Rise of Kingdoms

Although some aspects may initially confuse kids due to the game's overall scope, there's no shortage of things to do -- which may help keep them interested in playing. Kids work to strengthen their town's security level and capabilities and also address external threats in Rise of Kingdoms. In addition to occasionally fighting barbarians that are trying to conquer other areas, kids build and enhance structures. As they rise to further levels, they'll unlock new types of buildings to add and tasks that correspond to some of those locations, such as a new archery range where archers can be trained. Some construction and training activities only require a minute or so of waiting time for the building or other work to be finished. Others take longer, but kids can utilize a number of free booster options that will speed the work up by one to five minutes.

The main screen contains a lot of icons -- and some wiggle or are marked with a red circle that seems to imply there's an update kids urgently need to view. Yet often, when you click on those items, the information ultimately isn't anything important. Focusing on a well-organized list of quests like upgrading the city's protective wall, can be helpful. Defeating roaming barbarians will also earn kids rewards like Commander Experience. The sound effects in battles are dramatic, but the fighting doesn't look too intense, and the size of the characters are so small that even when you zoom in, it's hard to see much detail. The app sells a number of currency and other items that can help contribute to kids' success in the game, such as packages with gems and resources like wood and the ability to speed up construction work. Kids earn a fair amount of currency and other rewards just by playing, though, so they should be able to find plenty to do without spending anything -- which helps make the continued climb toward higher levels in Rise of Kingdoms a consistently enjoyable pursuit.