The Counting Kingdom Review

Learning is so much more effective when it's fun. It's also better because it's, you know, fun. That's what works so well for The Counting Kingdom, a game that teaches kids all about the importance of addition – plus it's actually a good game in its own right.

A form of tower defense game, a steady influx of enemies come at you and you have to use your mathematical powers to defeat them. Magical cards are used here, with three in play at any one time. Get a card that states 3 and you have to match up 3 number 1 monsters or 1 monster rated 2 and 1 rated 1 to vanquish them. This carries on throughout the game, with numbers steadily increasing. It's a simple enough process with combat being turn-based rather than constant, but it'll get youngsters thinking.

Besides the magic spells there are potions that can add or subtract numbers from the monsters, proving useful at certain moments. You can also use potions to move monsters around, making it easier to set up a chain. It's all quite well designed and really quite strategic in nature.

Often, educational games lack the 'fun' factor but The Counting Kingdom is a good game in its own right. It's free of in-app purchases and 30 levels is a decent length for its intended purpose.

Graphically, The Counting Kingdom might be a bit simplistic but it remains quite cute as you travel between different areas. The Counting Kingdom won't tax adult gamers, but kids will find themselves learning at a steady pace. It'll just make you wish they learned more than just addition as they went along, but it's an excellent starting point in showing how learning can be fun.