Super Citycon

The land development work involves a number of elements -- kids are responsible for executing tasks, but the app offers assistance along the way. The basic controls in Super Citycon aren't too complicated -- they can change muddy roads to paved ones by tapping on portions of them. Some aspects of adding things are automated -- intersections, for instance, are created when you make a three-road junction. The game also offers some visual cues to help kids with planning. Some structures need to be connected to a street, and some can have a few tiles' distance from the nearest road. Tapping and briefly holding your finger on a building will reveal additional information about it, including whether it's too far away from something.

Kids will need to move around the game's various sections to complete actions, which can require a couple of clicks. While at first it's a little clunky, once kids get the hang of it, they should be able to easily move back and forth. They'll also need to drag cards they receive as rewards, offering things like speedier construction for a certain time period. The game includes a few aspects that help make it a more nuanced experience than some other building-based games, such as the supply and demand measurements kids can check out to determine what they need to focus on adding. There's also no lengthy downtime while construction is being completed, as there is in some games -- the wait is often just a few seconds. While some monetization elements have been included, with packages of in-app currency and other items, kids shouldn't feel overly pressured to spend anything, though. They can customize their town without many restrictions in Super Citycon -- which gives them a chance to be creative and use some critical thinking skills, while also taking a few real-world urban planning practices into account.