Peekaboo Sesame Street

$2.99, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Teaches: causality, language

CTR Rating: 76%

CTR Review

This celebration of Sesame Street characters (including Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Abby Cadabby, and Oscar the Grouch) looks good, but the design could be more responsive. The app follows a simple peekaboo format. You see a Sesame Street view of a door and a few garbage cans and hear some knocking. To see who is there, you touch a door and get your surprise. We liked how the preview sounds gave children an audio hint about what is coming, however, there are some weaknesses to note. The screens are decorated with items that invite a touch, but don't do anything. The door knocking prompt repeats and gets annoying -- something more subtle and random would be more effective. It's also backwards -- you're supposed to knock on the door from the outside, not the inside. Game design by Brianne Baker and Nathan Tabor.