My First English Words, part 1

What it is: an app teaching 50 English words (5 scenes: Holidays, Animals, Fairy Tales, Colors, Numbers).

What you do with it: choose the scene, touch an object in the scene to listen to its name and watch a short animation. In the quiz mode, listen to the narrator and try to point to the correct object. The learning process is controlled by the algorithm developed by SuperMemo.

What we liked: the concept, good graphics, funny animations, cute main character (a green dragon called Memo) giving instructions, responding to answers and showing the progress (it will grow when new words are learned).

What we didn't like: only 50 words. The interface could be easier to use, especially the questions/progress bar (why not include some kind of 'simple mode' without this element?). The sound effects are too loud and may be too aggressive for younger kids, especially when many elements are touched at the same time. The male narrator's voice could sound more kid-friendly. No instructions for parents (e.g. what to make of the 'today we have nothing to recall' message).

Appysmarts