App review : Peter Rabbit: Let's Go!

First published in 1901, Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit has never been out of print since. It's a timeless classic and the newest generation of fans has been won over by the CGI animated TV series for preschoolers, based on the books. This popular series has in turn been the basis for a new mobile game by independent game developer No Yetis Allowed, available for download on The App Store and Google Play. 

 Mischievous, charming and brave, Peter is a hero who overcomes obstacles, outwits predators and avoids danger as he embarks on a series of exciting adventures with his best friends Benjamin and Lily. The Peter Rabbit: Let’s Go! game brings the Beatrix Potter favourite and his friends to life using vibrant 3D graphics and will surprise and delight young fans of the TV series.

Packed with features, the game enables parents and children to spend time together exploring and interacting with the magical world of Peter Rabbit and his friends. Young players can join Peter and his friends Benjamin and Lily in their search for the pages of Peter’s dad’s lost journal, exploring a multitude of iconic landmarks and locations, including Mr McGregor’s Garden, Mr Tod’s house and Peter Rabbit’s home.

 Many of the interactive activities have an educational aspect and include fun spelling games, music tasks, number challenges and creative picture colouring. Children can have fun with:

● Vegetable raids in Mr McGregor’s garden

● Pinecone bowling at the Squirrel Camp

● Ladybird hunting (watch out for the bees!)

● Strawberry raids at Mr Tod’s house

● Shape-matching games outside Peter Rabbit’s home

● Jeremy Fisher’s musical game

● Lift, bounce and throw blocks around Peter Rabbit’s home

● Balloon bouncing and bursting fun up in the secret treehouse

● Have fun with a toy train in Peter Rabbit’s bedroom

Peter Rabbit: Let’s Go! aims to give fans of the Peter Rabbit TV series the most authentic experience possible, including the use of stunning high-quality 3D graphics that mirror the art style of the hit TV show, as well as the use of the original voice talent, bringing the personality of each character to life. Players can also tap and swipe characters to trigger dialogue options and animations – or tickle them just for fun! Another huge bonus point for parents - Peter Rabbit: Let’s Go! features no in-app purchases or adverts, meaning parents can let their child play without the fear of additional payments.

Here at The Madhouse, Pierre - the namesake of the French version of Peter Rabbit, Pierre Lapin - was delighted to enter the animated world "just like on TV" through the game and interact with the cute bunnies. The mini games are quick and simple to play so even very young children will get the hang of them very quickly. He also loved the extra Peter Rabbit-themed goodies that we received to celebrate the new game, including a cute Hopping Peter Rabbit toy (complete with wiggly ears), an activity book and an adventure pack of play figurines.

Download Peter Rabbit: Let’s Go! from the App Store or the Google Play Store.

Disclosure : We received a download code and some Peter Rabbit toys in order to write an honest review.

Slither.io toys review

Have you heard of Slither.io? If you don't know what I'm talking about, ask your tween or teenager and the chances are, they probably have. Worldwide, the free-to-play browser and app game is an enormous gaming phenomenon and YouTube influencer favourite with 12 billion worldwide gameplays in the last six months alone. 60% of British 0-14 year olds have downloaded Slither.io and 124 million games are played a month in the UK.

I asked Pierre and sure enough, he knew all about it and has the game installed on his ipad (so I must have installed it for him but I'd forgotten all about it !). It is a simple but addictive game that involves making colourful snakes then swirling them around the screen, eating everybody else's until you've got the biggest one in the game or someone else eats you.

Fans of the game will be over the moon to learn that a range of Slither.io branded toys have slithered into the UK. The toy range includes collectable Slither.io creatures and bendable plush toys. Created with the uniquely colourful features recognisable from Slither.io, they are the must-have toys for legions of fans. Available at affordable prices, they are also great for stocking fillers and gifts.

Blind bags (RRP £3.99) are always popular pocket money buys for children because it's exciting not knowing which creature you will get to add to your collection until you get home from the shop. Each bag contains one mystery bendable Slither.io figure, including rare and ultra-rares. In the game, there are hundreds of different “skins” to attain but Series 1 of the bendable toys contains 15 different Slithers, including a super rare skin to enhance collectability.

Mystery mini Slither.io Squishies (RRP £3.99) are adorable squishies that come in hexagonal pots. As well as being very cute, they are highly Collectable with 15 versions in Series 1, including 2 x rare and 1 x ultra rare.

