Scott has many toys in his bedroom but he's bored. He craves the great outdoors - and the sea is beckoning, so off he goes with his cat Jazz for an ocean adventure. Down to the port they go, where a mysterious submarine is waiting. How can they resist? And who will be waiting for them inside the sub?
Low interactivity is offset by sound effects and background sound effects like beach and ocean sounds. The quality of these effects is sometimes questionable but mostly pleasant. Once the sub is underwater, quality improves and kids can scroll deeper and deeper down into the sea where they can meet all manner of marine creatures.
Kids can also take 'photos' of elements on the page by clicking on the camera icon, which can then be looked through in the Photo Album, found in the main menu.
Kids can also seek and find (with a magnifying glass icon) silhouetted shapes. Some pages have horizontal scrolling, too, allowing kids to see really gorgeous panoramic scenes, however, as there is no indicator a scene can be expanded upon, these could easily be missed.
I really like the options that allow the story's narrative to be expanded for older kids. With a default setting at age 2 - 3, changing this option makes the story more suitable for kids aged 4+. There are also options to read in Spanish, French and Japanese. The text and narration can also be switched or or off, and ambient sound volume can be altered.
This is a basic but charming story. Beautiful illustrations are a strong point.
Scott's Submarine is published by Square Igloo and is available on iTunes for $3.99.
