Something old, now new, with I See Ewe

I See Ewe – Matching games are always a sure bet when it comes to designing children’s games. They’re great for younger preschoolers because they’re easy to learn and they keep the older ones coming back for more because each game presents new and fun pictures.
I See Ewe, a kid’s app for iPhone and iPod touch by Claireware Software, continues in the matching game tradition with Match Items, and expands the appeal of the app by including a second game: Learn Words. Designed for preschool age children, I See Ewe features various settings that make this $0.99 app adaptable for players at various ages and levels.
Match Items follows the rules of the old standard memory game: touch two cards at a time and try to — you guessed it — match items. With I See Ewe successfully pair up two cards and win audio props, mismatch a pair and the device vibrates. (A word of caution — for younger players, a pillow on the lap is helpful to avoid your iPhone or iPod touch hitting the ground in case the vibration catches your little one off guard).
In Learn Words, a series of pictures is presented. The name of one of the items is listed at the bottom and a voice announces the word. Identify the item correctly by touching the picture that corresponds with the word. For younger children learning new words, the variety of pictures helps broaden a young vocabulary. Turn the voice command off and the game becomes a pre-reading tool for older preschoolers becoming familiar with letters and sounds.
An options page allows you to change the set of cards used in either game, as well as control the level of difficulty for each by adjusting the size, and therefore the number, of cards that are displayed.
I See Ewe was recently updated to include more card set choices. Now players can choose between geometric shapes, colors, household objects and animals.
The developer of I See Ewe clearly used some tried and true games as a starting point in designing Match Items and Learning Words, but regardless, I See Ewe still managed to take something old and make it new.