Hocus Pocus Alfie Atkins

Alfie Atkins is building a treehouse so that he can reach a gift that his imaginary friend, Malcolm, left for him on a cloud. You can help him by finding/earning boards for him. If this sounds weird to you, that's okay--it struck me as a little odd too. Hocus Pocus Alfie Atkins is based on the movie version of a beloved Swedish book series. I'm guessing the whole premise might have made more sense if we had already read the books. But that's okay--a little oddness never hurt anyone. And, of course, Brooklyn thought nothing of it anyway.

We downloaded the free version with limited content (which actually explains the premise better) and she was immediately smitten. Alfie is a lovable character, with lots of interesting friends, and there are nine or ten mini-games to play within this app. I did, in the end, shell out $3.99 for the full version of the app, because Brooklyn took me on a tour of the free version and showed me all the things she and Alfie do together and the things she wanted to do. She was passionate and focused, but more importantly, I was really impressed with her navigation skills: she was clicking all over that app, as if she had designed it... First to the game to show me how to play, then out of the game to see what reward she had earned. Back to the treehouse to see how to build/decorate with her reward, and then over to the park where Alfie was singing and dancing with his friends. When I tried to do it later, it took me AGES to figure it all out.

I see multiple benefits to letting my daughters play with an app like this: first, as just mentioned, there is their technological know-how and ease with computers. There is no realm of society or job market in which my girls won't need computer skills. As she was playing today, I could see her learning. For example, she kept asking me where specific letters are: "Mom! Where's the 'P'?!" I didn't need to think about it: "Top row, on the right." "Where's the 'V'?" "Bottom row, middle..." Very soon--much sooner than I needed it--she is going to need at least that level of digital expertise. The more she plays around, the more comfortable she gets.

Another thing I like about this app are the mini-games offered. There are a nice variety of skills practiced in each of these, from memory to fine-motor to rhythm. Some of the games are open-ended and encourage creativity, like Dance, in which Alfie and his friends move to either a pre-recorded rhythm or to one you provide. Brooklyn, naturally, chose to sing a song of her own creating into the iPad microphone. Treasure Hunt is a concentration game in which you are shown where some bits of treasure and some trash ("rubbish," in the app's British-English) is buried and then it is covered up again. You take turns, playing against either one of Alfie's friends or one of your real friends, trying to find the treasure again. Cook is just like any of the ever-popular food preparation apps that kids this age find so fascinating... Alfie is making stew for his dad. You choose the ingredients, chop them up, add them to the pot, season it just right (careful not to add the insects, or Dad will pronounce it, "... Interesting...") and then ladle it into bowls without spilling any on the table.

The pace and narration of Hocus Pocus Alfie Atkins is just right. When you get something wrong, he matter-of-factly tells you so, without talking down or saying anything cutesy. If you spill some stew onto the table while ladling it into the bowls, Dad's voice says, "Whoops, you spilled a little. Careful, now!" You can do any of the games over again, or you always have the choice to move on to a different game.

This is a nice app for preschoolers and kindergartners. I think mine will come back to it again and again. Best of all, there is a reset button in the settings, so I can tear down the treehouse once Brooklyn gets to the secret gift in the sky. Then she (or perhaps her sister) can start all over again!