THE GOLDEN TROPHY

An interactive exploration of what might have happened after the Tortoise bested the Hare.

The story begins with Sheldon the tortoise standing on the podium, waving his golden trophy. Just below him are the sulking Hare and a seemingly content mole. Animal spectators are celebrating Sheldon’s win—but when Sheldon goes to bed one night, a hare posse sneaks in and steals his beloved prize. Sheldon recovers the trophy (seemingly by telekinesis), but in a spectacular anticlimax, a mole subsequently steals it and scurries down a deep underground pathway, never to be seen again. Interactions are plenteous, if not exciting. With a simple tap, leaves fall, animals make sounds, a light switches off, and a scuffle commences—nothing groundbreaking. There’s a cute sequence in which readers help Sheldon escape from the hare mob and another in which they help assemble a makeshift replacement trophy. The main problem with this app is that it’s not particularly well-designed. In select places, the visuals and interactions don’t match the text description. For example, the narrator says, “Oh no! The hares have stolen the trophy!” while the golden prize is still sitting on Sheldon’s nightstand. Screen transitions are universally sluggish.

The characters are cute and colorful, but they’re not strong enough to carry this weak storyline and flawed interface to a first-place finish.