Category Archives: iPad Apps and Games

Five For Friday: Week of September 24, 2010

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Five For Friday: Week of September 24, 2010 is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Dark Void Zero:
Dark Void on the consoles may have bombed on the review charts, but the iPhone version is an utterly different story. 8-bit visuals, achievements, online leaderboards, and so much more make this side scrolling shooter a highly addictive game. Capcom, being the devilishly nice company they are, is even feeling a bit generous and letting you get it for a lousy $0.99 this weekend.

$0.99
$2.99

Dark Void Zero

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-04-12 :: Category: Games / Adventure

Mega Man II:
The Blue Bomber is back and better than ever. Enjoy the original NES game without having to do any funny stuff with ROMs and emulators. Enjoy all 14 levels and 8 bosses in this side scrolling shooter. Even better, this game is rocking a sweet sale right now. Capcom, we thank you for giving us a reason to skip out on chores this weekend.

$0.99
$2.99

Mega Man® II

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Our Rating: ★★½☆☆ :: UNDERACHIEVER
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2009-03-27 :: Category: Games / Adventure

Gangstar: Miami Vindication:
Gameloft is back at it with another edition of Gangstar. Hit the streets of Miami for over 75 missions of enemy sniping, car stealing, escorting, and car chasing entertainment. Of course, a criminal needs a sleek way of getting around town. Boost cars, motorcycles, boats, and helicopters to give those walking legs a break. Crime has never looked so good, or consumed so much time on the iPhone.

$6.99

Gangstar: Miami Vindication

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-09-23 :: Category: Games / Racing

iA Writer:
Sometimes you just need a distraction free writing zone. No noise, no auto correcting of grammar or words, not even toolbars bars stand in your way with this app. iA Writer will give you a distraction free writing area. Once that draft is completed, look at how long it will take to read with the included reading time feature. Sometimes you just need a minimalistic writing space to get your thoughts out. iA Writer is that place of writing Zen.

$4.99

iA Writer

iPad Only App – Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-09-21 :: Category: Productivity

Numbers:
Numbers is not a new app by any means. What is new about it is a patch that now makes this app worth your money. Exporting to Excel files is FINALLY available after a long waiting period. All the complaining can finally be put to rest over this issue. If you need a good-looking, yet powerful, spreadsheet editor, this is worth your coin.

$9.99

Numbers

iPad Only App – Designed for the iPad

Our Rating: ★★★★★ :: BEAUTIFUL FORM
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2010-04-01 :: Category: Productivity

[ Five For Friday: Week of September 24, 2010 is a post from 148Apps ]


MovieCat! review

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MovieCat! review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: OtherWise Games
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.19 out of 5 stars

It might sound corny but I had trouble putting MovieCat! down. That’s how much it hooked me. It’s a movie trivia game, so of course if you don’t like movies, you won’t like this. If you’re a huge film buff like me, though, you will absolutely adore it.

MovieCat! comes from the makers of the Invisibles quizzes, a series of puzzles that have ably tapped into the trivia market. Who wants complicated quizzes after all? You just want to feel smug about what you do know. Nothing beats the satisfaction of completing an Invisibles quiz. MovieCat! continues to tap into this by offering 14 different puzzle categories, all equally as compelling, bar possibly one.

Some focus on certain genres such as action, horror, comedy or chick flicks. Others provide lines of dialogue and require you to guess what film is being quoted. All the puzzles offer multiple choice answers which is much more convenient than having to type the answer. All the puzzles offer a nice variety of trivia so you never feel stuck with the same puzzle type.

The only one that feels a little weaker than others is the DVD Chapters game whereby you figure out what film is being discussed through the names of its DVD chapters. Maybe it was just because I was terrible at it, but I just didn’t enjoy it as much as the others. It felt all too random to guess what the answer could be.

