Parents' Guide to Chicken Police — Paint It RED!

While the animal-focused noir inspired visuals are impressive, parents should be aware that this is a mature story with some adult themes surrounding the mystery. Chicken Police — Paint It RED! features some some intriguing interactive elements, such as physically dialing a number on a rotary phone to call someone. The lush black-and-white, noir-inspired visuals truly are impressive, the dialogue is well-performed by actors who play the individual roles, and music adds to the overall atmosphere. There isn't much information about how to navigate the app, but text pops up about many items in scenes, such as the notebook that catalogs clues you've found. There's also a list of characters and places and players can, at times, select which questions to ask someone. They'll periodically see a ranking that rates the questions' focus accuracy.

A Detective Meter also visually indicates how well the questioning is going. Figuring out what to do next in the individual scenes can be a bit confusing at times because players may need to go back to a character they've already spoken to and initiate a new conversation. They can also return to places and sometimes will obtain additional information, but they may need to click around a scene to find something. Sonny, for example, can't leave his office until he gathers his things, but you're not told what or where they are. Players should be able to get the swing of things, though, through trial and error. But while the animal focused visuals might seem friendly enough, parents should be aware that there are adult elements included in the story. Characters sometimes swear, smoke and drink, making this a rather mature tale. If parents are OK with kids seeing that, though, Chicken Police — Paint It RED! can offer a more cerebral, analytical experience than some other game or storyline-based apps -- and some kids may get a kick out of trying to solve the case at the same time as the two private poultry detectives.