The Story Games for iPod, iPhone, and iPad come in three varieties – City Story, Farm Story, and Restaurant Story. All three score high on my personal metrics for good children’s entertainment by virtue of being fun, easy, and free.
City Story is a simplified version of the classic Sim City. In City Story, you build your city with a constant eye on the balance between residential and commercial properties. It takes relatively little attention and can be played vigorously for hours then forgotten for days on end.
Farm Story requires a little bit more attention. Kids clear the land, plant the seeds, and must return to harvest the plants in time or risk losing the crop. Crop maturation times vary from a few minute to several days, depending on the variety.
Restaurant Story is the newest and most involved offering from the good Story folks. The gist of the game is that you must manage all facets of a restaurant, from menu selection to furniture design. The negative about Restaurant Story is that it moves fast and requires frequent check-ins or the food will go bad or run out. No food means no customers means no money to buy the cool new stuff which goes to the very heart of all three games. The fun is in earning enough coins to buy more cool stuff, which kids use to earn more coins.
The graphics are crisp and fun. The number of options and levels is excellent and the price (free) just can’t be beat.