Each game is divided into five rounds of five puzzles each. Get an answer wrong and you lose one of your cat’s nine lives. On Medium or Hard, you lose more cats for each incorrect answer. At the end of the five rounds, you’re given a Cat Scene to complete. This is where the cat in the title makes the most sense. An image is displayed of a few colourful cats imitating a famous scene from a film. It’s charming and fun to be able to collect all the scenes. Some of them are harder than you’d think, too. Each game doesn’t take long to complete, which makes it ideal for a quick play during your daily commute, or simply because it’s so much fun.

I played MovieCat! for a good 5-6 hours before I noticed any repeated questions in the line up. Even then, it was only the odd question here or there, and there were still plenty of new questions to answer. When you do eventually run out of questions, there’s also an additional puzzle pack that can be purchased.

If you like movies, this really is an unmissable purchase. I haven’t had this much fun with a trivia game for a long time. The cutesy cats only help matters.

[ MovieCat! review is a post from 148Apps ]


GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad Review

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GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Rockstar Games
Price: $9.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

For those of you that might be new to the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad gaming scene, there are several games that simply stand above the rest in terms of quality, features, and overall design. Games like Chaos Rings from Square-Enix, Real Racing from Firemint, and Plants vs. Zombies from Popcap Games all elevate the standards that other companies should strive to meet. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars fits into this category as well, and arguably stands as the perfect blend of touch features, game play, and overall enjoyment.

The first thing that stands out when playing GTA: Chinatown Wars, especially when playing the HD version, is the graphics. This version of GTA returned to the old top down style of game play that existed in the first versions of GTA. The comparison below shows that the top down graphics have progressed leaps and bounds from the original titles (Pictures of GTA 2 taken directly from Rockstar’s website).

Game play in Chinatown Wars meets the quality that we’ve come to expect from GTA games. The world is completely open, with various shops and side missions, mixed in with guided missions to progress the story line. As the story progresses, new side missions, additional artillery, and new vehicles become available to the player.

The iPad version of Chinatown Wars offers much the same play style as its smaller version. While there is no additional content in the HD version, there are some noticeable upgrades. The graphics are just beautiful when maximized on the iPad. Increased polygon counts on specific models combined with enhanced lighting explosion effects really add a level of depth to the aesthetics of the game. Having the game maximized to 1024 by 768 really is a well deserved enhancement, and fits the iPad perfectly.

The only difficulty I found was in the control structure. I wouldn’t even call it a game specific problem, but with the increased real estate on the iPad I found myself missing buttons in high activity events. This was specifically troubling after I stole a vehicle and was in the midst of a getaway, and I missed the steering button, running headfirst into a building.

It isn’t Rockstar’s well established GTA style that really sets this title apart from other app store offerings, however. It’s the amazing way that this gaming elite company integrated touch screen features into the title. From hot wiring a car to building your own explosives, touch specific mini-games (for lack of a better word) are scattered throughout the game and in good numbers as well. These features are extremely impressive, easy to learn, and a lot of fun to use.

Usually a company establishes something that works and they overpopulate a game with that feature, creating a feeling of repetitiveness by the end of the game. Rockstar not only avoided this completely, but they designed the game in such a way that I was always excited to reach another mini-game. Rather than design one single way to hotwire a car, there are several. Some cars have advanced security systems that need to be connected to a PDA, and the code entered to hotwire. Others can be hotwired using the electrical system, where the player takes the lines, puts them together, twists them, and starts the car all by using the touch screen capabilities.

The story is typical of a GTA title, but open world games such as this aren’t known for being heavily appreciated for their story. Instead, game play usually outshines any need for a cohesive, linear story. That said, Rockstar has put together a storyline that offers just enough to keep the game interesting, even if some of the “cliff hangers” and “big reveals” are fairly easy to guess way before they are ever brought to the surface.

