I do like mobile games. A well-crafted mobile game is not only fun to play, but it offers the benefits of being able to efficiently kill time while riding a bus or waiting in a dentist’s office. One might think that mobile games are a perfect and entertaining tool designed for essentially one thing: killing short chunks of time. Klopfer argues that mobile games are actually far more useful than that. He describes a category of mobile learning games that is the main focus of his book.

The book is structured in a very logical fashion. Chapter 1 opens the book by making the case for mobile learning games through the prism of educational reform. Fluency with information and computing technology has long been recognized as a necessary skill for any person entering the 21st century workforce. Given the proliferation and ubiquity of mobile devices, it is hard to argue that many mobile applications will not be immediately perceived by today’s youth as relevant to their lives and future careers. Games--including video games--present an engaging medium whose potential has also long been recognized by educational research specialists as an effective motivational tool. Mobile games are uniquely positioned to embrace these trends; they present a tool for engaging a wide stratum of users who may find them very appealing due to the ubiquity of mobile devices, the relative simplicity of the gameplay, and the educational value they may offer.

Chapters 2 and 3 describe the design and evolution of educational games. I believe that many parents and teachers may benefit from the material presented in these chapters. Frequently, we perceive games as having purely an entertainment or a “killing time” value. This book makes the case for adding more educational value into the game design and presents a corresponding historical perspective. Chapters 4 and 5 describe the best practices in developing mobile games in general, and educational mobile games in particular. The rest of the book contains a good variety of case studies illustrating the design and implementation of mobile learning games, as well as corresponding educational research projects.

This book presents an excellent summary of the current state of the art in mobile learning games and is an interesting read. It will be especially useful for any educator weighing the value of using games, mobile or not, in the educational process.