Welcome to Primrose Lake

This mystery/time management game is a clever experience that's held back by the demands that players pay for additional content, especially when things are getting good. The time-based exercises in Welcome to Primrose Lake are well-designed; they're challenging and force players to balance and prioritize tasks. Some involve multiple steps to prepare and serve food items, for example, or require gamers to attend to customers in different areas of a store. But players can also adjust the difficulty level, and hearts that appear above customers provide a visual reminder of who should be served next. In general, the app offers a lot of guidance, from tips that appear as the next round loads to the ability to receive hints during gameplay.

Gamers may be interested in -- but not necessarily intrigued by -- the mystery they learn more about as they progress, due to the pace at which it unfolds. After completing several levels, it still isn't clear if the first two characters you met are related, or why people are following and threatening them. Because players will eventually hit a point where they have to pay to keep playing, that's somewhat frustrating: You clearly have to invest some time and money to find out what's going on, and parents may not be too crazy about some of the violence that's alluded to or shown. The app may be best for kids who are mature enough to understand it's a soap opera-esque story and that violence shouldn't be glorified. Parents may also want to consider using the app with their child so that they can emphasize that point.