I Want To Go To Mars

This interesting, creative story features high-quality graphics that will surely be a hit. For example, in I Want to go to Mars, the teddy bear swings his arms as he walks, and elevators zip Robyn up and down floors in the rocket ship. Kids can listen to narration while reading the text on the screen, and interactive components appear throughout the story. Kids converse with the moon, for instance, at one point, and later are asked to collect stars around the rocket ship to use for fuel. The storyline also includes a number of humorous puns, and the main character, Robyn, and his teddy bear, Teddy, have a positive, supportive friendship.

Kids can't skip or speed up the story text, which some may find a little cumbersome. Also, while it's great they can retry activities they don't successfully complete, unfortunately, kids may have to backtrack and repeat that entire portion of the story. In one challenge, they're asked to move a rocket back and forth to avoid asteroids. Dragging your finger across the screen doesn't offer precise enough motion to make the rocket, which wiggles as it you move it left and right, which can force lengthy replays of previously completed levels. That can slows things down and can get frustrating after a few attempts. If they can get past that point and finish the story, they can go through everything again and see a different version of the tale, based on responses they choose that will alter the plot. Provided they don't get stuck indefinitely repeating the asteroid challenge, though -- or don't find it aggravating if they do -- I Want To Go To Mars offers a visually attractive, engaging story kids should enjoy exploring at least once.