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Parents' Guide to

The Heist

By Chris Morris, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Only expert puzzle fans need apply.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad Puzzle Games
The Heist Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

  • The Heist App: Screenshot #1
  • The Heist App: Screenshot #2
  • The Heist App: Screenshot #3

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What’s It About?

Players are faced with four types of puzzles (and no explanation of what to do). One tasks them to move wooden pieces around in a maze to clear a path for an electronic tube to plug into a circuit. Another echoes shades of Sudoku with color-coded pebbles. A third has a robot pushing power blocks around a tiny grid to their chargers. And the final is a slide-block puzzle to connect circuits. Solve a certain number of puzzles and one of the defenses guarding the game's vault will disarm. Solve them all and you win.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

It takes a unique game to unseat Angry Birds from its roost at the top of the sales chart -- and The Heist certainly qualifies in that regard. While most games -- especially puzzle games -- gently ease players into the game and take a long time to ramp up difficulty, this app offers no instructions and hits you with some hard puzzles pretty quickly. After you start the app, a "call" (actually a pre-recorded element of the game) on your iDevice explains that you're there to assist breaking into the imposing vault on the screen. From there, you'll have to figure out what the goal of each puzzle is and how to achieve it. It's not a game for the fainthearted, but it is a lot of fun and will test your puzzle-solving skills.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Encourage kids to play other games that teach them to be forward-thinking, such as like chess.

  • Play the game with your kids -- a challenge is always more fun when it’s a team effort.

  • Model problem-solving strategies by thinking aloud. Kids will learn from your example.

App Details

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