From a technical stand point, there were three separate times when the game crashed on me. This typically wouldn’t be a major issue but there also seems to be an issue with the auto-save system. Auto-save is something that, IMO, is a MUST for portable games, and should be active after each activity. After my iPad crashed, I found that certain side quest achievements I had completed were no longer, well, achieved. I was still in the same place in the main story, but had lost about $3,000.00. Again, this is merely an annoying error that will ultimately be patched up in a bug fix I’m sure, but it’s something that frustrated me enough to make mention of it here.

Despite this small frustration, GTA: Chinatown Wars HD is every bit the game its other versions is, and I would argue this stands above the rest as the best way to currently play Chinatown Wars. Graphically the game is great. The main story combined with a healthy dose of side missions and mini games keeps the game fun through the very end. A large open world leaves much of the direction of the game in the control of the players.

If you’ve never played a GTA game, I must caution you. This is very much a 17+ game. Given the amount of press that Rockstar has received in recent years, I don’t imagine this is news to anyone, even if you aren’t familiar with the game at all. Don’t be fooled by Apple’s overly strict policies though. There are a plethora of suggestive themes, bad language, and blood and guts. Just my kind of game, but not the kind of game your 2nd grader should be enjoying.

For veterans of the series, if you haven’t played this specific volume yet, shame on you. You should either go out and purchase this game immediately, or turn in your gamer card immediately. You can check out GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad, or GTA: Chinatown Wars (iPhone), for $9.99. While you won’t get any new content for upgrading to the HD version, it’s so pretty I can’t see why you wouldn’t. If you’re even remotely considering it, you’re a true fan of the series and I wouldn’t give it a second thought. In fact, why are you still reading this? No really. Go buy it now!

[ GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad Review is a post from 148Apps ]


GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad Review

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GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Rockstar Games
Price: $9.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

For those of you that might be new to the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad gaming scene, there are several games that simply stand above the rest in terms of quality, features, and overall design. Games like Chaos Rings from Square-Enix, Real Racing from Firemint, and Plants vs. Zombies from Popcap Games all elevate the standards that other companies should strive to meet. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars fits into this category as well, and arguably stands as the perfect blend of touch features, game play, and overall enjoyment.

The first thing that stands out when playing GTA: Chinatown Wars, especially when playing the HD version, is the graphics. This version of GTA returned to the old top down style of game play that existed in the first versions of GTA. The comparison below shows that the top down graphics have progressed leaps and bounds from the original titles (Pictures of GTA 2 taken directly from Rockstar’s website).

Game play in Chinatown Wars meets the quality that we’ve come to expect from GTA games. The world is completely open, with various shops and side missions, mixed in with guided missions to progress the story line. As the story progresses, new side missions, additional artillery, and new vehicles become available to the player.

The iPad version of Chinatown Wars offers much the same play style as its smaller version. While there is no additional content in the HD version, there are some noticeable upgrades. The graphics are just beautiful when maximized on the iPad. Increased polygon counts on specific models combined with enhanced lighting explosion effects really add a level of depth to the aesthetics of the game. Having the game maximized to 1024 by 768 really is a well deserved enhancement, and fits the iPad perfectly.

The only difficulty I found was in the control structure. I wouldn’t even call it a game specific problem, but with the increased real estate on the iPad I found myself missing buttons in high activity events. This was specifically troubling after I stole a vehicle and was in the midst of a getaway, and I missed the steering button, running headfirst into a building.

It isn’t Rockstar’s well established GTA style that really sets this title apart from other app store offerings, however. It’s the amazing way that this gaming elite company integrated touch screen features into the title. From hot wiring a car to building your own explosives, touch specific mini-games (for lack of a better word) are scattered throughout the game and in good numbers as well. These features are extremely impressive, easy to learn, and a lot of fun to use.

Usually a company establishes something that works and they overpopulate a game with that feature, creating a feeling of repetitiveness by the end of the game. Rockstar not only avoided this completely, but they designed the game in such a way that I was always excited to reach another mini-game. Rather than design one single way to hotwire a car, there are several. Some cars have advanced security systems that need to be connected to a PDA, and the code entered to hotwire. Others can be hotwired using the electrical system, where the player takes the lines, puts them together, twists them, and starts the car all by using the touch screen capabilities.

