Dr. Panda's Beauty Salon
© 2013 Dr. Panda Limited
Ever want to put some lipstick on a pig? This app can make it happen. Easy to play, and designed around a theme children understand, Dr. Panda's Beauty Salon ($1.99, TribePlay) lets you run your own beauty spa for large animals. The start is a little confusing, because you have to wait for an animal customer to show up at the door (you hear a bell ring). The app has a Toca Boca feel to it, with no points or timed challenges. Your objective is to simply keep your customers happy, by painting nails, plucking nose hair, shaving, and so on. There are 11 mini-games in all. Innovative features include the ability to paint the face of an animal with glow in the dark paint, then turn off the lights and see their work glow; and a vibrating chair that results in a funny effect. There are also plenty of dress up play options, with different hair styles, hats, and glasses. There are no in-app purchases or third party ads, and links to social media are only accessible from within the protected parents menu. The parent options ("tap three times") contain a unique option -- to turn on/off the promotion screen that shows when the app is first launched (it is on by default); plus spots for social media and external links.
$1.99, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
Teaches: classification (matching pairs of shoes)
CTR Rating: 88%