The Orchard

2 Years Old3 Years Old4 Years Old5 Years OldListening and AttentionReadingUnderstanding

Comments

Orchard is a simple, attractively illustrated app with some clever touches. The main screen contains an orchard with four trees, on each of which hangs different coloured fruit. The child taps a spinner to determine which colour fruit needs to be dragged and dropped into the fruit basket. The aim of the game is to transfer all the fruit from the trees and into the basket. However, the child has an adversary in the form of the orchard crow. Every time the spinner lands on the crow, this cheeky orchard dweller takes a step nearer the basket. If the spinner lands on the crow too many times, the crow steals the basket of fruit and the game is lost. Initially, especially for an older child, simply matching the fruit to the colour on the spinner and dropping it in the basket feels rather tedious. However, for each game the child wins, seeds are deposited in a basket on the home screen. These seeds can then be dragged out of the basket and they turn into a variety of flowers with which the child can populate their orchard. This additional layer to the game delighted my four-year-old and provided sufficient motivation for him to continue playing. He also enjoyed the crow throwing fruit that appears to land on the screen, which he then had to 'clean' off with his finger. In general, the app is well-illustrated, functions smoothly and has some nice interactive detail. However, it is a shame that there is no progression in the game; the activity and the location remain the same throughout. Because collecting the seeds and populating the orchard requires players to repeat the game many times, it requires levels of concentration and skills of prediction that might well be beyond players younger than 4, and yet the cognitive demand of the game itself feels more suitable for a 2-year old. Aside from colour-matching and the fine motor skills needed for the dragging and dropping, the app makes little further demand on the child. And although there is some interaction, there is little opportunity for creativity or self-expression. The designers have clearly spent time on illustrations that have depth and texture, and on a user experience that feels pleasingly responsive. It is disappointing, therefore, that there is not more substance to the game itself.

Other notable themes and features of the app include Animals, Colours, Fine motor skills, Games, the natural world.