Friday, April 6, 2012

App Review: Match the Pairs Junior Edition

The kids really enjoy this matching game. In reality it is a suite of matching games- there are 3 different types of matching activities (reading, riddles, math concepts) for three different age groups (4+, 6+ 8+). Each type of activity has four lessons to choose from, so that's 12 activities per age group. Activities range from matching the correct colors (4+), to an activity called The Magnifier, which requires the user to match a close up of an image with a whole image (6+), to filling gaps (8+).

Each activity has a timer feature and the child must beat the clock.

The music and graphics are charming, the game play is educationally sound, and it is a hit with the kids. I also found the sound effects during play helpful to the child- when a correct match is made the cards will make a soft shuffling as they are flipped over. If a match is incorrect a sound is played that can only be described as a record being scratched- it is actually a bit jarring to my ears, but it does clearly indicate the pairing is incorrect. (See Wish List).
I'm not sure if this was intentional or not, but I love the accessibility features built into this app- the pictures can be paired using a dragging motion or any kind of touch, for example, the side of a fist, multiple fingers etc. For those with motor difficulties, this is much appreciated.

Wish List
(I always have one)
I would love to have a toggle to allow music, but shut off some of the other audio features- or better yet a slider bar to control volume. I really love the soft shuffling of the cards as they are paired up, but the audio cue for the incorrect pairing would be more tolerable to my ears at a slightly lower volume.
I would also like to control what language and sound effects are used at the end of a round. I don't mind the sound of clapping and kids shouting "Yay!", nor the visuals such as "First Place" that appear when the user has completed a round successfully. However, when a round is not completed before the time runs out, the user hears kids saying "Aw", along with a frowny face/written message "Oh no! Try again!". I'd actually prefer to not display the frowny face, and instead just say "Try again".

1 comment:

  1. Dear Special apps special kid Blog,

    thank you very much for your review, we will regard your wish list to our next updates.

    We wish all the kids a lot of fun and experience with Match the Pairs!

    ReplyDelete