Bank Holiday weekend is upon us, with the kids off school for yet another week!
With time off school comes a headache for the parents, as kids want to be occupied every minute of every single day. If the sun is shining bright like it has been in recent times, then you’ve no problems. However, knowing our British weather, you may find both yourselves and the young uns sat inside, twiddling your thumbs.
Well, twiddle yer thumbs no more, for HCF’s entertainment and resident big kids Bat and Juan are here to give you some handy tips on apps that will keep you and the kids entertained for free! All you’ll need is a smart phone or tablet and a data connection/wifi.
1. Pokemon TV
This free app will send you into retro heaven! Introduce your kids to Pokemon and catch them all with the collection of free episodes spanning 16 series! The episodes are updated on a weekly basis from a library of more than 700 episodes.
As a kid who used to collect Pokemon cards at the turn of the millenium, during the height of the British Pokemon craze, watching some of these episodes that were aired on SMTV brought back some fab memories. And yes, I’ll admit that I even sang along with the opening intro. Don’t laugh! I bet you sing along with them too!
The Pokémon TV app available for free on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch via iTunes, and Android devices on Google Play, along with Kindle Fire
2. Coin Dozer
As a kid, I loved going to the seaside as that usually meant arcade machines. My favourite, apart from the videogames, was the coin drop, were you drop a coin into the machine which would land somewhere on a moving shelf that was already full of coins. The aim was to push off as many coins as possible, so the shelf would then push coins, that had dropped onto the surface, over the edge and down the chute for you to win and collect. We weren’t so flush, so it was always the 2p versions we played with, but it was still immense fun.
With the advent of smart phones and tablets, you no longer have to drop real money in the machine, as there’s a nifty free app called Coin Dozer than re-ects this very machine!
With special drops, like the jumbo coins that land so heavily they bounce loads of coins down your chute, to collectable toys that can be used to complete a puzzle, this game has it all. The app even lets you “shake” the game to help drop off those coins teetering on the edge! At least using the app won’t get you shouted at by the arcade operator, if you would doing the same thing in real life.
The app is funded by ads at the bottom of the app as well as extra coins which can be bought in-app, however there’s no need to spend a dime as the coins replenish over time.
Available for free for Android on Google Play
3. The Hunting
Ever wanted to be in a horror film? Well, now you can with interactive zombie movie app The Hunting!
The Hunting is a terrifying first-person movie where YOU are the main character, YOU make the decisions, and YOU live or die based on your actions.
In the game, you get to decide the outcome, by interacting with characters and maps within the app.
I hear what you’re saying, “not for kids”, right? Well, I have it on good authority that our videogames editor Juan’s little girl, who is yet to turn 3, absolutely loves the game, and reviewers on iTunes have said how their kids love to punch the zombies in it. So take a peek and see what you think!
The Hunting Part 1, 2 and 3 are all available to download now, with Part 1 available for free on iTunes
4. Dayre
As a kid, some of you may have kept journals or diaries. With the arrival of the smart phone, you can do just that with the Dayre micro blogging platform.
Catering to older kids (minumum age 13 years old) and adults, Dayre allows you to add photos, video snippets, text, maps and use a range of their fun stickers to share what you’ve been up to that day. You can also follow other Dayre users and like and comment on their daily Dayre posts.
Unlike the diary that might have been stashed under your bed, this Dayre is public for all to see under your unique URL, so do make sure you’re happy with whatever you’re poster as everyone will be able to view it. And don’t put any naughty stuff on either, you hear!
Sign up by downloading the Dayre app for free from the App store or Google Play.
5. Bejeweled Blitz
Rated #1 in the Google Player’s Choice Awards, PopCap’s Bejeweled Blitz is our preferred choice of puzzle game. If you’ve played it’s parent game on the PC, then you’ll know what to expect.
The aim of the game is to switch around jewels that are adjacent to one another above, below, left or right (not diagonally) to create 3 or more of the same jewel in a row. So think along the lines of noughts and crosses or Connect 4 and you’ll get the idea.
In Bejeweled Blitz, you have a minute to score as highly as you can, collecting coins along with way which can be used as boosters in the following games. Though it sounds easy enough, which it is in concept, actually trying to see the opportunities to swap the jewels around to complete a line is harder than it sounds and may have you and you’re little ones stumped. However, it’s great fun, especially with the points system, to try and beat each other’s scores.
The game itself is free to play, though like Coin Dozer, it does have in-app purchases available.
Bejeweled Blitz is available on iTunes and Google Play
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