Playground HD2 - Smart Kids Edition. 6 logic games for kids aged 4-7 years in 1 App. - Fun Educational Apps for Kids: Reviews, Daily Deals and Giveaways

Playground HD2 is another great game app for your kids in the Playground HD series by Jan Essig. It includes a nice collection of games that are fun, challenging and educational, ideal for every child from 3 years old to adult. This app features some timeless classic such as TICTACTOE, CONNECT 4 and MASTERMIND and 3 other new and original games. We are sure all parent will love the timer for a set playtime to let your kids play and learn the fun way for a controlled time screen!

Playground HD2 has been reviewed by several reviewers at Review for Dev. Overall, it is a great game app offering six different games to reinforce math and strategy skills. The app includes some timeless classic such as TicTacToe - Connect 4 and Mastermind as well as new and original games such as Shell Game/Thimberling; Numbers and Mills (iPAd version only). Parents will be delighted to know that Playground HD2 offers a timer! Set the play time and the app will stop automatically! Opinion varies from one user to the other and some of the best comments includes: “This game has something for everyone and is a great multi-language learning tool.”; “an application with lot of potential”; “Very nice graphics, animations, and characters throughout the games in this app”; “I love this app! If you are in the therapy room, there are multiple games to use for reinforcement”.

On the downside, few users experienced bug ... the developers is working on it. Although the games are fun, easy to play the design is quite linear.

Below, you will find all the comments from the reviewers are Review for Dev.

Playground HD2 - Smart Kids Edition. 6 logic games for kids aged 4-7 years in 1 App. is available for download via the iTunes App Store - Universal App

If you want to try before buying - Lite version available

From Review for Dev:

Jennifer R.: My name is Jennifer Rising and I am a mathematics coach for the Antioch School District in Antioch, Illinois. I have taught math using technology for over 15 years now and have pioneered the use of iPads in the classroom since they were first introduced. I also have a 3 year old grandson who is happy to try new apps anytime!

Rating
What I liked	The six different activities have something for every child from 3 years old to adult. The Numbers game teaches children their numbers in three different ways - matching numerals to objects, writing the numerals 1-10, and counting objects and choosing the correct numeral, which is great practice! The Shell game is great for teaching children to focus. The Mills and Mastermind games require much more strategy and thought, and kept some teenagers entertained.
Suggestions	This app has some activities that are for the very youngest students who are learning to count to 10, all the way up to advanced strategy games like Mills and Mastermind. It just feels like too big of a stretch for ages 4-7 (as in the description.) It would be nice to have some more mid-level games to make it easier to appeal to all ages.
General opinion	This is a fun app that teaches math and strategy skills for preschoolers to much older students. The Numbers game teaches children their numbers in three different ways - matching numerals to objects, writing the numerals 1-10, and counting objects and choosing the correct numeral, which is great practice! There is even a Shell game that young children can understand and enjoy. Mastermind and Mills games teach great strategy skills!

Emily B.: I'm a self-employed, full-time mom who really digs technology, but not half as much as my kids do. We all covet private time with the various devices populating our household. I'm very particular about the apps my children use, and carefully review every single one before I let them play, read or experience it.

Rating
What I liked	The design for this app is clean and friendly. I liked the non-fussy aspect of the icons, and my kids liked the friendliness of the starfish, robot heads, puppies, etc. The selection of the games was excellent; in other words, there were several that my 4 year-old could enjoy, and there were also a few (notably "Mills" and "Mastermind") that my 9 year-old (who is REALLY into strategy games) found challenging. In fact, I found those games challenging! In the middle, my 7 year-old enjoyed "Connect Four." The voice-over for the "Numbers" game was pleasant and easy to understand.
Suggestions	The design of this app is almost too rationalized (i.e., linear and boxed in) so it's clean, but also somewhat boring. We would have liked it if the easier games (like TicTacToe and the Shell game) got a little more challenging every time the player "wins" -- if this is the case, it wasn't obvious to me. It would also be helpful to have the instructions to the games vocalized, for the pre-literate players.
General opinion	As a parent, I give a standing ovation to any app that allows me to set a timer that will automatically shut down the app when the time is up. Well done, app developer! Playground 2 has a selection of games that will appeal to a young child all the way up to adults (no need to stop with older children!) who enjoy strategy. There are games familiar to Americans (Connect Four) and novel ones (it's the first time I've played a game like Mills).

