Dr. Seuss Fun Machine cleverly combines kids’ fascination with the iPad and the physical interaction of traditional board games. Download the free app and choose between the three age-appropriate games for preschool and up. Our 4 and 6 year-old testers were enthusiastic about each game, Matching, Slap Down and Guess-A-Roo, as they watched attentively to collect clues, match tiles, and then throw their hands in the air with a cheer! The iPad adds an element of fun as the zany Fun Machine shows a tile which varies three characteristics–color, shape and story character–while puffing smoke, held up by gloved hands, characteristic of Dr. Seuss. Matching is a variation of Memory, as kids turn over a tile to see if it matches the one pictured on the screen in any of the 3 categories. Visual memory in language categories is vital to winning tiles. Slap Down adds the dimension of speed as well as visual scanning and memory as players try to be the first one to match one of their 8 face-up tiles to the one pictured on the screen. Only one characteristic is pictured at a time so kids can be successful in a match. Guess-A Roo was the most difficult of the three games but players were entranced as they stared at the screen to receive their three clues–for example, yellow, Lorax, star–and match it to one of the 24 tiles. So much language, memory, visual and deductive reasoning skills are tapped as kids love to pull down the lever to bring on the next challenge or touch the arrow to lift the curtain and reveal the answer!
