Earlier Cognitive Kid apps have taken a playful approach to teaching children about a variety of subjects from dinosaurs to geography. But, as our reviewer Mary Ann Scheuer notes, the focus of their latest production, Ansel & Clair: American Bowl is on the game.

Opening screen from 'Ansel & Clair: American Bowl' (Cognitive Kid)

Ansel and Clair, the time-traveling intergalactic duo who brought viewers along on explorations to the Revolutionary War and Africa, are off to learn all about America–but dastardly pirates have captured their avian friends who need their help. Users join in to help the eagles by answering trivia questions and playing a bowling game, releasing a Bald Eagle and earning custom bowling balls as they successfully knock down pins. Correct answers earn players the choice of different bowling power-ups, increasing the fun. Multiple-choice style questions address a number of topics on American history, geography, and government including historical figures and events, flags and symbols, discoveries and inventions, and the Constitution. A real strength of Ansel & Clair: American Bowl ($4.99; Gr 2-5) is the way in which players can customize the levels of difficulty and select specific topics. The settings also allow them to switch the background music and sound effects on or off. Up to four players can create separate log-ins, a helpful feature for families and classrooms. The app design, especially the pacing, clearly emphasizes the game aspect over the learning opportunities. If children successfully answer a question, they are taken directly to the bowling game and end up spending more time there. If they answer a question incorrectly, the app briefly highlights the correct answer and then quickly adds a new question. Stack the States, another trivia app aimed at the same audience, presents the correct answer for longer and in a more visually striking manner—helping kids learn as they play. The best learning games present opportunities for young players to acquire new knowledge, not just reward them for what they already know.–-Mary Ann Scheuer, Librarian, Emerson School, Berkeley Unified School District, and Great Kid Books