Doc McStuffins: Mobile Clinic Rescue

$4.99, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch (iOS 7.0 or later)

Teaches: timing, temporal relations, fine motor skills, logic

CTR Rating: 88%

CTR Review

Like "Temple Run" for preschoolers, this fun starter game lets you swipe your way through a set of hurdles as you collect coins. Too many crashes will send you back to the start of the course. Because the challenges start very easy and grow harder, the app gives children a nice fine motor/timing experience. In addition, there are no gender or ethnic stereotypes in this app -- Doc is played by a female. If you make it to end you get to fix a toy. There are 27 toys to heal and three missions (Doc to the Rescue, Snow Place for Toys, and Birthday Rescue). Additional missions are sold as In-App Purchases for $2.99 each. As you move through the levels, you earn power-ups and badges. The In-App Purchases are shown in the main menu (which we think is bad practice) but there are not times in the app where a child's work is held hostage to an additional purchase, as it is in many apps like Looney Tunes Dash (Zynga). This app features characters and narration from the Disney Junior television show. Need to know: Children may quickly outgrow the challenge level of this app.