The Slither.io bendable 3-pack with two mystery slithers has an RRP of £10.99. It features one mystery Slither along with the two already showing their true colours.

And finally, our favourite, the 8” bendable Slither.io plush (£9.99). They are cute and cuddly Slithers that both kids and collectors will adore, featuring a choice of eight assorted fan-favourite colours from the game.

Father Christmas, I hope you're paying attention !

for more information : http://www.wind-designs.com/indoor/collectables/slither-io.html

Disclosure : We received the products in order to write an honest review

The Famous Five Adventure Game App

Enid Blyton was one of my favourite authors when I was growing up and I'd spend hours lying on my bed (or on the swing hammock in the garden during the summer holidays - the hours I spent on that thing with my nose in a book!), immersed in the adventures of the Famous Five and the Secret Seven. The first book in the Famous Five series, Five on a Treasure Island, was written all the way back in 1942 - this year marks the 75th anniversary of its release - and since then, generations of kids have followed the adventures of Julian, Dick, Anne, Georgina (or George as she prefers to be known) and Timmy the dog. With a few tweaks along the way (unsurprisingly Aunt Fanny has been rebaptised Aunt Frances/Franny and some of the outdated and now sexist remarks have been removed), the exciting storylines and adventures have retained all of their charm and appeal. This week saw the release of a brand new Famous Five Adventure Game app, which will undoubtedly introduce the characters and the books to a whole new audience.

The app, created by award winning games developer Kuato Studios, is a brilliant mix of animated story, games and reading practice. It is designed to be very appealing to children (aged about 9-11) but also parents, with useful features such as the possibility of limiting the amount of time that your children can play - you have the choice of 15, 30, 60 minutes or unlimited.

One of my favourite things about reading the books was the detailed descriptions of the locations, which meant that you could really immerse yourself in the stories, imagining the rocky coves, rundown cottages, craggy islands and fishing villages that the five friends visited. This really comes through in the app, with locations that fans of the books will undoubtedly recognise, including the castle ruins on Kirrin Island and Tapper’s travelling fair..

There is the same mix of friendly and not-so-friendly characters as in the books too, along with familiar faces that you might recognise from the stories. Throughout the game, players can discover mysterious clues and question suspicious characters to solve the intriguing mysteries, just like the Famous Five.

The app encourages you to be inquisitive and curious, as well as put your thinking cap on to find solutions to problems and mysteries. The positive values associated with the books, such as friendship, heroism and a sense of adventure, are all promoted.

It's not just great fun to play, it's also educational, developing language and puzzle solving skills. The app also encourages reading, both within the app and, once you've finished playing, moving on to discover the book series. I'm sure even reluctant readers will be enthusiastic about following further adventures of the Famous Five in book form after playing.

Once the mystery has been solved, children can relive their adventures in a personalised storybook that tells the tale of their own game. For dyslexic readers, there is a section within the parents' corner where you can choose from accessibility options, including, OpenDyslexic font and colour overlays to help readability.

This is just one of many games by award winning Kuato Studios all of which can be found on the App Store. The Famous Five: Adventure Game requires an iPhone 5 or newer, an iPad mini 2 or newer, or any iPad Pro - iPod Touch and any iPads released before October 2013 are not currently supported - and 726MB of free space to install. You will also need iOS 8.0 or newer.

If you're wondering how to keep the kids entertained during half term, this will be £2.99 very wisely spent, especially as it may help encourage them to move on to reading the books and will undoubtedly be a trip down memory lane for nostalgic parents ! 

For more information, check out The Famous Five : Adventure Game on the App Store.

Disclosure : I was gifted some Famous Five books and compensation for providing an honest review of the app.

Trailclues - a new Urban Treasure Hunt platform

As you'll know if you're a regular reader of my blog, we love geocaching here at The Madhouse. (Click through to my geocaching posts to see our latest adventures.) It's a fabulous way of finding new places, it gets us out in the fresh air and it's always exciting finding a well hidden cache, swapping over treasures and helping travel bugs on their long-distance journeys around the world. It's also great as a totally free activity - I've seen numerous parents on my social media timelines wondering how to keep the kids entertained during the holidays with little or no budget, so geocaching is ideal. You just need to go to geocaching.com, create an account, download the app to your phone or upload caches to a handheld gps and then get out exploring.

When a press release landed in my inbox recently about a new Urban Treasure Hunt platform called Trailclues, it sounded right up our street too. I haven't had a chance to try it yet as it's only available in London and Portsmouth so far, but more will be added across the UK over the coming months. Here's what the release has to say - let me know if you get a chance to try it out. I'd love to hear how it works.

