IS THE WITCH IN LOVE?

An interactive sequel to The Witch with No Name (2012).

The titular witch is back, and this time she’s looking for love—arguably, in all the wrong places. Obsessed with impressing the narcissistic Merlinor at his annual Halloween Ball, the witch sets out to improve her image. (The magic mirror is partially to blame for this, as it keeps telling her that she’s not marvelous enough for Merlinor.) First she seeks a new wardrobe by visiting German fashion designer Lagerspell, who is fabulous and the one character in the story that shines. She buys a new Ferraci broom and takes etiquette lessons from Mummily Manners. In the end, the witch ends up finding love, but not where she thought she would. There’s a plethora of interactive opportunities throughout the story, many of them delightful. Props to the developers for utilizing the full power of the iPad; SlimCricket harnesses the creative and interactive capabilities of the microphone, camera and tilt action and offers a host of animated touch features. In addition to exploring the tactile magic on each page, readers can complete four tasks to unlock a pleasant little surprise. As with the witch’s first outing, the actual story lags behind in accomplishment, but readers are unlikely to notice this.

Even though the literary component isn’t wonderful, this app is worth the price of admission thanks to the innovative interactive elements.