Super Nano Trucks
© 2014 Bughouse, LLC
Update 9/9/15: Bughouse has teamed up with a concrete and building company from Chicago, Ozinga, to bring an authentic touch to the game. Kids can now mix concrete to build roads, houses and sidewalk. They can drive Ozinga trucks and mix their materials on a site modeled after Ozinga’s own concrete plant in Chicago. Here's an app that presents a unique spatial relations problem solving situation; not unlike the challenge presented by backing a trailer down a driveway. You start with a bird's eye (top) view of a construction site containing six small vehicles and a menu of about 20 items that include parts of roads, bridges and decorations. Each vehicle has different features, and can be driven around the screen using a large steering wheel. You can also back up, honk the horn, operate the crane (or bucket) and talk on the radio. The illustrations are accurate and proportional, but rather plain. The biggest potential shortcoming of this app is that there is no zoom, so the vehicles look small, even on a larger sized iPad. Also, the scrolling is less than elegant; there is no screen boundary, which contributes to feeling disoriented. We'd think twice before using this app on an iPad Mini. To drive, you touch a vehicle, and then tap the steering wheel. Movement is automatic; other controls let you pick up and push dirt, create roads, and use the CB radio to talk to drivers. You can earn hard hats by completing challenges, such as filling a truck with dirt. Machines include a Dump Truck, Cement Truck, Bulldozer, Steamroller and Earth Mover. There's also a crane. The "Build Mode"' lets you complete challenges to learn what you can do on the construction site. Parental controls (found in your iPad settings) include a timer, the ability to toggle on/off the truck sounds as trucks startup, accelerate, backing up and so on. Graphics by Nicholas Slater.
$2.99, iPad, iPhone
Teaches: spatial relations, logic, creativity, construction equipment, machines
CTR Rating: 84%