Hide & Seek HD

Hide & Seek HD is a cute version of the classic game of the same name. For the record I must admit that I’m biased towards virtual Hide & Seek games. The real version has been banned from our house although my kids still continually ask to play it. Just gives me practice saying no. Our house is not large and the hiding places are pretty sparse. The games always quickly deteriorate into a wild rumpus and cooperation and fair game play go out the window. My daughters (ages 8 & 11) would not be satisfied with an app as a replacement Hide & Seek but I think it would keep my son happy for awhile. This game is geared more towards toddlers but I think it should appeal to younger preschoolers.

The app is presented as a story. A child is playing hide and seek, looking for his friends. The words to the story appear at the top of the screen and there is also narration. The story will tell your child where to look for the hiders and their hiding spots will shake on the screen. If your child taps on one of the spots an animal will appear. Once they have found the two animals that are hiding on the page it’s time to move on to the next screen. In addition to the shaking hiding spots screens have small animations and if you tap in certain spots there are a few surprises to be found. You can also tap on an animal to hear it’s sound.

The app’s scenes play out in different rooms of a house. At the time I tested Hide & Seek there were five scenes to explore and I’d love to see more in a future update. Once your child has discovered all the animals they can play the game again. The hiding spots don’t change but the animals involved in the game do. The app also alternates between a girl and a boy who are playing the game. I know the hiding spots are tied in with the story but it would be great to also get some variety with those. The Hide & Seek artwork has a quirky feel to it and I like the way it looked on my iPad screen.

There are several versions of Hide & Seek available in the App Store. I tried out Hide & Seek HD which has been designed for the iPad. There is also a free Hide & Seek HD Lite available for a trial. For the iPhone the app is called Hide & Seek for kids. There is a lite version and a Korean version available for the iPhone.

Price when Reviewed: $2.99 for iPad, $1.99 for iPhone

See the app in iTunes

Seller: ideatory

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review