Andy B.: #fourlittletesters ~ Jake, Ethan, Finn & Poppy here to help #iPad #kidsapps developers w/ testing & constructive feedback ~ w/ @andybattle ~ Find us on Facebook Perth, Australia · http://fourlittletesters.tumblr.com

Rating
What I liked	- Child friendly Settings menus across the board - comendable - liked the characters & symbols ( fish, shell etc) - Liked how the shell game got progressively harder - liked the character representing the computer - I liked how you gave stars for accuracy on number drawing game. - my kids love mastermind, we have the original set, classic game, love the use of fish :) - your instructions are the best, very clear and step by step. - i really like the two player score keeper, reminds me of air hockey matches :) - i love the rate this app page, especially the Noooooooo! - Liked the no of games
Suggestions	- lacks opening or background music? - the lack of sound/music overall, feels very stark, formal and hollow, needs some fun or somthing - voice sounded clear, but very digital, not that friendly - Dice didn't actually reflect dice symbols for 3 - drawing numbers - why does this not have the same tap navigation for next number - also it lets you continue without getting the number right. - mills seemed a complex game, fun but complex - I think you should have stuck to ocean theme, dogs and cats seem a bit random. - with 8 games, could you not fit them on one page?
General opinion	Playground HD 2 is great collection of classic childhood games, which provides a good range of complexity for our various children's ages. The classic 'Shell game' was a nice surprise and kept the kids engaged. Our favourite game in the collection was 'Fishy' Mastermind which was really well executed and lots of fun. This game has something for everyone and is a great multi-language learning tool.

Nathalie C.: I'm a digital publishing consultant involved in apps for kids conception and improvment. I run an app review website, www.declickids.fr. I'm also a mother of 2 kids, the eldest one, Ulysse, helping me out with reviews. My secret plan is to make app's world better for kids all over the world, on app at a time (and your's is next !) ;)

Rating
What I liked	> The games are all nice and clean and work well. They can interest kids of different ages. > The "hold" protection to prevent little fingers to go into the parameters page is a nice feature. > Some games are playable by 2 players and this is very nice.
Suggestions	> Bug ? Parameters page is empty and crashes the app. > Options (vs computer or vs partner) are not clearly enough offered > Please note, as a side note, that the way you displayed the dots on tiles might not be the way some teachers will prefer to show dots. Most of them prefer to show dots from 1 to 6 as shown on dice.
General opinion	Playgroud HD2 is an application with lot of potential, that need to correct some (few) bugs. Might be good also to add some introductory tutorial section for all games, for kids to understand what is is all about. And maybe to create an "easy" level for the last (and very difficult) game. As a side note, I can also tell you that I also tested the French version, and the French text is quite bad everywhere :-)

Tony B.: I live in the Los Angeles, CA area and I'm a TV applications developer. I spend a lot of time dealing with interfaces and analyzing details of what would be best for a user. I am married with a newborn.

Rating
What I liked	Graphics look really nice. Animations and other motion graphics generally look very good and professional. The characters in each of the games added some interest to the experience. I could see these games being very useful to children either learning or just for fun. The icon is good and the presentation in the App Store is also done very well.
Suggestions	From the tic-tac-toe game, to go back there is a folded page tab on the top right, if you swipe it down you should see an animation peeling back the page. Settings button told me to press and hold for 3 seconds then went to a blank screen. I had to quit the app and reopen. Slight shift between splash screen and home screen.
General opinion	Very nice graphics, animations, and characters throughout the games in this app. The games were all very easy to play and generally easy to learn quickly. There were a few minor bugs and a few minor chances for improvements, but this app could be very fun and a bit informative for children. Not sure it is worth the price with the small number of games though.

