Parents' Guide to

Leonardo's Cat

By Lisa Caplan, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Place gadgets and problem-solve to help famous inventor.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad Paid Puzzle Games
Leonardo's Cat Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Leonardo's Cat App: Screenshot #1
  • Leonardo's Cat App: Screenshot #2
  • Leonardo's Cat App: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 5+

Based on 1 parent review

Karen145
Karen145 Parent of baby, 3 and 5-year-old
November 23, 2015
age 5+

Excellent game!

Younger children will have difficulty playing solo, but it's a great game to play together. The goal is to help a cat traverse a variety of obstacles in his path using varies inventions. You start out with two- springboard (for jumping short distances) and cannon (breaks boxes blocking way). More are added over time so children have time to learn the function of each. Parachutes help you fall down. Catapults vault you over wider gaps. A helicopter thing takes you straight up. Levels get more complex and appear to have multiple solutions. Questions you can use to help your child: "That's a small gap. What do you use to get over a small gap?" "You cat hit his head on the ceiling. What else could we try here? Could we change the angle?" Unlike some games, which make you pay to play or penalize you for failing, this game does neither. You can make as many attempts as you want as frequently as you want. If you fail an obstacle, the game reloads there so you don't scroll back and forth looking for the place that needs fixing.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

Michelangelo has made off with da Vinci's automaton, and it’s up to you and his cat, Scungilli, to get the pieces back and rebuild the machine in LEONARDO'S CAT. Players solve 60 logic-based puzzles by choosing from various gadgets that help the cat over, under, and around any obstacles. Cut scenes with rich animation and Patrick Stewart's voice as da Vinci serve as a virtual reward for making progress in the game and help push the story forward. Though the first puzzles are simple, they increase in difficulty; not all the supplied contraptions are needed to get Scungilli to the goal, and there are various possible solutions to the puzzles. When Scungilli falls into the water or hits an obstacle, he struggles and makes noises, but he's not hurt.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Most kids will love this high-quality, historical puzzler that provides just enough variation to keep them engaged. After setting up the gadgets, kids will get a kick out of watching the cat run through their creation; if it doesn't work, kids can retry as many times as needed. It would help kids plan how to use their gear if they could see the cat's whole course without scrolling. Also, if they could zoom and pan around da Vinci's studio, they would be able to get up close to the art and sketches; not playing up the history for interested kids is a missed opportunity.  It's also possible that kids will want to put the automaton together as they collect pieces, and some might want hints about the puzzles, so these would be nice features. Despite these few drawbacks, it's a fun, fresh romp that lets kids practice problem solving.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the historical setting and its characters. Who were Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo?

  • Talk about the strategies kids can use to work through the puzzles. What can they do when they get stuck?

App Details

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