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Whether looking for a fun summer holiday activity in their local area or wanting to really explore a new destination, eager explorers have a new tool at their disposal. Taking players on an urban treasure hunt, Trailclues combines uncovering hidden gems, picking up fun, local trivia, and problem solving through a unique platform that’ll take them on an adventure through city landscapes.

Players race against the clock to solve clues along a trail, taking them to the next spot and another cryptic message to crack. Along the way, they’ll discover little known locations, learn fun facts about places that are often overlooked, and much more. Launching just in time for the summer months, Trailclues is the fun, unique way to go out and enjoy the sun. Tourists can get off the beaten track to discover locations that aren’t listed on the usual maps, while locals can expect to unearth charming features and destinations they never knew existed, simply by heading to the Trailclues website. Once signed up, all players need to do is respond to a received text with ‘GO’ to begin receiving clues directly to their phone.

Edward Mula, Founder of Trailclues, said, “Every city is filled with overlooked gems by tourists and locals alike. You might get a chance to glimpse these on a guided tour but Trailclues does away with that, giving people a chance to get involved in urban exploring at their own pace and without a huge cost. From first dates to corporate team building exercises, Trailclues is suitable for a huge range of groups and individuals that want to try something new and exciting in the city.”

For users with a competitive streak, they can even go up against each other. Leaderboards for all the trails give players a chance to race through the clues as fast as possible in an attempt to register an impressive time. Teaming up and competing is also an option through Trailclues. Up to three teams can sign up to simultaneously tackle the tricky clues as they race against each other to get to the finish point first.

Trailclues currently has trails available in London and Portsmouth, with more to be added across the UK over the coming months. Every trail is designed to be completed in an average of two hours and clues are always within walking distance of each other. Eliminating the need for a guide or

expensive hire equipment, Trailclues is set to become the new way to explore the urban environment in the UK.

To find out more visit trailclues.com.

Moshi Monsters Egg Hunt Mobile Game & Trading Card (review) #MoshiMonstersMadness

Forget bears, this summer, we're going on an egg hunt ! Not just any old eggs either - these are Moshi Monster Eggs.

The well-known and well-loved monster collecting game has introduced two new ways to play this summer, with both a new free-to-download app and a new collection of trading cards.

Series 1 of the trading cards are now available and come in pretty pinky-purple foil blind packs of eight cards.

I opened up two random packs and here's what we got - there is a nice mixture of monsters, accessories and "rox" that act as money.

On the back of each card, there is a scratch panel hiding a code that will enable you to redeem these items in the accompanying app. You can scratch it off and use it yourself or leave it intact and swap the cards with your friends. Inside each pack, you are also guaranteed to get a rare shiny card.

We had a good giggle at some of the things in our packs - a bike, jelly baked beans and a dessert island all sound good (and yes, I did spell that right !), but I'm not sure about eye pie - ewww ! 

The app is quick to install and you get to name your new Moshling friends.

You can decorate your room - this is where the codes on the cards come into their own, for buying and unlocking fun items.

You can earn extra rox currency in fun little mini games and puzzles within the app.

There's something new every time you play, as you can hatch a new egg every day. You can interact with them, feeding them, washing them and even cleaning up their poo !

To help build up your collection, you can even add your friends' Moshlings to your own collection because each personalised character has its own shareable code.  To celebrate the Moshi Monster’s Egg Hunt Mobile Game launch, Moshi Monsters are giving away an EGGSclusive unique code every Saturday to redeem a mystery Moshling. If you've missed a secret code video, you can catch up here :

Get Burnie the Fiery Frazzledragon here: https://youtu.be/EjedHtETZtU

Get Splutnik the Spaced-brained Zoshling here: https://youtu.be/V9TmMpr74c4

Get CocoLoco the Naughty Nutter here: https://youtu.be/t1tGJeGcTwk

Get Judder the Unhinged Jackhammer here: https://youtu.be/0nqgioo__Ws

Get Slurpy the Lickity Lizard here: https://youtu.be/nj_Szs9lcKc

One final piece of news - there will be a twitter party tomorrow and I'm one of the hosts @cherylp59 so you'll have the chance to win prizes if you follow my twitter feed and the #MoshiMonstersMadness hashtag. How eggsciting is that ?! 

Disclosure : I received some trading cards in order to write an honest review.

