Best 6: iPhone/iPod Touch Games for Kids

After seeing dad watch sports, send email, check the Internet, listen to new music and play games, kids don’t just want to be like dad when they ask for some time to play with that iPhone or iPod Touch. Yet for dads who worry about violent or mature content in games, finding a game that’s safe and worth its price is difficult. Thankfully, here’s a list of tried and true kid-friendly games that they’ll love to play.

Pocket God – ($0.99) -  Elegantly simple, Pocket God isn’t really a game but don’t tell the kids that. The concept is basic, kids drop little natives on an island. Once they’re on the island, users can flick the natives into a volcano, change the weather, shock them with lightning bolts, send in vampire bats, and even dangle them above the water as shark bait. Sure, it’s not completely non-violent but it lacks the blood from other games. For a mere $0.99, you’ll also free content like Halloween ghosts, new levels like an undersea world and arctic  scenes keep the game constantly fresh. Plus, create tornados and getting birds to poop on the natives’ heads is totally in line with your child’s sense of humor without breaking those manner rules.

Tap Tap Revenge 2 – ($0.99) – Tap Tap is similar to Rock Band and Guitar Hero but without the expensive plastic guitars or drums. Players merely try to keep up with the beat of a music track by pressing on colored orbs (colored red, green and blue) when then slide over the play area. With a mix of free songs and pay-for popular songs, Tap Tap keeps pace with your child’s music habits. While Tap Tap Revenge 3 is the latest version and free, Tap Tap Revenge 2 ($0.99) starts faster, has easier to understand visuals and offers a “Kids” button mode that penalizes the player less. Seriously, kids and dads of all ages will love it.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour – ($4.99) – Sure, Tiger’s not a popular guy right now with adults but his game here looks stunning, plays well and gets your kids into golf… not a bad thing, right? Swinging a club here is done with three touches (start, stop at the top of swing and stop at bottom of swing). Older players will enjoy the more strategic side of the game and better planning for short shots. And if the player triple boogies, it automatically moves to the next hole. Honestly I would never pick a game like this but once my six year old got his hands on it, it’s now his “go to” game.

Doodle Jump – ($0.99) – One of the simplest games to play on iPhone/iPod Touch, Doodle Jump lets players control the left and right motions of a little cartoon-like characters by merely rotating the handheld device left or right. Meanwhile, the in-game Doodle character only does one thing, he jumps on platforms that take him higher and higher. Jump and miss a platform and its game over. Of course, the game features springs, rocket hats, genius caps and other items that get the Doodle higher faster and bad creatures (just scarier looking, not evil) show up in higher levels to add challenge. Simply brilliant and simply addictive, Doodle Jump is a great choice for any  gamer.

Napsters – ($0.99) – For kids who enjoy problem solving, Napsters is a game of cause and effect. The game screen is broken up into squares connected by round button, inside each square is a Napster who is either awake (green background) or asleep (black background). The goal is to discover which pattern makes all of them wake up. This is done by changing some of those black connecting buttons to red. With over 90 puzzles, it does get challenging but it builds problem solving skills in an entertaining way. Recommended for older kids unless your little one has a real knack for puzzle games.

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D - ($2.99) – Think of this game as the Mario Kart you’ve never heard of. While it lacks Nintendo’s popular characters, Crash Bandicoot’s cartoon-ish kart racer is a perfect substitute when the Wii isn’t nearby. As in Mario Kart, players gain speed by staying on the track, avoiding obstacles and using everything from oil slicks and boxes of TNT to stay in first place. The game does have a slight learning curve since turning involves the iPhone/iPhone’s tilt/accelerometer but after a few games, they’ll get used to it.