Being able to identify “same vs. different” is an essential building block for science and math skills, but it’s also an important early literacy skill (otherwise, how could you ever decipher the difference between the letters p, d, q & b?). In this app, the object of the game is simple -- choose the one object that is different from the rest of the set -- but gameplay as you progress through the 99 (!) levels can be surprisingly challenging. If you want to increase the difficulty further you can choose either the timed version or switch from the easy “no tears” mode to the “tissue mode” where it’s 3 strikes and you’re out. The real charm of this game lies in the illustrations. Discovering what pictures the next level will bring is half the fun. Will it be a donkey in yellow rain boots? Or a chicken in a top hat? Or just a giant sausage? Players must work their way through the levels, unlocking the images as they go, so each new level is a surprise. Fiete, the hero of this series of apps, shows up at the end of each level with responses appropriate to the number of mistakes you made (or didn’t make) during each round, incorporating a small emotional education component into the app. note: oddly, this app has a different name on Google Play.
