Word Wonderland (Elementary)

The problem with Word Wonderland (Elementary) is that the critical thinking kids must do during the gameplay isn't related to the word skills the app is intended to teach. There's no explanation of any of the word concepts. What is a diphthong? How does r control a vowel? The word sort ends up being an activity in which kids just match the letters in words to letters on the space path. Given the suffix -ion, for example, kids could just find the word ending with -ion (e.g., suction) and drag the suffix into place. No critical thinking or understanding is required. The tutorials are focused on explaining the intricate rules surrounding the logisitics of navigating the space path -- the arrows, stars, and machines -- and maneuvering the space crab along the path. The arcade gameplay is fun and challenging, once kids figure it out (see the Tips section in Settings), but the whole learning approach seems like an afterthought. The educational aspects of the game aren't explained, accessed legitimately, or tracked. Multiple user profiles track kids' progress but don't provide reports of skills mastered. The Tips section offers instructions for the arcade play of the game, but no information is included about the learning terms and concepts.