Thinkin' Things 1: Toony the Loon's Lagoon

$8.99, iPad

Teaches: logic, math, patterns, memory, creativity

CTR Rating: 80%

CTR Review

Sometimes an old classic doesn't translate so well to an iPad or Android Tablet. Case in point, one of our old favorites -- Thinkin' Things. Back in the days of mono-touch and non-HD graphics, Thinkin' Things was cutting edge. The first edition scored 5 stars back in 1993; one of the first and few software titles to get such a rating. That rating has dropped significantly in the context of the multi-touch tablet age. But the result is a large border around a reduced play area; and hot spots that are tiny especially on the iPad Mini. While the activities are still the same, the designers directly ported the graphics to the iPad, replacing the cursor with your finger. In doing so, they kept the resolution the same but reduced the size. This seems logical, after all who wants fuzzy graphics? Children who have come to expect multi-touch will find the experience lacking as well. The six activities are the same as they were in 1993; presenting a case study in good design. As they play, kids will compare and contrast, hypothesize and test rules, create and discern patterns, and analyze and predict. If this sounds too much like all work and no play, don't worry. The program is loads of fun to fool around with and very educational as well. For example, kids can build their auditory and visual memory skills as they repeat musical patterns. In this game children are given the opportunity to create their own melodies as well. Another activity lets kids learn about attributes, differences and patterns as they create special birds according to orders. A matching game has children comparing and recognizing relationships as they try to pair the right jungle guide to the appropriate jungle adventurer. Each activity has both open-ended and goal-directed elements, allowing for exploration and experimentation. There are still hundreds of problems to solve, with dozens of self-adjusting skill levels. Of special note -- the "grow slides" that let a child change the difficulty level on the fly. For $8.99 however, an old app built on yesterday's technology no longer passes.