The story is typical of a GTA title, but open world games such as this aren’t known for being heavily appreciated for their story. Instead, game play usually outshines any need for a cohesive, linear story. That said, Rockstar has put together a storyline that offers just enough to keep the game interesting, even if some of the “cliff hangers” and “big reveals” are fairly easy to guess way before they are ever brought to the surface.

From a technical stand point, there were three separate times when the game crashed on me. This typically wouldn’t be a major issue but there also seems to be an issue with the auto-save system. Auto-save is something that, IMO, is a MUST for portable games, and should be active after each activity. After my iPad crashed, I found that certain side quest achievements I had completed were no longer, well, achieved. I was still in the same place in the main story, but had lost about $3,000.00. Again, this is merely an annoying error that will ultimately be patched up in a bug fix I’m sure, but it’s something that frustrated me enough to make mention of it here.

Despite this small frustration, GTA: Chinatown Wars HD is every bit the game its other versions is, and I would argue this stands above the rest as the best way to currently play Chinatown Wars. Graphically the game is great. The main story combined with a healthy dose of side missions and mini games keeps the game fun through the very end. A large open world leaves much of the direction of the game in the control of the players.

If you’ve never played a GTA game, I must caution you. This is very much a 17+ game. Given the amount of press that Rockstar has received in recent years, I don’t imagine this is news to anyone, even if you aren’t familiar with the game at all. Don’t be fooled by Apple’s overly strict policies though. There are a plethora of suggestive themes, bad language, and blood and guts. Just my kind of game, but not the kind of game your 2nd grader should be enjoying.

For veterans of the series, if you haven’t played this specific volume yet, shame on you. You should either go out and purchase this game immediately, or turn in your gamer card immediately. You can check out GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad, or GTA: Chinatown Wars (iPhone), for $9.99. While you won’t get any new content for upgrading to the HD version, it’s so pretty I can’t see why you wouldn’t. If you’re even remotely considering it, you’re a true fan of the series and I wouldn’t give it a second thought. In fact, why are you still reading this? No really. Go buy it now!

[ GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Buganoids Review

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Buganoids Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Backflip Studios
Price: Free, with $0.99 In-App Purchase to Remove Ads
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 3G, iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.15 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.18 out of 5 stars

Backflip Studios have taken this summer to experiment with the freemium model for their games – offering them for free download with $0.99 in-app purchases to remove banner ads. Their final summer release in this series of freemium games is Buganoids. The game is inspired, visually and gameplay-wise, by 1980s arcade games, by having you running around a circular planet shooting at bug enemies that spawn from the center of the planet. This means that you have to get used to running around the planet to get to where you can get a proper shot off, and to try to keep enemies from getting to the planet’s surface where they can charge at you and take you down.

Buganoids is quite fun, and nails the retro arcade experience perfectly. Maybe the best thing that can be said about Buganoids is how authentic it feels – if this game was released 25-30 years ago, there would be games we’d be playing today that were influenced by this. It nails all of the other conventions – powerups, bonus enemies, the 8-bit graphics. While Buganoids is not a universal app, the game does come in iPhone and iPad flavors, and syncs up your high scores between both versions via OpenFeint.

Buganoids suffers from the same problem that most games in a circular playing field do: aiming is a pain. Angles are difficult to figure out, and it can be a pain to figure out the aiming line on a moving enemy. It’s part of why games with circular playing fields never really took off – it’s hard to escape that awkward feeling of firing on a circular playing field. It’s part of why Galaga is much beloved to this day, and a game like Gyruss is far less remembered. Circular playing fields just aren’t as natural, and that awkwardness does permeate through Buganoids at times. As well, due to the game being split into two separate versions, you have to pay to remove ads on both your iPad and iPhone/iPod touch separately.

