Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

I haven’t had much of a chance to do proper gaming this week, but in between the busy moments, when I’ve had a chance to do something other than study or sleep, I found myself playing games on my iPod touch. These are the three games I played the most.

First is Canabalt, a game with one control; jump. You’re a man running across rooftops, and you tap the screen to jump over items or gaps between buildings, building up momentum as you go. It’s simple but addictive, with the rooftops randomised every time, so you can’t learn the level. It’s simple but elegant, and the 8-bit graphics and pounding techno score make this just that little bit more special. I would definitely reccomend it. Next up is Doodle Jump; a game which, as the name implies, looks like it’s been drawn on graph paper by a seven-year-old, but then again there’s a modicum of charm in that aesthetic. It’s another game about jumping, only this time you’re jumping up rather than sideways. You tilt the device to orient your jump to the next platform, and you can shoot a variety of monsters. There are a variety of springs, trampolines, helicopter hats and jetpacks which can give you a boost on the way. Of the three games, it’s probably the most addictive, albeit the easiest to play in short bursts. Finally, there’s Angry Birds. It’s a catapult game – you play as some sort of evil overlord figure, catapulting birds at edifices constructed by little green pig-heads. If you think that’s odd, you’re not the only one. You use your finger to ‘pull’ back the catapult, and let fly. There are various sorts of bird: some explode, some drop eggs, and so on. Some of the later levels require you to exercise strategy in which birds you fire where, which means this is probably the most ‘thinky’ of the games (although I use the word advisedly). They’re all great little games, worthy of your attention, and they cost pennies in the Apple iTunes store. Pennies! Well, cents if you’re American. For the amount of entertainment and diversion you get from them you can’t go wrong!