Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo
Clever, classic PC game a mix of fun and problem solving.
Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo is a point-and-click adventure game about finding and rescuing lost baby animals at a zoo. The app is designed for kids and is free of offensive content. While not explicitly educational, it does require problem-solving skills and rewards careful observation and exploration. The interface is easy to learn, though younger children may need help solving some of the puzzles.
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What’s It About?
Putt-Putt is a little blue cartoon car who needs to find the missing baby animals before the zoo can open. This app combines a cartoon storyline, problem-solving, and preschool skills for an entertaining experience. Kids guide Putt-Putt through the zoo and talk to the creatures they encounter, collecting objects that might come in handy later -- and do -- for rescuing the baby animals. Putt-Putt thinks aloud to guide kids in which objects may help, though the problems are still challenging enough that parents may need to help.
Is It Any Good?
PUTT-PUTT SAVES THE ZOO brings the classic PC game to iOS devices, and it works like a charm. Putt-Putt is a cute purple car who travels around with his pet puppy. When he goes to the opening of the Cartown Zoo, Outback Al tells him that the zoo can't open because several of the baby animals are missing. It's up to Putt-Putt (and the player) to find the animals and figure out how to rescue them.
The app is easy to use, and the animation is cute and clever and feels like watching a cartoon. There are plenty of things to tap on throughout the game just for fun, but there's also an overarching story to be solved. Younger kids may need help figuring out some of the trickier puzzles, but they'll have a lot of fun exploring the zoo with Putt-Putt.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about animals in the zoo. How do zoos help people understand animals?
What if zoo animals could talk? What do you think they might say?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Subjects: Language & Reading: naming, Math: counting, Science: animals
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: problem solving, Self-Direction: work to achieve goals
- Release date: December 12, 2011
- Category: Kids' Games
- Topics: Cars and Trucks
- Publisher: Atari
- Version: 1.01
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 3.0 or later
- Last updated: August 19, 2016
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