Buganoids, much like the other freemium Backflip releases this summer, is well worth a download, and it isn’t a huge fee to remove the ads. Pick up Buganoids if you like 80’s arcade games, and want to play something that feels like it was recently dug out of a box somewhere and ported to iOS.

FREE!

Buganoids HD

iPad Only App – Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-09-16 :: Category: Games / Arcade

[ Buganoids Review is a post from 148Apps ]


SketchBook Pro Review

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SketchBook Pro Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Autodesk Inc.
Price: $8.99
Version: 1.2

Design Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Features Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Integration Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.67 out of 5 stars

The iPad’s purpose as a writing device is well recognized. There are countless note taking applications, from the inbuilt Notes application right up to Apple’s Pages. However, as a drawing device, the iPad is not as well known, and Apple hasn’t created a drawing application – let alone have one installed by default. AutoDesk took matters into their own hands with SketchBook Pro for iPad.

SketchBook Pro is an intuitive, fully-featured drawing application, suited for both a quick sketch and a more detailed drawing. The interface is impressively clean for the amount of features that it holds, with full precedence being given to your designs at hand rather than the myriad of customizable options that exist. A small circle close to the edge of the device (changing depending on which way you hold your iPad) provides access to an options bar up at the top or side of your screen, as well a number of quick options: erase layer, undo, redo and enter full screen drawing mode again. This menu bar is also accessible by a three finger swipe down.

The menu bar hosts a number of buttons, including both basic and advanced drawing features. The gallery button provides access to your in-built gallery, where you can see all of your saved drawings, as well as e-mail and export them (more on this later). The usual plus and info icons are present too, adding the ability to create a new document and get information on and help using SketchBook. The Brush Editor tool is probably where most users will spend their time aside from drawing. There are over 75 preset brushes, including pens and markers, pencils and objects. Radius and opacity of each brush is customizable, as is colour in a number of different formats – from block colours, RGB colour codes and almost everything in between. The design is simple for the features that it holds – it is clear that thought has been put into where tools should go.

Basic, essential features like which type of shape to draw and a mirrored drawing tool exist, as well as more advanced characteristics like layers, enabling users to have full control of their work, focusing on certain areas as well as the bigger picture. A 2500% zoom capability compliments the layers feature nicely.

In terms of ease of use, a quick understanding of the menu options goes a long way. Once you’ve covered ground to become familiar with the basics of SketchBook, it becomes very quick to just open up and start drawing. An included help guide sees you on your way nicely. Drawing itself is limited only by the powers of your finger! My art teacher always criticized me for the overuse of a ruler, but you quickly feel at home drawing freehand on SketchBook.

The image export options are rich, with the ability to export to photo library as a flattened (single layer) image to iTunes; PSD to iTunes; flattened e-mail and PSD e-mail. Photos can be imported from your Photo Library, and all creations can be duplicated to ensure a fatal error won’t cause a major setback.

I’m impressed with SketchBook. It will stay on my iPad as the drawing tool of choice. It works seamlessly and operates entirely through you, meaning you can do what you want where you want, without limitation. Highly recommended.

[ SketchBook Pro Review is a post from 148Apps ]


iTV Shows HD Review

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iTV Shows HD Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: iSnoop.fr
Price: $1.99
Version: 3.9.0

Design Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Features Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Integration Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

iTV Shows HD provides a simple, effective way to follow the TV shows that you are interested in. Its content is aggregated from both The TV Database and TVRage to ensure that even the less well known shows are catalogued. The design of iTV Shows is clean and well thought-out, with the screens differing depending on whether you hold your device in landscape or portrait mode. Much like the Notes application, a directory sidebar is constantly visible when viewing iTV Shows in landscape mode, but is only visible in portrait mode when a button is pressed.

Adding a TV show is a really simple process. Click the plus button, enter in the name of the show, tap it, and that’s it. Rather neatly, the search box doesn’t hide as soon as a show has been added – meaning it takes a fraction of the time to add multiple shows. The application did get a little confused, understandably, between differentiations between the ampere sign (&) and the word (and), but this is more a database limitation rather than iTV’s problem.

