Bottom Line: Take a sweet little adventure through Britain with Eric and his adorable puppy, Bruce. With lots of interactive elements and some quaint side adventures, Eric & Bruce Travel to Britain is an entertaining way to introduce your little one to a bit of British culture while having lots of fun exploring all the action in the app.
If you’d like to download Eric & Bruce Travel to Britain ($2.99, iPad/iPhone), please use the handy link below so they’ll know who sent you:
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No ads or in-app purchases. There are external links to developer’s website in a protected area.
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Join Eric and Bruce as they set out to travel the world. First stop: Britain.
Eric and his little puppy pal, Bruce, are setting off on an historical exploration of Britain. Let’s go along with them and see what wonders await them. First stop is the London Eye where a new friend gives Eric a balloon. As we continue on, we encounter other items (like a phone box and Big Ben) before visiting the Queen at Buckingham Palace. As we explore the field of play, we get great little surprises, including a pop-up from Prince William and Princess Kate, otherwise known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. We are treated to many other quintessential British landmarks and people as we continue on our trek. From Sherlock Holmes to the Loch Ness Monster, it’s a lovely little introduction to some elements of UK culture.
Our action happens in a continuously moving screen that takes us from one landmark to the next. Users can tap on Eric to change his method of travel. (I was particularly partial to horseback, but a flying broom was a close second.) As Eric moves along, his little dog, Bruce, is with him every step of the way. When you tap on a gold star, Eric and Bruce get to have a little side adventure. It could be eating cakes outside a fish & chips restaurant or dancing an Irish jig. There are hundreds of interactive elements throughout this app; I found new things each time I played.
The app itself is well-done. It’s simple and clean with lots of action to keep a child engaged. I imagine we will be playing a lot of this one at our house.
What I liked:
- Lots of interactive elements. And I mean LOTS. There is something that users can make happen in almost every inch of the field. From the ability to make it rain to making the Loch Ness Monster leap up and do a dive, almost every part that you can touch does something.
- Fun characters. I really liked some of the quirky character pop-ups. Sherlock Holmes and a leprechaun all in one game — how can you get more fun than that? (I’ll tell you how you can get more fun — you throw in the Beatles, that’s how.)
What I might change:
- I’d love to see a little more information available as some of the elements are presented, maybe in some kind of pop-up window. My five-year-old found it fun to find all of the “Easter eggs” hidden throughout, but she really didn’t get why they were significant or funny. For instance, I loved the Abbey Road reference, but with zero explanation the meaning is going to be lost on most of the audience.
This app is priced at $2.99. That's kind of a breaking point for me. I only pay that much for an app if it is reeeeeally good. This app may just be good enough to support that price, particularly if the developer will make a few small improvements like some additional informational content.
This is supposed to be the first app of many in the adventures of Eric & Bruce. I look forward to seeing what other journeys they take. This is a very nice first offering.
*****
Kelli is ready for spring (or to at least maybe see the sun). SmartAppsForKids.com was paid a priority review fee to complete this review in an expedited manner.
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