Jose F.: I am an elementary school teacher that is hooked on exploring and finding new apps with which to engage my students. I work with fourth grade students, but also have a strong interest in photography. Since most of the apps I use are for work and/or to aid in my productivity, those are the types of apps I prefer to work with and review.

Rating
What I liked	I like the games and the variety of the games. The two player aspect adds to the variety and options of game play available. I also really enjoyed the complexity of the games as those helped make the games a lot more interesting for my more advanced students who were really challenged by the Mills and Mastermind games. I also really liked the timed option, which gives adults control over how long the child plays.
Suggestions	I really enjoyed the game but would have liked to have had more options for some of the characters. I guess I just felt cheated because I really liked how the robot's character looked for games like TacTacToe and Connect Four, which I get it, it's the computer, but I just found that character really cool and would have liked to have had the option to play as the robot. But really it wasn't anything that deterred my students or me from playing any of the games.
General opinion	It's a nice game with a bit of a twist on some classics like TicTacToe and Connect Four. The characters are very cute and playful, and therefor give the games an air of innocence. There is a great option for parents and teachers to time how long the child is allowed to play. The best thing is that the difficulty level varies tremendously making it apt for a variety of children and learners. Mills and Mastermind are great games even for adults.

Stan A.: I am a blogger and I have a 5 year old who lives with me and is able to test apps. I enjoy a wide variety of apps. I really like challenging games, photography, children's apps, apps that make or save money, books, etc.

Rating
What I liked	I like the variety of games in this app. TICTACTOE and CONNECT 4 are both games that I enjoyed as a child and it fun to introduce them to my daughter. It is nice that these games have the option of playing two players so parents can play them with their children. I love the number games especially the one that gives instructions about how to draw.
Suggestions	There seems to be a pretty major bug while using my iPhone 4 with iOS 6.0.1. Each time I try to go to the settings all I can find is a blank blue page. Exiting the app and starting it again brings me back to the blank page. In order to get back into the app I need to completely end the session. Sometimes the tiles get stuck in the two NUMBERS games with tiles and the app has to be restarted. The fish game seems really hard for children. Some optional hints for the younger players would be nice.
General opinion	This app has some very fun and educational games. My daughter and I really like to play the two player games together that I used to play as a kid. There are some excellent educational numbers games as well. I especially like the game that teaches children how to actually draw the numbers. I have not been able to use the timer function on iPhone due to a bug. Overall I think this app is a good value.

Playground HD22

Jennifer K.: I am a school based SLP working with elementary students (PK-gr 4). I also have 3 kids who use apps at home (ages 17 mths, 5 and 8). My students & kids love the iPod and iPad and use it daily. I use a wide variety of educational apps within my job. I am the SLP who tests out apps to see if they would be beneficial for everyone in our district.

Rating
What I liked	I really enjoyed the variety of games that were available on this app. The classic tic tac toe and connect four games were a favorite for my children (both at home as well as at school). They enjoyed using their thinking skills in order to play the shell and master mind games. The numbers game was perfect for my 4K students to work on reinforcing number sense. I also enjoyed that you were able to set a time limit within the settings for the amount of time your child could play the game.
Suggestions	I think it would be nice if children could have the ability to select their own specific "characters" for the game pieces. Another game that I would want to add to the wishlist for future versions would be mancala. My kids enjoy the board game version of that and I have had a challenging time finding a good iPad version for kids.
General opinion	I really enjoyed the variety of games that were available on this app such as tic tac toe and connect four. My kids enjoyed using their thinking skills with the shell and master mind games. I found the mill game to be very confusing to explain to my kids. The best part of the app was being able to set a timer within the settings for the amount of time my kids could play the app. Overall, I believe this app has a lot of options for the price.

Courtney D.: My name is Courtney and I am an SLP. I love working with children of all ages, but find I have a particular passion for children with special needs. I love technology and the impact it can have on the students in the therapy room.

