I Spy Spooky Mansion & I Spy Riddle Race

These two I Spy apps (Spooky Mansion & Riddle Race) bring the concept of the Scholastic I Spy books to your iPhone. The idea is to search a picture and locate all the objects mentioned in a riddle.

In I Spy Spooky Mansion you are going to search for objects to solve twenty-one riddles. You’ll earn keys that will unlock a gate keeping you inside the spooky mansion. The riddles are read aloud and then you’ll want to use your finger on the screen to zoom in and pan around trying to locate what is asked for. When you’ve found a hidden object,  tap on it and it’s name will be highlighted in the riddle. I Spy Riddle Race is a bit different. It has two modes, “Practice” or “Race”. In “Practice” you can take your time solving a riddle and finding everything hidden in the pictures. This is a good mode for younger players. In the “Race” mode you’ll be trying to solve three riddles and a bonus round within ten minutes. As you’re doing this you’ll be earning points and at the end you can keep track of your high scores.  There are twenty different race game boards, each with three riddles. Here you can also zoom in and pan around the picture using your finger.

One problem that I had with these apps was the time it took to register a found item. I’d tap on something and it took a second for the app to record my finding. Then I had to wait while it was read aloud. This is great for kids that don’t know how to read but it slows things down on the Riddle Race when trying to beat the clock.  Having the option to turn off the voice over would be nice.

Between the two apps I enjoyed Riddle Race the best. I have to admit though that I was never able to finish a game board in under ten minutes. I always managed to get stuck trying to find one elusive object or another. I feel that these apps will be too difficult for younger players and too easy for older ones. In my opinion they are best suited for players between 5 and 10. Take that for what it’s worth because it’s based on nothing other than my opinion and how my own kids handled the apps.

Overall I thought the apps were well executed and if your kids are into the I Spy books you’ll probably want to check them out. They are the same price but you’ll get more puzzles for your money with I Spy Riddle Race.

Price when Reviewed: $3.99 (both apps)

I Spy Spooky Mansion

I Spy Riddle Race

Seller: Scholastic Interactive, LLC

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