\r
Grow your own virtual veggies without the dirt under your fingernails. Another winner from Dr. Panda, this endless loop of gardening mini-games will keep your small ones occupied for ages. Plus they wont track their muddy boots across your clean kitchen floor.\r
\r
Now, although this is called Dr Pandas Veggie Garden, there is a good array of both vegetables AND fruit to be grown - corn, raspberries, tomatoes, strawberries, bananas, wheat, oranges, potatoes, carrots, apples, blueberries, coconuts - the list goes on, Im sure there are some Ive forgotten. The form of the game is endlessly linear so theres no chance that a young player will get confused - theres nowhere to get lost. Each crop turns up randomly.\r
\r
new-12-12 16.39.08Theres a certain amount of realism in the game and every fruit/veg has a particular sequence of events that need to be completed before the crop can be harvested. For example, growing apples requires digging out the hole, planting the apple tree seedling, filling the hole, watering it in (heres where some nifty time lapse goes on - the tree quickly grows leaves and small green fruit while being watered). Next the tree is fertilised and lo and behold, the apples have ripened! Pick the apples and drop them in the basket (luckily virtual apples dont get too bruised when youre not overly gentle about dropping them in). The more delicate fruits such as the tomatoes, strawberries and raspberries are grown in the greenhouse (hot house?) and need to be protected from creepy crawlies such as snails and spiders.\r
\r
Smart Apps for Kids\r