Kid-Friendly iPhone Apps: They’re Fun—and (Maybe) Help Keep Toys off the Floor!

 

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Check out this trio of iPhone/iPod Touch games, well worth the buck you’ll spend on each*, that require your kids to file things away in their proper place. We’re hoping side benefit of game play will be straightened up toys and dirty clothes off the floor. A parent can dream, no?

Flight Control
Ages 7 and up
Future air traffic controllers will love Flight Control. Safely direct a variety of helicopters and airplanes to the appropriate runway; however, one crash and it’s back to the beginning. Thanks to its impressive visual display and ease-of-use touch sensitivity, this old school arcade game has quickly become a favorite among iPhone gamers since its launch in April of this year. It’s the app by which all similar games are inevitably compared and rightfully so—it was the first game of its kind to enter the iTunes app store with this combination of on-screen attractiveness and ease of play. Frequent updates keep the game fresh and relevant. Note: New 3.0 update allows for peer-to-peer multiplayer gaming.

Parachute Panic
Ages 9 and up
Guide parachuting stick figures down onto boats, both stationary and in motion. Simple enough save for the sharks, helicopters, U.F.O.’s and electric rain clouds. Avoid the fatal distractions, land as many men as possible and voila—a hip, extremely challenging app. Parachute Panic offers an easy mode, but that’s still too difficult for most children under 9. Note: Check out the terrific barbershop quartet intro music.

Harbor Master
Ages 7 and up
Shepherd the fleet in and out of port safely…and quickly. The harbors get busier as you progress and the massive freighters can’t unload their cargo fast enough. Harbor Master is similar to Flight Control but with the added complexities of extreme weather and having to send boats back out to sea. Note: For Twitter users, there’s an easy way to tweet your score.

Whether you’re nautically inclined or prefer taking to the skies…there’s an app for that.

*Each app $0.99 each at time of review.

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