Video game fans know that this week is an extra-special one, because it sees the release of the latest entry into the uber-huge Grand Theft Auto series, Grand Theft Auto V. With that in mind, we’ve got a pair of apps to expand your GTA experience – but leading the pack is Rosetta Stone Kids Lingo Letter Sounds, an educational app designed to help teach young kids to speak Spanish. For the (much) older crowd playing GTA V this week, we’ve got the app version of GTA V’s extensive game manual, and iFruit, a satirical app that lets you custom-design cars and play with your gangster dog whenever you’re not actually playing the game.
Rosetta Stone Kids Lingo Letter Sounds (Free)
What’s it about? Help young children learn a second language, and have fun doing it, with Rosetta Stone Kids Lingo Letter Sounds.
What’s cool? Rosetta Stone Kids brings the language-learning lessons the company and its programs are known for, and gears them specifically at young children. With Lingo Letter Sounds, children are challenged to learn Spanish words to control the action they see on screen by speaking them aloud. The app is something of a game, making learning Spanish skills fun for kids, but it also passes on a large number of beginner skills, like identifying different families of letters and key sounds. Lingo Letter Sounds also provides parents with a rundown of how their kids are progressing through different lessons, and how well they’re gaining new skills.
Who’s it for? Rosetta Stone Kids Lingo Letter Sounds is aimed specifically at young children learning Spanish, age 3 to 6, and their parents.
What’s it like? Other great apps to help kids learn a second language are Fun Spanish Language Learning Games for Kids and Vocabulary and Grammar! Language Development.
Grand Theft Auto V: The Manual (Free)
What’s it about? Learn everything you need to know about the newly released Grand Theft Auto V with the game’s Manual app.
What’s cool? Grand Theft Auto V, the well-loved, satirical and hyper-violent crime game series on PCs and consoles, has just hit store shelves, and with it comes Grand Theft Auto V: The Manual. The app is a one-stop shop for tons of information about what may be the biggest game of the year, providing useful tips on everything from how the controls work to information about the game’s Los Angeles-alike setting, Los Santos. The Manual includes more than 100 pages of content, and also brings users into the game with info about story and the world of Grand Theft Auto, so it’s worth checking out even for veterans of the series.
Who’s it for? If you’re picking up GTA V this week (or got it at its midnight launch), you should definitely check out The Manual.
What’s it like? Check out other apps from GTA creator Rockstar Games, like Beaterator and Max Payne Mobile.
Grand Theft Auto: iFruit (Free)
What’s it about? Create custom cars and take care of your own gangster dog in Grand Theft Auto: iFruit, a tie-in game app for the recently launched Grand Theft Auto V.
What’s cool? Yes, we did just cover an app for Grand Theft Auto V, but Rockstar Games hasn’t stopped with digitizing the game’s manual. We also have iFruit, a tie-in game that lets users do some cool stuff on their iPhones that can be transferred into their game worlds in GTA V and its multiplayer component, GTA Online. You can use iFruit to create and order custom cars and even custom license plates for both games, and they’ll show up in-game next time you log in, or after a set time limit if you’re playing. You can also care for and play with an in-game dog named Chop in iFruit, making the dog more useful and more interesting in GTA V.
Who’s it for? If you’re a GTA V superfan, you can get more out of the game with iFruit.
What’s it like? Bone up on your GTA history with the iOS versions of earlier games, including Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
