Sliderz, Decane

The first game I encountered with obvious "in-game advertising" was Sliderz. I'm not overly sure how I feel about ads inside my apps; on the one hand, I don't mind it defraying the cost (although apps are pretty cheap). On the other, I used to work in advertising and am very, very aware of how those subliminal little messages get into young minds. And I'm not wild about making an overt consumer out of someone whose too young to own a wallet. Also, I don't feel 100% confident that developers are taking a lot of care about the content of those ads, which could get dodgy.

Beyond that, and the name (which I hate, it's up there with "cheez" and "olde worlde"), the this was a decent game. You can change the picture (an illustration of giraffe face, some photos of fruit and numbers) and the utility is just like a real-world slider puzzle. The pieces move with authenticity and even the ones with pictures have tiny numbers in the corner, so you can tell which order the pieces go in.

You'll like it because: It's absorbing once you get going.
Too bad: It's too hard for little ones; 6-7 and up only.
iPhone Apps users gave it 2.5/5 stars
Cost: FREE

Ages: 2-5