Rating
What I liked	This is an app that can be used for entertainment, but also for reinforcement within the therapy room. That is a great thing! I love the variety of activities the user can partake in. I love the multi-player capability as well. This is an app that is for younger kids; however. I enjoy playing it as we'll. the problem solving in some apps and the simple enjoyment of others make this an app that can keep a wide range of users coming back for more!
Suggestions	I wish the stars in mastermind were consistent with the placement. It is confusing when the white star or gray stars rotate placement. I wish there was more assistance for games that require strategy. For the younger kids, that might be necessary to understand the task. I know there are instructions, but a hint or play-by-play mode might be useful. I have little to complain about, really, because I enjoy the app!
General opinion	I love this app! If you are in the therapy room, there are multiple games to use for reinforcement. If you want a game/activity that can entertain your child, then this is for you, too! Problem solving and simple strategy allow for enjoyment and fun! This is a must have app!

Christie E.: Hello everyone! My name is Christie Eckstrom. I am 35 years old and live in MN. I am a Special Education teacher and love working with kids. I work with children from age 4 up through 13. I also tutor students after school. Other things I enjoy are traveling, reading, gaming, and spending quality time with my new husband of one year.

Rating
What I liked	I loved everything about this app! I work with students in 1st and 2nd grades. The numbers section is great for one on one practice with them. My students are also at that age that they love to play tic tac toe again and again. The app gives them that option without me having to sit right next to them and use up numerous pieces of paper. I myself had never played the Mills game before and found I really enjoy it as it is a little more challenging. My students are very excited and ask for this app if there are a few minutes left at the end of class.
Suggestions	I really loved everything about this app. There is only one thing I saw that I could see improved or put on a wish list. I would love to see the numbers section go up to higher numbers. This app is perfect for kids of all ages and the higher grades work on numbers up above 10.
General opinion	This app is perfect for students, and even adults of any age. I find I pull it out when I am out and about and have just a couple minutes of down time. My students ask for it because they love the variety of games. It doesn't take a lot of directions, which is great for the younger students. They can play many of my favorite games from growing up, yet I don't have to store the boxes anywhere or have the struggle of clean up when done.

Disclaimer: Guest review from our partner Reviewfordev.com and Fun Educational Apps was paid an admin fee for its publication.

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Playground HD2 - Smart Kids Edition. 6 logic games for kids aged 4-7 years in 1 App.

Rating
What I liked	The six different activities have something for every child from 3 years old to adult. The Numbers game teaches children their numbers in three different ways - matching numerals to objects, writing the numerals 1-10, and counting objects and choosing the correct numeral, which is great practice! The Shell game is great for teaching children to focus. The Mills and Mastermind games require much more strategy and thought, and kept some teenagers entertained.
Suggestions	This app has some activities that are for the very youngest students who are learning to count to 10, all the way up to advanced strategy games like Mills and Mastermind. It just feels like too big of a stretch for ages 4-7 (as in the description.) It would be nice to have some more mid-level games to make it easier to appeal to all ages.
General opinion	This is a fun app that teaches math and strategy skills for preschoolers to much older students. The Numbers game teaches children their numbers in three different ways - matching numerals to objects, writing the numerals 1-10, and counting objects and choosing the correct numeral, which is great practice! There is even a Shell game that young children can understand and enjoy. Mastermind and Mills games teach great strategy skills!

Rating
What I liked	The design for this app is clean and friendly. I liked the non-fussy aspect of the icons, and my kids liked the friendliness of the starfish, robot heads, puppies, etc. The selection of the games was excellent; in other words, there were several that my 4 year-old could enjoy, and there were also a few (notably "Mills" and "Mastermind") that my 9 year-old (who is REALLY into strategy games) found challenging. In fact, I found those games challenging! In the middle, my 7 year-old enjoyed "Connect Four." The voice-over for the "Numbers" game was pleasant and easy to understand.
Suggestions	The design of this app is almost too rationalized (i.e., linear and boxed in) so it's clean, but also somewhat boring. We would have liked it if the easier games (like TicTacToe and the Shell game) got a little more challenging every time the player "wins" -- if this is the case, it wasn't obvious to me. It would also be helpful to have the instructions to the games vocalized, for the pre-literate players.
General opinion	As a parent, I give a standing ovation to any app that allows me to set a timer that will automatically shut down the app when the time is up. Well done, app developer! Playground 2 has a selection of games that will appeal to a young child all the way up to adults (no need to stop with older children!) who enjoy strategy. There are games familiar to Americans (Connect Four) and novel ones (it's the first time I've played a game like Mills).

