TapCritic – Honest iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch App Reviews

Before the internet, the only thing to look forward to as a small child was mail. Some of my best memories as a six-year old was waiting for my Weekly Reader or my Highlights magazine to arrive. One of my FAVORITE parts of Highlights, was the puzzle Hidden Pictures. So, when I saw Highlights recently released Hidden Pictures for the iPhone, I told my wife that I had to download it for our daughter. Secretly however, I wanted to play it myself!

[Video Review by Mr. Pence]

I’ve got to say, Mobad Games has done a TERRIFIC job with Highlights Hidden Pictures. The music is great, the pinch-pull interaction with the picture is perfect and my younger children love it! Eight puzzles come standard and the layout of this app looks like something you might see on a tablet one day.

I do have a few complaints, it looks WAY to easy to purchase other puzzles with in-app purchasing. You probably want to hang out with your child while they are playing this, just in case they click on the “More Puzzles” icon, and end up buying ALL the puzzles they want. Couldn’t this option be in a “Parents” icon? I’m hoping Apple will set some standards for in-app purchasing for children’s applications. My other complaint? The extra puzzle add-on’s cost as much as the app! The application is priced at $1.99, which I think is a great value for this app. Couldn’t the add-on’s be 99¢?

If you have a child under 8, they will have an absolute blast playing Highlights Hidden Pictures. This is a top-notch, great quality educational title. I just wish the folks over at Mobad Games would have handled the in-app purchasing a little different.

You can buy Highlights Hidden Pictures HERE.

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