14 DAY TRIAL // MoGeneration has announced Moo Shake, an animal-based puzzle game for iPhone and iPod touch. Kids from three to ten can enjoy an educational and interactive title that takes book matching into the 21st century, adding sound, movement, and the element of competition. MoGeneration contracted an award winning children’s book illustrator to create the game's images.
“Within five seconds of the Moo Shake! most kids know what to do thanks to a 'seeing is doing' animated introduction” MoGeneration CEO Keith Ahern says.
“Players move animal heads, bodies, and feet until you complete an animal, all accompanied by appropriate animal sounds. Shake the iPhone and the animals shuffle around while barking, mooing, and meowing.” Gamers must make sure that silent mode is off and that the volume is high enough to hear the animals.
To play in “simple mode” (suitable for most ages), iPhone users just start the game by pressing the MooShake! icon. They can then either move the animals heads, torsos, or feet left or right, by sliding the parts with the finger. When they manage to match the animal, there is a small reward to be had.
“Score mode,” suitable for ages 5 and up, has players tapping the words at the bottom of the screen to play against the clock. They can “plunge” into a timed game where a completed animal will be shown, which then will be mixed up. Gamers have to complete it before the time runs out. When they accomplish that, a new round begins, with a new creature, but with less time. When it runs out, users will get a score.
Children don't even have to know how to read so as to play the game. “Kids as young as 4 understand the game with little to no instruction,” according to its makers. Animals featured in the title include Lion, Frog, Dog, Cat, Zebra, Elephant, Dinosaur, Owl. A human is also featured - a Granny!
“MoGeneration normally create media and enterprise applications for other companies like News Corp, but we could only watch so many kids pick up iPhones and master the user interface before we decided [to] create some fun but educational games for them,” the developer states. Moo Shake! is the first of many kids titles from MoGeneration that will be marketed under the Shake and Play brand. “Moo Shake! is a perfect first application for kids to learn how to use the device, as well as giving parents a few minutes of well earned rest,” the company adds.
Download Moo Shake via iTunes App Store ($1,19) (compatible with iPhone and iPod touch; requires 2.0 Software Update or later)