With children ranging in ages from 3 to 10, LEGO brick building is a part of my daily life. We also have some of the LEGO software games. But this time, the digital world meets the physical world with the LEGO Life of George iPhone app and building kit ($29.99 on shop.lego.com). The app is out now; the kit will be available Oct. 1.
The app chronicles the life of George, software engineer by day and adventurer by night, and challenges you to build models with the building kit based on pictures in George’s photo album. When you’re done, you place your model on the included mat and take a picture with your phone to check whether you’ve built the model correctly.
The game sounds simple, and in principle it is. But with a limited time to assemble your model and a fixed set of bricks, it becomes challenging as you move through its 12 levels.
You can play alone or against another person in a turn-based mode. (You can’t play head to head.) Or, enter “My Life” mode, where you can design and create your own models. You can also share the models on Facebook, which is the only reason for the 14+ age rating on the game.
I had a lot of fun playing, but there are a couple of issues I have with "LEGO Life of George." First, you have to use the included cardboard mat to play the game, which means it’s not as transportable as I’d like it to be. And in that same vein, there’s no pouch for the bricks. So to play on the go, you’ll need to carry the box, which measures about 10.6-by-5.6-by-2.6 inches. The $29.99 price also seems a little high for an app, 144 bricks and a piece of cardboard.
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