We Discover Africa: Safari Quest from Kindermatica is brand new in the iTunes store today. The game combines elements of the traditional board game with an educational quiz that is suitable for all ages from preschool to adult.
The opening screen has an information button where you can see the rules of the game and find out what all the different icons on the board mean. (They are fairly self-explanatory, but it is great to have a handy reference.) You can also select your language from English, Russian, German, Spanish and Serbian. You can also access this information at any time via the settings icon that appears in the top right of the screen.
How to Play
The game is played in much the same way as most board games: spin the the dice and move your counter. Your token moves forward to land on all sorts of surprises. Along the way you collect special tools, answer questions, and take photos. There are also some shortcuts, obstacles and a few other surprises. The winner of the game is the first to collect seven different animal photos and then reach the finish line.
Players need to select from 2, 3 or 4 players. You can then set the icon for each player (male, female or computer) and the difficulty level for the quiz questions (easy, medium, hard). Sample questions for each level are included in the slideshow below. We found the questions to be interesting and challenging (at our various levels) and we also learned some interesting facts about the animals in the game.
Each player sees the board from their own perspective, and so the little search icon in the lower right corner will give you a birds-eye view of the board any time you wish to see where everyone is on the board.
What I Love
Customising – I love that you can customise this game so that your younger players can play against older players on a level playing field.
Artwork – The graphics are beautiful and have a real African feel. Everything from the Lion and Rhinoceros that greet you on the main screen to the wooden “stepping stones” takes you straight to Africa.
Wish List
Reference Materials – we would love to be able to read some information about each of the animals either before playing the game or after. Some of the questions were really tricky, which made them interesting, and my children wanted to find out more. I believe this feature is being considered
Verdict
This is a game that allows children (and adults) of different ages and ability levels to play on an equal playing field. It is a great way to learn about African animals and even more important, a wonderful game for some family “together time.” There are more than enough twists, turns and surprises to keep all the family interested and entertained. I’m also keeping this one handy as a pass and play game for long car trips, as I can guarantee my children won’t lose pieces as they pass it around our car. The format of this game would be suitable for all kinds of subjects, so I hope to see more from the same developer. Thanks to the developer for allowing me to preview the game for this review.
Developer: Kindermatica
Universal. Requires iOS 6.0 and above
Price: $4.99 (Aus)
On Sarah's iPad 
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