Pyramids 3D�Wonders of the Old Kingdom

$13.99, iPad (1.1 GB download)

Teaches: history, ancient Egypt, pyramids, mummies

CTR Rating: 87.5%

CTR Review

Can't afford a personal tour of the Egyptian Pyramids? Here's a beautifully illustrated $14 option, fresh from Touch Press. You start with a helicopter view of the plateau where the pyramids, tombs and the Sphinx are located� at Giza near Cairo, Egypt. As you "fly" around the map, you can tap one of the three three main pyramids, the Sphinx and eight tombs, to fly inside with the company of an authoratative-sounding British guide (Bram Calcoen). To move through a tunnel, you spread two fingers (or pinch to move back) -- a movement mechanic that takes some getting used to. Most of the interesting paintings or items are explained by way of pop-up text boxes. Noteworthy features include the ability to toggle between "then" and "now" settings on 35 of the paintings, letting you see immediately the effects of thousands of years of aging. Features like this help remind you why you spend $500 on an iPad. You can also touch an area of the painting for details on such things as pulling papyrus stalks, or force feeding geese. This curiosity-driven learning is compelling, leading you further into the stories behind the artifacts. Other features include 3D photography by Sandro Vannini, an interactive version of a book by Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, and 350 photographs and 40 objects that can be zoomed and spun to view from every angle. These include Tutankhamun�s mask (the light changes as you move your iPad) and the Solar Boat, which an be looked at from very angle. Pyramids 3D�Wonders of the Old Kingdom is created by Touch Press, the people behind the best-selling iPad titles: The Elements, Solar System. This title is produced and published in partnership with Heritage World Press and Laboratorio Rossi.