Santa's Run says throw your package(s)

Santa's Run is a simple, straight-forward game in which you try to throw presents into the chimneys of houses to spread Christmas cheer. There's a bonus Christmas countdown clock as well. The game is simple, but there's something about the tap-and-lift gameplay to determine the distance of the package toss that seems a little awkward, as you'll see in the video:

Santa's Run in the app store.

DoubleTake! for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

Maybe I was just the product of a quiet childhood, but I remember many nights as a little kid on the living room floor playing Concentration, the classic memory game. DoubleTake! brings the same style of gameplay to the iPhone and iPod Touch, with a few twists.

DoubleTake! (their exclamation point, not mine) offers a few different play modes, mostly based on whether each round is timed. As you play, new cards appear, while others change places on the board. That kind of little extra wasn't possible from the little cardboard cards I remember.

While the extra features are nice, the game seems overpriced at its current $2.99 in the US store.

Here's a look:

DoubleTake! in the App Store.

Rudolph makes his debut as an enhanced eBook for iOS devices

The beloved holiday star Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer has made it to the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch as an enhanced eBook. You can choose to have the classic story read to you, or read it yourself at your own pace. Along the way, young readers and tap on objects on the screen to see the name, and hear the pronunciation of the object: Tap on a cave wall, and the word 'cave' appears on screen, and is spoken by the book's narrator.

Additionally, tapping on the characters in different scenes plays audio clips from the claymation special. Overall it is a well produced and fun interpretation of a well-known story to a new format.

Here's a look:

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer in the app store.

Peekaboo Barn for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

Good news: from what I've observed kids aren't watching as much television these days. The bad news? Parents are instead handing over their iPods and iPhones, perhaps better described as pocket babysitters. If toddlers are going to spend time with your iPhone, you should at least give them a chance to learn something in the process.

Peekaboo Barn is a straightforward app with, as you may have guessed, a barn. Children hear an animal sound, then see the animal, and hear its name. The voice can be either an adult, or another child. The best part though, is both english and spanish languages are available, making it a simple tool to teach kids multiple languages (or at least the names of animals in multiple languages) anytime, anywhere.

Overall, it is a simple app that does what it sets out to do with a kid-friendly, minimal design.

Here's a look:

Peekaboo Barn in the App Store.

Holiday Bells brings jingle to your iPhone or iPod Touch

As we continue our look at holiday apps of the season, today we remember that December is the one month a year when people remember/hear that oft-forgotten musical instrument: the handbell.

At first glance, Holiday Bells appears to do nothing more than present handbells (or sleigh bells) on screen. Tap the handbell, or shake the sleigh bells, and lovely jingles emanate from your iDevice. This app isn't all novelty though, as you can also choose a song, then follow the snowflake to tap your way to handbell proficiency. If you love bells, then it's 99 cents worth spending.

Here's a look:

Holiday Bells in the App Store.