Parents' Guide to Apple Knight

Featuring pixelated graphics, this game has an almost late 1980s-early 1990s console feel to it that's very enjoyable. Players assume a male or female character's identity and make their way through various obstacle course scenes, trying to avoid threats and pick up coins and other items in Apple Knight. They battle opponents they encounter (really, anyone in their path), sidestep pits filled with spikes, and scoop up apples periodically that can later be used as weapons. Clues occasionally pop up alerting them to things like a secret chest containing rewards that's nearby.

The on-screen controls -- which allow players to do things like move back and forth, jump high or low, and run -- respond pretty well. The game's backstory is a little vague, at least in the beginning, and the game seems to place more of an emphasis on short-term goals, such as finding a certain type of mushroom, than having its scenes serve as crucial parts of a grand, all-encompassing journey. That doesn't really detract from the action, though, and there's lots to explore. The developers also seem to have made an admirable attempt to monetize the app in a way that's not overly demanding. Players can purchase items like coin packages, but they don't have to, because they can also earn coins by playing. Getting injured three times while trying to complete a level will result in you dying, but the game doesn't immediately shut players out. Even if they lose all their lives, they can just start again with three new ones. Hearts sometimes appear in scenes, too, which can be grabbed to add a life. They will see ads sometimes -- such as when they die, before they can again attempt to finish a level. You can typically click out of them in about five seconds, though, which makes their presence in a lot less intrusive -- and allows players to get back to the more entertaining aspects of Apple Knight fairly quickly.