Rating
What I liked	- Child friendly Settings menus across the board - comendable - liked the characters & symbols ( fish, shell etc) - Liked how the shell game got progressively harder - liked the character representing the computer - I liked how you gave stars for accuracy on number drawing game. - my kids love mastermind, we have the original set, classic game, love the use of fish :) - your instructions are the best, very clear and step by step. - i really like the two player score keeper, reminds me of air hockey matches :) - i love the rate this app page, especially the Noooooooo! - Liked the no of games
Suggestions	- lacks opening or background music? - the lack of sound/music overall, feels very stark, formal and hollow, needs some fun or somthing - voice sounded clear, but very digital, not that friendly - Dice didn't actually reflect dice symbols for 3 - drawing numbers - why does this not have the same tap navigation for next number - also it lets you continue without getting the number right. - mills seemed a complex game, fun but complex - I think you should have stuck to ocean theme, dogs and cats seem a bit random. - with 8 games, could you not fit them on one page?
General opinion	Playground HD 2 is great collection of classic childhood games, which provides a good range of complexity for our various children's ages. The classic 'Shell game' was a nice surprise and kept the kids engaged. Our favourite game in the collection was 'Fishy' Mastermind which was really well executed and lots of fun. This game has something for everyone and is a great multi-language learning tool.

Rating
What I liked	> The games are all nice and clean and work well. They can interest kids of different ages. > The "hold" protection to prevent little fingers to go into the parameters page is a nice feature. > Some games are playable by 2 players and this is very nice.
Suggestions	> Bug ? Parameters page is empty and crashes the app. > Options (vs computer or vs partner) are not clearly enough offered > Please note, as a side note, that the way you displayed the dots on tiles might not be the way some teachers will prefer to show dots. Most of them prefer to show dots from 1 to 6 as shown on dice.
General opinion	Playgroud HD2 is an application with lot of potential, that need to correct some (few) bugs. Might be good also to add some introductory tutorial section for all games, for kids to understand what is is all about. And maybe to create an "easy" level for the last (and very difficult) game. As a side note, I can also tell you that I also tested the French version, and the French text is quite bad everywhere :-)

Rating
What I liked	Graphics look really nice. Animations and other motion graphics generally look very good and professional. The characters in each of the games added some interest to the experience. I could see these games being very useful to children either learning or just for fun. The icon is good and the presentation in the App Store is also done very well.
Suggestions	From the tic-tac-toe game, to go back there is a folded page tab on the top right, if you swipe it down you should see an animation peeling back the page. Settings button told me to press and hold for 3 seconds then went to a blank screen. I had to quit the app and reopen. Slight shift between splash screen and home screen.
General opinion	Very nice graphics, animations, and characters throughout the games in this app. The games were all very easy to play and generally easy to learn quickly. There were a few minor bugs and a few minor chances for improvements, but this app could be very fun and a bit informative for children. Not sure it is worth the price with the small number of games though.

Rating
What I liked	I like the games and the variety of the games. The two player aspect adds to the variety and options of game play available. I also really enjoyed the complexity of the games as those helped make the games a lot more interesting for my more advanced students who were really challenged by the Mills and Mastermind games. I also really liked the timed option, which gives adults control over how long the child plays.
Suggestions	I really enjoyed the game but would have liked to have had more options for some of the characters. I guess I just felt cheated because I really liked how the robot's character looked for games like TacTacToe and Connect Four, which I get it, it's the computer, but I just found that character really cool and would have liked to have had the option to play as the robot. But really it wasn't anything that deterred my students or me from playing any of the games.
General opinion	It's a nice game with a bit of a twist on some classics like TicTacToe and Connect Four. The characters are very cute and playful, and therefor give the games an air of innocence. There is a great option for parents and teachers to time how long the child is allowed to play. The best thing is that the difficulty level varies tremendously making it apt for a variety of children and learners. Mills and Mastermind are great games even for adults.

