When I first downloaded this app, I was pretty sure it was just going to be another simple kid’s game.

Wow, was I ever wrong. What I got instead was a daunting brain teaser that challenged, among other things, my reasoning skills.

Lost Penguin’s story goes something like this: Wally the walrus has stolen all the fish you and your son Billy have stored up for the winter. Little Billy goes off trying to retrieve the stolen food and gets lost—far far from his native Antarctica.

Billy needs to get home but it’s a treacherous journey–one littered with tree stumps, quicksand pits and other obstacles. The goal: To use your finger to guide Billy along a series of increasingly difficult stepping stones that take him from the start of one level to its end. Make one false move and it’s back to the beginning of the level.

Trust me, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

The game is divided into four “islands” and there are more than 100 levels to navigate. Just when you finally master one level (and believe me, some of them will probably take you several attempts), a new, trickier obstacle course appears. You have to pass through each island’s series of levels before progressing to the next island–there’s also a bonus island for those of you addicted or skilled enough to whiz your way through the first four. Stuck? Use a “super penguin” (available as an in-app purchase) to move past a level you can’t solve.

What I liked: The game’s graphics are crisp–and deceptively cute. This is a great game for puzzlers of all ages with plenty of challenges to keep it interesting.

What I didn’t like: Somewhat unclear instructions–it took me a little while to figure out exactly what I needed to be doing.

To buy or not to buy: At 99 cents, definitely–this is hours of play that is at once entertaining but also stimulates the brain.

App Name: Lost Penguin Version Reviewed: 1.0 Category: Games Developer: Seejaykay LLC Price: $0.99 Score:

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