Join the dots manages to combine eduction with fun

The Story

Kids genuinely love join-the-dots puzzles and this app cunningly taps into that appetite by presenting a series of puzzles that each consist of the challenge of connecting between 10 and 30 numbers. Tap on each number sequentially and the software will start to join these up, finally filling in the picture once you’ve hit every dot.

The Experience

The illustrations are terrific. They are bright and bold – and it’s surprisingly hard to guess what each one is until the puzzle is complete, even though there are clues in the background. Young children are, of course, learning to read numbers as they do these puzzles, but they’ll be too involved in the game to notice.

You’ve simply got to love the double-whammy of keeping your beloved progeny quiet as they simultaneously pick up a slither of numeracy. The free version of this app consists of a surprisingly substantial 50 or so puzzles, making it a no-brainer to at least give this one a whirl.

The full version delivers more than 100 puzzles to attack, plus free seasonal specials, such as a Halloween-themed version, to download. That should certainly hold the attention of younger kids for quite some time if they show any initial interest in the underlying premise of this game.

The only real niggle is that on smaller phone-screens the numbers can look a bit small and can therefore be hard to hit. Good job they have tiny fingers, eh?

The Bottom Line

So good that despite a seriously chunky free edition, you’ll happily pay for the full-fat version.

Additional info

androidgamesforkids.com

All Android versions

Reviewed v1.7

Lite version available zok.android.dots

Christmas version available zok.android.dots.xmas