Parents' Guide to Nom Plant

The reliance on ads and the lack of instructions makes this simple game less enjoyable after a very short while. In Nom Plant, players don't get much instruction when they start playing. Luckily, the basic gist of the app is pretty simple. You drag your finger upward to extend your plant, stopping when you reach a ledge or other object the plant can sit on. That said, you don't have unlimited time to grow -- your plant's ascent can suddenly stop, and if you're not on safe ground, it will fall, using up one of your lives for the round. The distance and speed by which you can travel doesn't always feel like iconsistent, which can make strategizing confusing, and some levels seem to contain impossibly high objects that no amount of swiping will help you reach.

When you fall too many times, you can't keep playing unless you have at least 75 coins -- an amount that takes a while to earn. Without it, you'll be forced to watch an ad to continue, which really slows things down. In theory, twisting your plant upward through the sky, trying to avoid certain obstacles and collect others, could be an enjoyable game. But with so many rounds seemingly designed with heights that will require you to fall at least once, and no way to try again unless you pay money or watch an ad -- which you'll see plenty of, even if you're doing well -- Nom Plant's fun factor withers pretty quickly after you start playing.