Rating
What I liked	I like the variety of games in this app. TICTACTOE and CONNECT 4 are both games that I enjoyed as a child and it fun to introduce them to my daughter. It is nice that these games have the option of playing two players so parents can play them with their children. I love the number games especially the one that gives instructions about how to draw.
Suggestions	There seems to be a pretty major bug while using my iPhone 4 with iOS 6.0.1. Each time I try to go to the settings all I can find is a blank blue page. Exiting the app and starting it again brings me back to the blank page. In order to get back into the app I need to completely end the session. Sometimes the tiles get stuck in the two NUMBERS games with tiles and the app has to be restarted. The fish game seems really hard for children. Some optional hints for the younger players would be nice.
General opinion	This app has some very fun and educational games. My daughter and I really like to play the two player games together that I used to play as a kid. There are some excellent educational numbers games as well. I especially like the game that teaches children how to actually draw the numbers. I have not been able to use the timer function on iPhone due to a bug. Overall I think this app is a good value.

Rating
What I liked	I really enjoyed the variety of games that were available on this app. The classic tic tac toe and connect four games were a favorite for my children (both at home as well as at school). They enjoyed using their thinking skills in order to play the shell and master mind games. The numbers game was perfect for my 4K students to work on reinforcing number sense. I also enjoyed that you were able to set a time limit within the settings for the amount of time your child could play the game.
Suggestions	I think it would be nice if children could have the ability to select their own specific "characters" for the game pieces. Another game that I would want to add to the wishlist for future versions would be mancala. My kids enjoy the board game version of that and I have had a challenging time finding a good iPad version for kids.
General opinion	I really enjoyed the variety of games that were available on this app such as tic tac toe and connect four. My kids enjoyed using their thinking skills with the shell and master mind games. I found the mill game to be very confusing to explain to my kids. The best part of the app was being able to set a timer within the settings for the amount of time my kids could play the app. Overall, I believe this app has a lot of options for the price.

Rating
What I liked	This is an app that can be used for entertainment, but also for reinforcement within the therapy room. That is a great thing! I love the variety of activities the user can partake in. I love the multi-player capability as well. This is an app that is for younger kids; however. I enjoy playing it as we'll. the problem solving in some apps and the simple enjoyment of others make this an app that can keep a wide range of users coming back for more!
Suggestions	I wish the stars in mastermind were consistent with the placement. It is confusing when the white star or gray stars rotate placement. I wish there was more assistance for games that require strategy. For the younger kids, that might be necessary to understand the task. I know there are instructions, but a hint or play-by-play mode might be useful. I have little to complain about, really, because I enjoy the app!
General opinion	I love this app! If you are in the therapy room, there are multiple games to use for reinforcement. If you want a game/activity that can entertain your child, then this is for you, too! Problem solving and simple strategy allow for enjoyment and fun! This is a must have app!

Rating
What I liked	I loved everything about this app! I work with students in 1st and 2nd grades. The numbers section is great for one on one practice with them. My students are also at that age that they love to play tic tac toe again and again. The app gives them that option without me having to sit right next to them and use up numerous pieces of paper. I myself had never played the Mills game before and found I really enjoy it as it is a little more challenging. My students are very excited and ask for this app if there are a few minutes left at the end of class.
Suggestions	I really loved everything about this app. There is only one thing I saw that I could see improved or put on a wish list. I would love to see the numbers section go up to higher numbers. This app is perfect for kids of all ages and the higher grades work on numbers up above 10.
General opinion	This app is perfect for students, and even adults of any age. I find I pull it out when I am out and about and have just a couple minutes of down time. My students ask for it because they love the variety of games. It doesn't take a lot of directions, which is great for the younger students. They can play many of my favorite games from growing up, yet I don't have to store the boxes anywhere or have the struggle of clean up when done.

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