Deskplorers is a ‘point and click’ adventure for iPad and iPhone aimed at children ages 6 – 11 years old.  You follow the adventures of several characters through episodes of a beautifully drawn story book.

At the surface, Deskplorers appears to be a fun, interactive way to help your child learn to read.  However, it is much deeper than that.  The game is a fully interactive story book with minigames, collectibles and a unique way of getting children engaged and excited about reading.

When you first open the App, you are introduced to the main characters of the story.  This sets the tone nicely for building curiosity surrounding the themes.  After you ‘meet’ the characters, you are then led through a nicely paced tutorial on the basic layout of the game and controls.  This serves as an overall introduction to the different options and menus.  The fonts are large and clearly written and the ‘host’ does a nice job of leading through.  When you’re ready to begin your adventure, you click on the Story.

The ‘story’ consists of a history book with a number of different chapters, each available through in-App purchases.  What really impress us was the dedicated section for parents called “Parents’ Corner” that contains several explanations regarding the educational benefits of the App.  If you are planning on playing this game with your child, we recommend going through the Parents’ Corner first before even letting your child play the game. 

For children just learning to read, Deskplorers is a great way to get excited about reading together.  For older children who have mastered the skill of reading, the game offers much more with the mini-games, the collectibles, etc.  For example, each chapter consists of a theme with references to several objects that you can ‘purchase’ via points from the catalog.  These items are missing from the story and you have to determine where they fit which now turns the story into an elaborate scavenger hunt. 

The first chapter, “Knights” is $3.99 and episode 2, “Pirates” was just released.  Chapters are available via in-app purchase and the one main thing we did not like about Deskplorers is the appearance of an ‘AppStore’ icon within the story book.  If you aren’t careful, your child may accidentally touch this button which takes you directly to the Appstore to purchase that chapter.  Make sure you have in-App purchases disabled. http://www.familyfriendlyvideogames.com/NewsandNotes/how-to-disable-in-app-purchases-on-your-iphone

Desksplorers is designed for one player, but it does support up to three profiles.  This means if you have multiple children who may be interested in playing, you only need to purchase it once. 

Aside from some minor drawbacks, we fully recommend Deskplorers as a great way to interact with your child on your iPad.  There’s even a free episode (Episode Zero ‘The beginning’) which you can download to see if you it will work for you and your family.  It not only introduces you to the characters and story, but you will know right away if it is something you are and your child will enjoy.

Deskplorers is a truly unique ‘experience’ when it comes to educational apps.  The goal of the app is clear in that it is targeted at not only teaching your child how to read, but also making reading fun.  The app contains many levels of interactivity which caters nicely to the age of the child.  With a dedicated ‘Parents’ Corner’, the App provides an exceptional way to involve both parents and children.  The first episode is free, so if you have an iPad and young children, Deskplorers is a must-try App.
 
-MICHAEL STROUD, EXECUTIVE EDITOR - APPS