A totally free game to download and play from the New York Hall of Science. In this app, you explore a Minecraft-like world (the land and water are made of squares), seeking seeds and new creatures to add to your "pack." Each creature has a unique skill and over the course of the game you learn to combine those skills to achieve your goals. As the online description points out, "The Pack is based around two timely STEM subjects – environmental awareness and computational thinking." And yet... it's also got compelling gameplay. It took us a little while to get in the groove of the game, but once we did, my 9 year old son and I stayed up way past his bedtime trying to collect more seeds and unlock more new creatures for our pack. The world is beautiful, the creatures are curiously adorable and the atmosphere of the game is generlly pretty calm. This is a great one for adults and kids to play together. In many cases, you'll find that your child is better at playing the game than you are and it's always good to be reminded of their capacity for success!
