PHIL AND FREDDY'S HALLOWEEN

Two amiable amphibians prepare to attend a Halloween party.

Phil and Freddy (both frogs) pay a visit to the costume store, where they try on various get-ups, including—wait for it—a frog costume. On Halloween night, the duo meets up to go to the party together and realizes they don’t have any candy to bring. The candy store is closed (on its most profitable holiday of the year), so the frogs decide to trick or treat to get what they need; they eventually attend the party and everyone lives happily ever after (except, perhaps, readers, who have suffered through a tedious and dull story). There are gratuitous interactive features—tapping certain objects triggers arbitrary musical clips, blinking graphics and “sound effects,” the latter of which are often voiced by the female narrator (who might want to keep her day job). There are no navigation tools or menus, and narration, music and sound effects are audible only when the screen is touched. In terms of look and feel, the illustrations are colorful and sharp enough, but their form and functionality seem just a notch above some of the popular kids’ computer games circa 1994.  That said, this app serves as a reminder that the iPad is capable of so much more than many developers opt to bother with.  

More trick than treat.