to capture the rest of the creatures. After catching all the animals, including the birds, you finish the level and move on to the next island location. The change of locations brings about many funny scenes and surprises.

In order to keep the game entertaining obstacles are added to bring interest into your play. They could be more fences, trees, bales of hay, shooting Martians and more. Your job is to avoid getting shot at, break through the blocks and bounce the bubble off the Fizzball. The animal sanctuary will show you all the animals the professor has saved, and there is a section for all the trophies you have collected through the levels.

Fizzball is a great balance between the island story and breakout game. It also accounts for experienced gamers and kids in order to keep frustration levels down to adequately play a brick busting game both simple and challenging. This game has everything you need for an exciting fun experience, and you will not be able to put it down. Help the good professor rescue the island animals and find the answer to the island mystery.

Features of Fizzball:
-More Than 180 Levels
-40 Bonus Levels
-Bright and Colorful Cartoon Characters

Rating: ★★★★★

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