Each week, we bring you new app recommendations from our colleagues. This week’s Thursday Staff App Pick comes from Sarah McKinney, a partner business evangelist in Developer & Platform Evangelism at Microsoft.
I spy something “red” shrieks my five year old! “Is it in or outside the car?” yammers the three year old. Yes, the age-old game of I Spy is our go-to game when traveling in the car long distances. Fun, exciting and always good for a laugh. When we are home, the iSpy books and board games from Scholastic have proven fun and entertaining as well. Looking for all of the crayons or toy cars in a picture filled book is a kid’s wonderland. Suffice it to say, we know I Spy!
Recently, we were introduced to the I SPY Challenger app for Windows. The game has more than 60 I SPY riddles with classic seek-and-find play with a twist: there are a few different play modes as well as simultaneous multiplayer with speed rounds. Players are rewarded with points and achievements badges for objects found in riddles and rounds completed within the games, and special tokens earned throughout the game that offer time, single player and blocking opportunities.
We loaded the game up on our Dell XPS 18 portable All-in-One, and started to explore. Hmm …. So four of us could play at once. We each had to type in our name and choose a cool “picture” to represent us. Yes, my 7-year-old daughter liked being called “Hot Dog,” and her sisters chose “Monkey” and “Astronaut.” The game started… “Hot Dog” spun the wheel on the All in One – Riddle Relay. We learned how to use the “magnifying glass” that was on the screen in front of each of us. The pictures look just like the ones in the book – crisp, clean and oh, so colorful. We quickly tried to find the pictures listed in the screens that rotated. Yes, “Hot Dog” found them all faster than the rest of us. On to spin number two by “Monkey”…. The result: Bug Catcher X-ray. Now we had to find three matching bugs using the “x-ray magnifying glass.” The kids went crazy… all hands were on the All in One at once, everyone trying to go as fast as possible. The game continued on for some time – Hoop Drop, Scrolling Hoop Drop, Riddles and so much more. “Hot Dog,” “Monkey” and “Astronaut” had a great time, and couldn’t wait to show it to their grandparents later that day.
“Hot Dog” did eventually get the chance to teach her Grampa. He uses computers, he plays games and he was ready for her. The game started – there was some advice and guidance given. Eventually, they got into a good game of I SPY Challenger. During the last round, “Hot Dog” was catching on that Grampa wasn’t quite as quick as she was. She found a few items, but then, with a twinkle in her eye and smile on her face, she winked to her grandmother sitting nearby, and let Grampa find the last item and win that round.
The game is fun and so interactive that it keeps everyone on their toes and excited for the next spin of the wheel! It’s a great game for young and old.
Download I SPY Challenger from the Windows Store today.
You might also be interested in:
· Microsoft exec: Congress must finally pass immigration reform
· Microsoft’s goal: Bring Big Data insights to a billion people
· Microsoft named to World's Most Ethical Companies list for fourth consecutive year