Do you like entertaining flying or racing games in which you have to avoid obstacles and collect rewards? Are you also looking for an app that offers something more than mindless entertainment?
Check out Reach for the Skies! It’s an app that combines game-playing skills with an educational twist.
First, select a type of game to play. There’s Life of Earth (biology), Flags, and Mathematics. Or, if you prefer, add your own questions!
I especially enjoyed the option to add your own questions. It beats using flashcards any day.
After choosing which subject to play with, choose your aircraft. There’s hot air balloons, zeppelins, and planes. Each of them fly a little differently, and it takes some practice to master the different types of maneuverability.
Once you’ve figured out how to best control a hot air balloon or plane, you can use coins you’ve earned to buy different versions.
Coins are earned either by answering questions correctly or retrieving the various floating treasures you’ll encounter as you fly through a maze of obstacles. The game transitions smoothly between scenes and the graphics are great.
Questions will show up, you will get a few seconds to think on it, and then answers will start to appear. You will see one answer at a time. Fly through the answer you think is correct. If you pass on the first, you will be offered a second answer, and so on until all offered answers are presented. If you’re right, your aircraft is refueled and you earn coins to add to your coffers.
This game is entertaining enough for kids and adults of any age to play! The levels vary in difficulty, from basic easy math to high school level.
One great feature of this app is how closely it resembles a game. It doesn’t feel like the main purpose is to learn or test yourself, even though it clearly is. The level selection, aircraft page, and even the awards given out put emphasis on the game part of the app.
The game works with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. I used the iPhone. For the most part it worked, but sometimes pictures would show up. For example, I got a question that asked “This is a cross section of a…” and then it showed the cross section of a cell. I had to lean in pretty close to see, which distracted from flying. The pictures may throw you off, so playing on a larger screen, such as an iPad or iPhone 6, may be better.
Reach for the Skies is a great way to test yourself on a variety of subjects in the most entertaining way. It’s like no other educational app I’ve seen before. It’s great for kids, but I also think adults will enjoy it. There’s the option to connect to Facebook as well to compare scores and statuses. Reach for the Skies turns learning into a competitive game. It’s definitely a great app to get!