Dr. Panda’s Ice Cream Truck Review
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPad 3
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Fans of the Dr. Panda series, as well as those new to this series of charming children's applications, will be eager to hear about Dr. Panda Ice Cream Truck. Here, as the name may imply, children will get to be helpful while making and serving ice cream to the familiar faces from the other popular applications in the series.
While other apps may allow one to serve cold treats to different characters, I admire the chance to first create new fantastical flavors by combining different, sometimes colorful ice creams and toppings, mixed together in a blender to create one's custom creations.
With the ability to whip up eight unique ice creams, children will have fun taking their time doing this creative and fun prep work before opening up for business. I especially appreciate how one can watch the blender at work, creating swirls of color as one produces an unlimited variety of new and different combinations.
From here, one will start to serve patrons by scooping ice cream into cones, with a nice selection of syrups and toppings to choose from. Toddlers will delight in the musical sound effects heard when building cones, including how the distant landscape color changes to coordinate with an ice cream choice, or the spray of sweet stuff that drips with a pleasing viscosity, as well as how shakable treats are seen falling from the sky to correspond to what is being added to the cone – be it chocolate shavings, sprinkles, or the like.
The musical sound effects here have a very nice quality to them, but older children may feel as if these elements take away from the realism they enjoy within the procedural section of creating new flavors. I do, however, enjoy them paying for their treats as it allows users to accept money for their hard work – a nice touch kids will enjoy.
One other note that I have is that one can easily create a cone with enough ice cream to prevent a friendly animal from being seen from behind its refreshing treat. Soon this issue is mitigated as one taps to eat this dessert, but I wish the angle of the animal behind the cone could be cheated a bit more to be able to see them at all times as it is fun to see and hear their reactions to being offered these fun flavors.
I have also noticed that the resolution is not quite high definition, as seen when one is finished producing their unique type of ice cream ball as the edges are not as crisp as other graphics that I have seen. This is an issue that adults may notice, but nothing that children will find distracting as they create and serve their way through Dr. Panda Ice Cream Truck.