Once shows are added, the aforementioned directory sidebar comes into play, providing the user with the latest timing information with regards to the show. For example, the application is currently telling me that The Good Wife is restarting in 13 days, September 28, and that the episode number and name is S02E01 (season 2 episode 1) – Taking Control. For shows like In Plain Sight and Curb Your Enthusiasm, the times are marked as TBA, or To Be Announced. Finally, shows like Frasier and The West Wing are marked as Ended, signifying that these shows have no new episodes airing. I’ll leave my personal disappointments aside. Going into more detail, when you tap on a specific show the application offers a wealth of information regarding episode numbers and names, as well a description of the show and full episode history. Each episode history contains its own short synopsis paragraph, taken straight from The TV Database or TVRage.

One feature that I’d like to touch on is the ability to mark a show as ’seen’ – which places a red bookmark similar to that on iBooks by that particular episode. Instead of having a red bookmark for every show, only one bookmark is placed, thereby implying that all of the above shows have been watched. This makes sense when you think about it – episodes of TV shows are typically watched in chronological order.

The application was somewhat slow in aggregating content for a TV show, particularly in series with a higher number of seasons. In addition, the lack of broadcasting information – like when and where it’s on – forces a user to look elsewhere. Finally, a push notification wouldn’t go amiss to alert you that one of the shows you watch is about to start, particularly given the fact that this is a paid-for application.

Overall, I am impressed with iTV Shows HD. It feels like a native version of a website like epguides.com, and the ability to mark TV shows as watched is very cool. If future updates satisfy the above, it’ll be worth every penny.

[ iTV Shows HD Review is a post from 148Apps ]


The Pedlar Lady for iPad Review

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The Pedlar Lady for iPad Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: MOVING TALES
Price: $4.99
Version Reviewed: 1.01
Device Reviewed On: iPad

iPad Integration Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars
Re-use Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.42 out of 5 stars

I’ve never heard of the old folk tale(s) that The Pedlar Lady originated from, but the notion of reading this story in an enhanced ebook format was an opportunity I could not resist. Since the iPad appeared, the device has been hailed as the harbinger of a new age in publishing, but most of that has been in the form of periodicals and traditional print ebooks like those available for the Kindle and for Apple’s iBook store. A few experimental books have appeared, like Elements or Alice, and these push the boundaries of what books can and should do. The Pedlar Lady is another example of this sort of book app.

I won’t say much about the story of The Pedlar Lady except to say that it has a rustic charm that is fairly irresistible. The story is plainly and simply told, but it carries with it the aura of ancient legend. Credit goes to developer Moving Tales for not trying to make the story more than what it is, and instead focusing on accompanying the story with visuals that are deceptively complex.

The graphics are sophisticated 3D, but the color pallette is kept so limited it allows even these high-tech images to seem old and worn in a way. Color in general is limited to only a few objects (except for two gorgeously rendered traveling scenes that look like moving paintings), so the words take precedence over everything else.

Those selfsame words are wonderfully read by a narrator who affects a convincing and gentle Irish dialect (one version of The Pedlar Lady story originated in Ireland). You can turn off the narration if you wish, but I was charmed by it. Still, it might be interesting to read it aloud yourself, particularly to a young child.

If there’s a weakness to be found with The Pedlar Lady, it’s that it is not as interactive as I had expected. It is very much a moving book – nothing less and nothing more. Touching objects on the screen yields nothing (except occasional mistaken page turns) and the most interactive the app gets is when you turn the iPad from portrait to landscape mode – the narration stops and the letters tumble convincingly across the page.

This is a minor quibble, however, as a book is not the same thing as a game, and interactivity can also interfere with the flow of the story. Accept The Pedlar Lady for what it is – a beautifully conceived and designed childrens book that is bound to charm anyone of any age.


[ The Pedlar Lady for iPad Review is a post from 148Apps ]