Dr. Panda Candy Factory
© 2016 Dr. Panda Limited
Fun and responsive although initially confusing to figure out, this Dr. Panda app lets you run a candy factory, together with up to three other friends. This is the first Dr. Panda title with multi-player, co-operative play features. The candy factory has three stations. Two of the stations have spit screens; and one has a pin-ball like machine for four players at once, making this a good huddle-style game. After you successfully complete eight candies, you see them tasted by Dr. Panda's friends. Lending to the initial confusion: the cause and effect style control could be improved as you try to figure out the mechanics of the candy-making robots. For example, you can turn on the water to fill the sink, but there's no way to turn it off. In addition it is not obvious how to get to the home screen, and some of the candy ingredients appear on one side of the screen seem like they could be used by the others (but they don't work). It's also worth noting that besides the authentic cooking themes, there's a lot of fiction in this app (we've yet to see a pinball machines used in making candy). All in all, after a bit of learning curve, this app is an excellent addition to a tablet that might be shared by more than one child. If you've liked past Dr. Panda apps, you'll like this one as well.
$2.99, iPad, iPhone, Kindle, Android
Teaches: co-op play, following directions, mixing colors, shapes
CTR Rating: 86%