Cars in Sandbox: Construction is an interactive, vehicle exploration app from developer Thematica. Think of Cars in Sandbox as your child’s own personal, portable sandbox where they can play with 8 very popular construction vehicles. The vehicle set includes Dump truck, Dumper, Tractor, Grader, Crawler-mounted excavator, Telescopic handler, Loader, and the Crane. Each vehicle has its own unique characteristics and while this app might look like they are just playing with toys, it can actually teach them about construction vehicles and how each of them operates.

Each vehicle chosen has a task that needs to be completed. For example, if you choose the crawler-mounted excavator, you’ll need to excavate some marbles and carry them over to a little bowl and drop them off. Controls for the game are vehicle specific but all are very easy to learn. The basic controls for each vehicle include tapping and holding the vehicle to start it’s engine, tapping and holding either the left or right of the vehicle to make it move in that direction, and manipulating the main feature of that vehicle by tapping, holding and dragging those parts around. You can even move each vehicle by tilting your device left or right.

What I really like about this game though are its fantastic graphics. Cars in Sandbox graphics are colorful, very crisp, and each vehicle is accurately detailed. Wheels move like they are supposed to, vehicles bounce up and down while moving, and reverse lights turn on when you are driving backwards. They even animated non-essentials like being able to open up the doors, smoke coming from the exhaust pipes, and being able to turn on the front headlights. Basically anything you would expect to be able to move or interact with, you can. What is also great about Cars in Sandbox are all the sounds you’ll hear from each vehicle. You hear engine sounds, horns honking, and parts moving,

Cars in Sandbox: Construction is a fantastic app for children. It’s like playing with real construction vehicles without the mess of sand in your shoe. There is a good assortment of vehicles they can use and I like the fact that each vehicle has tasks they can complete so it’s not just a useless “toy” they play with. Kids who like playing with construction vehicles will really enjoy this app I think and for $0.99, it’s a bargain for an app that is as polished as this one.

Cars in Sandbox is available now in the App Store for $0.99. It is a universal app and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 4.2 or later.

Description

Interactive car game for children aged over 2 years.

Many parents find their young children to be particularly fascinated by construction vehicles. We’ve made it easy and exciting for your child to explore them.

Different types of construction vehicle and road-building machinery are presented as toys in a sandpit, making the process of learning familiar and appealing. Throughout there are lots of beautiful animations, with great video and sound effects. These make clear what each vehicle can do and how it helps people in the real world. All the vehicles are charmingly but accurately depicted, with little surprises such as opening doors and horns which sound.

It is really easy to make vehicles move by touching or tipping the screen. Your child will also be able to do things such as extend the arm of the crane or operate the dumper by simple touches. Each vehicle comes with an involving little mission to complete, such as moving toys around, which will help your child discover what each kind of construction vehicle can do. This exploration will be great for fine motor skills, and success at each stage will be made clear by the award of another gold star.

Characteristics
▸ Simple easy-to-understand interface
▸ Fun to play again and again
▸ An unusual and interesting way to learn about different vehicles
▸ Exciting and realistic vehicle sound effects
▸ Colorful attention-grabbing backgrounds for all episodes

The list of vehicles:
▸ Dump truck
▸ Dumper
▸ Tractor
▸ Grader
▸ Crawler-mounted excavator
▸ Telescopic handler
▸ Loader
▸ Crane

[via App Store]