Still looking for a gift for Father's Day? (review roundup)

In case it's slipped your attention, this Sunday is Father's Day in the UK and if you're still wondering what to buy for the special man in your life, whether that be your own dad or your husband if you need a present from the kids, here's a little roundup of gifts for all budgets to give you some ideas.

Baylis and Harding have a lovely selection of toiletries for men, including the Sport Ultimate Luxury Grooming Set (RRP £25). It contains 300ml Hair & Body Wash, 150g Soap, 130ml Aftershave Balm, 130ml Shower Gel and a Toiletry Bag. It all has a lovely refreshing, invigorating, citrus scent which combines notes of Zesty Lime, Verbena and Mint. It's perfect for taking to the gym or packing in the suitcase this summer when you go on holiday. They also have a Retro Record Player Gift Set (RRP £25) with Black Pepper & Ginseng fragranced toiletries, which also looks very cool. 

If your husband is always getting his hands dirty, tinkering under the bonnet of the car, playing rugby or working in the garden, you might also like to opt for some of Baylis & Hardings England hand washes. We've been trying the Jasmine & Apple Blossom anti-bacterial luxury hand wash and Sweet Mandarine & Grapefruit Cleansing Hand Wash. They both smell lovely, look great on the side of the sink and have a very reasonable £2.15 price tag.

I've reviewed Sugru mouldable glue in the past and shared some DIY hacks for using it around the house - I used it to repair everything from a cracked remote control to a flappy shoe sole and a drawer knob that kept falling off. It looks like modelling clay but sets hard so it can be shaped and used in a multitude of ways. It even comes in a variety of colours. The Sugru Rebel Tech Kit (RRP £10) contains four 5g packs of Sugru, a storage tin, some new Sugru remover and a guide suggesting 14 fun and useful projects for around the home, customising and improving your tech, including cables, tablets, TVs, phones and cameras. For more information, head over to the Sugru website.

You can never have enough pens, whether it's for signing off important documents, writing cheques or jotting down a shopping list on the back of an envelope, and  the Sheaffer Ion has been designed as a small pen that's ideal to take with you anywhere. It only measures three and a half inches and it has a loop on the end so that you can attach it to your keys or a lanyard. Available in six trend-setting colours, from understated classic black to head-turning green, it features a retractable mechanism and a refillable gel barrel that can be used alongside four ink colours. (RRP £12.99)

Dad always tend to like gadgets, so I'm sure this Easiyo Yogurt Maker would get a warm reception.  It is fun and easy for the family to make together, there are no artificial colours or flavours and the product is gluten free. The starter kit includes a sleek, compact yogurt maker, big enough to make a litre of yogurt, as well as two best selling Yogurt Sachets - Strawberry and Greek Style. I'll be back with a full review very soon to show you how we got on. (RRP £16.49). For more information, head over to the Easiyo website.

Haynes Build Your Own FM Radio is the perfect present for creative, music loving dads. It actually creates a working FM radio with no soldering or complicated assembly, just simple and safe parts that fit together, so the kids can help too for a special bonding session. You can learn about each new component with 24 daily tasks and experiments, as well as countless circuit variations to implement different ideas and build a unique FM receiver. You can even cut out the back of pack and make a retro style radio box. RRP £14.99 from online retailers including Amazon.

For a bit of fun, there are some great free apps that will appeal to dads, including The Simpsons: Tapped Out (Make Springfield just like you want it! From the writers of The Simpsons comes the city building game that lets you create your own living, breathing Springfield! When Homer accidentally causes a meltdown that wipes out Springfield, it’s up to you to clean up his mess… we mean, help him rebuild it!) and Toilet Time (a range of amusing and entertaining games to keep you occupied when nature calls! Play thrilling and challenging mini games to accomplish missions and unlock special keys that you can use to unlock items of the world famous Toilet Museum. Amazing treasures such as the Robin Hood’s Potty and the Time Machine Toilet are waiting to be revealed!). Available from amazon appstore.

And finally, you can't go wrong with chocolate. Cadbury Dairy Milk Big Taste Peanut Caramel Crisp is a whopping great bar of chunky chocolate, gooey caramel and large peanut pieces that will satisfy the biggest appetites. It's a lovely combination of flavours and textures in every mouthful and the generous filling is very decadent. RRP £3.49 for a 278g bar.

Have you already found a father's day gift? What did you buy? 

Disclosure : We received the products in order to write an honest review.