Antelope Up

The application opens with a delightful and beautifully presented home screen with some wonderful, engaging sounds.

The main screen displays the map of Africa that is split into the 5 sub-regions which include; North Africa, South Africa, West Africa, East Africa and Central Africa. The ‘Settings’ icon in the top right of the screen enables the user to change various setting including music and voice volumes, scenery backgrounds, score reset and in-app instructions. We recommend that younger users with the support of a parent view the in-app instructions from the outset.

Returning to the home screen the user can see a completion icon in the bottom of the screen which indicates which regions of the map have been completed. A game score is maintained in the top left. Older users will find the user interface very intuitive and may not need to refer to the in-app instructions at this point. Once a region on the map has been selected there is an option to choose your difficulty setting. These include easy, medium, hard and expert. The differences in the levels are signified by the number of cards that needs matching; the harder the level the more cards there are to match. The more cards there is the more chance there is of locating a lion or lioness match which results in a game loss. There are also two avatars displayed which can be selected for different players.

The levels are as follows:

Easy - 4 cards, match 2 pairs of antelope.

Medium - 6 cards, 3 pairs.

Hard - 12 cards, 6 pairs.

Expert - 20 cards, 10 pairs.

For this review, we will look at the easy and expert levels. The easy level displays 4 cards; including 2 pairs of matching antelopes. The user gets points for every card match and further points for completing a level. The harder the level, the more points you earn. Compare total scores with your friends and see how high you can go! It is noted that the score is accumulative so you can build on your score each and every time you play. These scores can be accessed and reset at any time.

Once the cards are shuffled the user must match the pairs and avoid the hungry predators. A score is displayed in the top left along with how many turns the user has taken. For further information, the user can access the magnifying glass to learn about the selected antelopes. This information screen is a wonderful feature and displays the following information. The type of antelope with correct name pronunciation, the number of times the user has seen or matched the antelope species, key features of the species, their height compared to a human, conservation information, differences between male and female species, animal classifications and the region the species is native to. Each of the species is displayed by swiping left or right. We really enjoyed this feature and found the interface very informative, easy to navigate and certainly helped us identify antelope species as we played on.

The expert level displays 20 cards; 8 of which are matching antelope species and four of which are a lion or lioness, the hunters. We found this level very challenging and had a number of attempts before it was successfully completed. The developers should be congratulated on the wonderful graphics and music that is throughout the application. Once all of the sub-regions of the map have been discovered the map wheel lights up and then resets.

Is the Antelope Up app easy to use?

Antelope Up is an incredibly powerful application and the menu systems and features being very easy to navigate. The application has a clean look to the interface and the graphics are user friendly. At no point does the screen look over cluttered. Each of the menus can be easily accessed and the gameplay works seamlessly.

How will parents benefit?

Parents can set their child off and running with the application with very little support from the outset, however, younger children may need to refer to the instructions with an adult. Not only is the application great fun it also has educational value improving memory and recall as well as detailed knowledge about Africa and the antelope species. The range of levels is good for differentiated learning within the classroom or at home.

How will teachers benefit?

Teachers can set their students off and running with the application with very little support from the outset. Teachers may want to link the application with topic areas such as Africa, continents or animals. This application brings a fun, exciting, competitive platform that can be used by all ages.

How will the user benefit?

It’s great fun! Our users found the application a delight to use and kept playing the game again and again. They particularly enjoyed the differentiation of gameplay and the detailed information about the antelope species.

What we love about the Antelope Up app

The developers can be congratulated on the in-app instructions for the application. This made the application easy to understand and gave an educational focus for the game. 

The levels of difficulty are a welcomed feature and enable the user to focus on their own ability with the option to challenge themselves once they have built up their confidence.

We love the quality of this application and the graphical layout. It has a highly polished feel to the app and the menus are easy to read and the interface is very intuitive. The addition of scenic backgrounds, music, avatars and information about the different antelope species is a nice feature especially the focus on conservation and whether the species is in danger or not.

Parents and teachers will be pleased to know that the application’s developers also offer some extra resources on their supporting website which include word searches, avatars and ring tones.

What the Antelope Up app could improve on

Antelope Up is an excellent application and there is a limited amount of improvements that can be made, however, we have suggested the following:

The developers might consider the ability to change the language of the application to appeal to a wider market.

The developers may want to make the information regarding the antelope species slightly easier to read. This may include a larger font layout or the ability for the information to be read aloud for those with learning difficulties.

The developers may consider a subtler approach to the male and female or some of the species. Our users found some differences between male and female species very hard to spot.

The developers should consider a lifeline within the application for when a lion or lioness has been matched early on. Sometimes the predators are found on the first set of cards ending the game abruptly.

This application is highly addictive. The developers could consider a screen time limit for those parents who may be concerned that their child is playing for too long. Time flies when you are having fun!

The developers could provide links to achievement certificates that could be printed for the user. Or the ability to print out the antelope species as an information card to be displayed on the walls in a classroom.

The developers could consider other similar applications focusing on different animal species creating an app collection.

How much does Antelope Up cost?

Antelope Up is free in the demo/lite mode along with a full paid version. The demo/lite mode contains adverts and tracking.

Is Antelope Up safe to use?

Yes. The application does require an account and email to start with. The application does not contain any offensive elements and the 3rd party ads are age-appropriate in the demo/lite versions.

Overall Rating of the application

Antelope Up is by far one of the best matching brain training games we have played. Not only does it come with a user-friendly platform and a variety of content the application encourages your child to boost their mental ability as well as teaching them important lessons about geography, antelope species and conservation. Antelope Up comes highly recommended by The EducationalAppStore.com