Parents' Guide to King of Thieves

There's a lot to like in this game, but there's even more that will drive you crazy or cause concern. Though it has a solid framework, its reliance on timing elements and heavy push on in-app purchases ultimately undercut it. It's a fresh take on the endless-runner game, and you'll need good reflexes and timing to progress, but it also adds a fun multiplayer raiding element (similar to that in Clash of Clans). In a particularly smart move, the game also lets you craft a defense system in your own dungeon that rewards your skills. Before any changes can be saved, you'll have to be able to conquer your own traps twice in a row -- meaning the better you get at stealing other people's gems, the better you're likely to be at defending your own.

Though smooth and polished, it falls short on a few fronts. The biggest, though, is the use of keys to play a level. You'll be faced with four or more locks, all but one of which are false. Picking the right one is pure luck, meaning you could be using 10 or more locks per attempt later in the game. Also, the guild chat feature may concern parents, since it allows teens to chat with people they may not know in real life. It's also important to talk about your rules around in-app purchases, since upgrading takes time or gems, and when the in-game currency runs out, teens may want to buy more.