Roxie’s Doors

  Roxie’s Doors
      by OCG Studios

What room or location will you pick?  Will it be the barn, a doctor’s office or even outer space.  An interactive 3D flip book that has been a part of iTunes since the summer. An engaging book that was designed for your iPad device running iOS 3.2 or later,  Roxie’s Doors is a wonderful new concept to reading.  While reading, users will increase their vocabulary as pages are filled with rhymes and sounds all along the way.  As you unlock all nine doors, be prepared to enter a world of fantasy where the only thing stopping you is the “key to your imagination.”  Roxie’s Doors adds components that Applicable2U has not yet seen with other interactive books.  With a quick flip or a flap, readers will find and animate over 90 items.   Not only will young toddlers love reading this book, but adults will find themselves addicted too.  Whether you go on this adventure with your child or not, each return visit continues to amaze Applicable2U.  Through the help of technology, a mobile device and a well thought out idea, Roxie’s Doors gives the feel of an I Spy hardcover book or board game.

As you travel from room to room, readers have the option to read themselves or with the help of two narrators, Roxie or Dirk.  With wonderful animation and enthusiasm in their voices,  users can read in order or bounce around within the many worlds. The screen is broken into three parts. The left side hosts a short text and those things that you might find as you explore that room/location highlighted in bold lettering.  The searching can begin on the right side of each page as the reader will feel as though they are standing outside that door.  In order to enter, users must simply swipe their finger up, down, left or right.  The magic of that room will slowly come to life as you find each necessary item.  Applicable2u was stunned to feel a bit of motion sickness, in a very good way, as we tilted our iPad device from left to right to find hidden locations.  While on this mission to find each item, it is important to note that there are hidden doors within doors, so be sure to scan the entire room.  At the top of each page, users can navigate themselves back to what feels like a table of contents, by simply pulling down the red arrow.  The table of contents offers a variety of things.  It will allow the user to change narrators, to turn sound on/off and the ability to unlock new doors as you see fit.  Parents will be amazed as their child(ren) unlock certain doors and how they will become transparent as it flips, making it easier for the reader to still be able to see the text on the left hand side as they explore that room.

As Applicable2U mentioned earlier, Roxie’s Doors is an interactive book designed for all ages.  Not only is this interactive book designed to build ones imagination and vocabulary, but it supports the reader by reinforcing with the help of color coding. As items are found behind each door, the matching word is highlighted in green indicating that it has been found.  If however the user sees a red highlighted word, this indicates to them that additional items are missing.  As you scan and tilt your device, objects will animate and make a coordinating sound.  In addition, users will hear a magical chime and flash as correct items are located.

For those just learning to read, Roxie’s Doors is definitely one that would be best supported with a parent.  Although a parent or narrator could read, little ones could also use the added reinforcement of further explaining what certain items are.  With each return visit, the hope is that your little reader isn’t just clicking to click, but that they are beginning to develop their vocabulary.  An interesting concept to think about adding for a future update, would be if readers tapped on words and the narrator repeated just that word(s) and also showed a coordinating image, similar to those early stages of reading books. This would provide readers that word to picture connection as they learn to read independently.  If necessary, this could be a feature that could be turned on/off based on the ability level or desired challenge that each reader might want to take.

Overall, Applicable2U was very impressed with Roxie’s Doors and the experience that it would provide her own son.  While in the application, you will notice within the “table of contents” that the last door is to a fable, fairy tale like door that is coming soon.  We are encouraged to see that new doors will be opening up over the coming months.  If you would like to learn more about OCG Studios and the other applications that they have to offer, please visit their website here.  To begin downloading the doors to your imagination, then click here to add Roxie’s Doors to your iTunes library today!