Parents' Guide to Slippery Slides

Making racing sims requires finesse, because good steering and acceleration is key to success, and if they aren't handled well, they can ruin the fun. Slippery Slides may be a simple racing game with an unusual premise, but its super-simple controls and exhilarating, out of left field style of gameplay make it a lesson in racing sim fun.The game stands out and is ready for success by setting races on a water slide. Not only is it a wacky, unexpected choice, it solves an obvious mechanical problem: slowing down. There is no slowing down here, so you only have to worry about steering your way around other players and onto speed power-ups. Power-ups make the ride even more thrilling than it already is, sending you and everyone around you sailing around corners and over gaps, frequently changing who's in the lead. Of course, less principled players can hold on to first place simply by bumping everyone else off the slide.

Being a poor sport could be a fun-killer in a lesser game, but here, getting knocked off is only a momentary setback before you're immediately back on the slide. Granted, it's at the back of the pack, but there's still plenty of chance to win. Winners and losers are both given currency to spend on upgrades and trophies to exchange for additional player skins. Winners also unlock new slides, but oddly enough, there's no place to see your slide collection or manually choose which slide to race on. There's also no way to choose who you race against, and the app's graphics aren't much to look at. Still, these aren't a big deal compared to the fun you'll have. What is a big deal, though, is the app's dependence on ads. Fortunately, a one-time payment of $1.99 makes those go away, and then you and your kids have unlimited access to one of the most entertaining racing sims on mobile.