Teach Your Monster To Read - Teach Monster Games Ltd.

App Review

This review of Teach Your Monster To Read was completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 7 February 2019.

About the app

This section contains details about the app provided by an ACCM Reviewer.

ACCM review

This review of Teach Your Monster To Read contains the following information:

• The level to which the game was reviewed
• App description
• Reviewers comments
• In App purchasing
• Online information
• Gambling
• Advertising and product placement
• Gender stereotypes and sexual references
• Coarse language
• Game playing behaviour which may be of concern to some parents
• Other

The level to which the game was reviewed

Our reviewer played all levels of this game.

App description

Teach Your Monster To Read is an educational app in which players start by logging in using their first name. They can then choose from three games to play, beginning with first steps, which teaches the association of letters to their sounds. The second game is for children who are starting to read sentences and teaches letter combination sounds (digraphs and diphthongs). The third game introduces alternative spellings of sounds and alternative pronunciations.

The player begins by creating their own monster choosing from a selection of body parts. The monster then heads off in a space ship on an adventure to another planet. The player is then directed to use the monster to find various letters and letter sounds as the games progress. This is done by moving the monster on the screen in the direction of where he/she needs to go which requires fine motor skills and good hand/eye co-ordination. Along the way prizes and points are won.

Reviewers comments

Teach Your Monster To Read was developed by the Usborne Foundation with the help of academics to be used in conjunction with phonic reading programmes at school. The three levels are designed to cover the first two years of the reading programme. The games are fun to play and appealing to children. The first level however, is quite repetitive (probably deliberately so) but young children might get quickly bored with it. The next two levels are more like traditional computer games, collecting points along the way.

Game play itself does not require connection to the Internet. The start-up screen does give access to the developer’s website through its ‘help for teachers’ button and the settings button. Both require an adult to enter their date of birth making it unlikely for a young child to be able to access. Parental guidance and/or co-playing is still recommended however for under 8’s.

In App purchasing

• There is no In-App purchasing in this game.

Online information

• Access to the developer’s website is available on the start-up screen. This requires the entry of a birth date, which should prevent children from gaining access.

Gambling

At the time of review, the reviewer found no simulated gambling content.  If you discover simulated gambling content in this app, please contact us with the details so we can update our review.

Advertising and product placement

• None noted.

Gender stereotypes and sexual references

• Nothing of concern.

Coarse language

• None noted.

Game playing behaviour which may be of concern to some parents

N/A.

Other

N/A.

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