Monkey Rounds

Run, Jump, Race!

Reader Rating3 Votes
4.1

Monkey Rounds App Review

App Info

Price: Free

Overview

Monkey Rounds is a left-to-right scrolling race game designed for young children (ages 6-8). The comical starring character must jump obstacles, catch bananas, and avoid flying coconuts to level up, and eventually gets rewarded with his very own monkey car! This game will help youngsters feel they have a “game of their own” as they earn bragging rights just like their older siblings.

Features include:

  • Levels cross over 5 different worlds
  • Varied obstacles
  • Opportunities to “power up” by catching bananas
  • Challenge friends to see who can earn the most achievements
  • Drive the monkey car using your device to steer

Quality

Monkey Rounds is a high quality app that boasts simple controls and game play that will appeal to the intended age group. The interface is a simple tap to control the character and make it jump; all kids need to do is get the timing right. I did, however, have trouble learning to time my jumps correctly- a child with less coordination and judgment might become frustrated at times.

There are outside advertisements but they do not interrupt game play, appearing between rounds and offered in exchange for more play time. The artwork is clear and cartoon-like, with some of the cutest flying pigs and pelicans for adversaries as the game progresses. There are no clear specific directions, but the game play is very simple, so none are really needed. You can visit the developers’ website at https://www.flexxgames.com.

Education

This app is not really intended to be educational, but developers included a few perks to help kids learn anyway. The most obvious is a voice-over that counts the bananas collected. Children hear a number word for each banana they snatch from the sky.

A more subtle, but perhaps more important educational benefit is the practice kids will get with coordination and dexterity. Judging exactly when to tap the screen to make the monkey jump, and later, learning how to control the monkey car by tilting the device are some examples of ways this app will help young children improve skills.

Entertainment

Who doesn’t love monkeys? Especially when they are bouncing over logs and boulders and trying to snatch bananas while dodging flying coconuts flung by winged pigs? In other words, this app has loads of elements that young children will find giggle-worthy. Add that in with the element of playing a game that looks a lot like what older kids enjoy, and that makes this one a winner from a child’s point of view. The action is simple enough that most kids will quickly feel successful, and the five worlds will add variety to the challenges.

Value

While this app is free to download, there are a lot of advertisements, and some parents may want to preview it before allowing youngsters to use it unsupervised. There is an option to purchase an ad-free version if you wish. If advertisements are allowable for your young child, then the app is likely to occupy them for a while since it includes 20 levels with increasingly difficult challenges.

Child Friendliness

This app is easy for kids to use, but it is not particularly child friendly. Some ads appear at the bottom of the screen after the character “dies,” and are protected by a parent gate requiring simple addition with sums below 10. Since children in Kindergarten through grade 2 are learning this skill in school, this is not a particularly effective set up.  In addition, there is an option to “buy” a continuation of the game or to purchase additional bananas by watching a thirty-second video advertisement, and this is not protected at all, but allows children to click straight through to the App Store. The ads that I saw were all for age-appropriate or at least G-rated gaming apps, so the content did not seem to be objectionable, but many families will want to check carefully if they do not want to give kids access to them. A ninety-nine cent purchase will remove the advertisements, though.

  • NO accessible external links to the internet
  • NO social media
  • YES outside advertisements, some unprotected
  • YES in-app purchase but behind a parent gates (math)

 

Monkey Rounds
Quality
Education
Entertainment
Value
Child Friendly
Reader Rating3 Votes
4.1