An adventure, mystery and safari! 

It’s no easy feat bringing the immense and awe-inspiring African savanna to a child, but in a new and lush app from Thematica, now you can! Trail the tail is an adventure, mystery and safari neatly wrapped together in an iPad app that will entrance and engage kids in a way that questions and prompts curiosity. It nurtures an interest in animals and for a place from afar, fostering a playful way to educate and enlighten.

With bright colors splashing across the screen, every youngster’s eyes will dart far and wide in search of a target – the tail of some mysterious animal. When the game starts, the screen renders with a cute and colorful depiction of the African Savanna, as any child would picture it. At various moments, a tail is seen swirling as an invite to find it. Kids will catch on quickly and wonder, “who could that be?” The task then is to find clues and trail the tail to see which animal it is. With simple swipes and tiny taps, kids get a cartoonish take on what this lush African landscape has to offer, all from the comfort of their home!

The app starts kids off with a choice of three adventures, selectable by tapping on one of three “play” buttons arcing across the bottom of the screen. Tap one and prepare for an adventure in a particular region of the savanna, loaded with wildlife specific to that habitat. One region takes you to a locale lush with trees and bushes, playing home to a family of parrots flying randomly amongst the leaves. Here, kids get a change to whip out their camera, carefully focus on a parrot and snap a quick shot. Take enough pictures to fill the empty frames that line the top of that screen, and you complete that “game.” Once done, the game provides a helpful pointer to tap on a swaying leaf or plant and move on to the next adventure.

Other adventures include taking pictures of dancing turtles, helping a mommy Ostrich find and open the eggs she has laid and has carefully hidden. Find and tap on them continuously until the baby ostrich pops out! Kids will have so much fun watching as the animals pop around the screen as their fingertips guide and command what is to be done next. Each game, when done, leads the player to the next challenge. If kids are done playing, they can tap the “Back” icon, which is a roundish arrow at the top left of the screen. This takes you back to the main screen. Trail the tail app overall has:

• A variety of landscapes and settings to explore
• 12 simple games that teach basic concepts of how animals survive on the savanna
• Animation that is engaging and educational
• Easy navigation 

The only downside to this app would be the limits in interesting interactions and game play. Once kids get an idea as to how to complete activities, the next activity is not so interesting due to the same level of easiness. A possibility of adding a bit of challenge as games are completed would keep interest of kids, who master applications quite easily.