App reviews: Sling Kong, Shout

Sling Kong

The game Sling Kong encourages its players to get into some monkey business. The aim of the game is to launch your adorable animal avatar (who is, by default, a monkey) as high as you can up the current level. You launch your fuzzy friend from peg to peg, though you'll have to avoid some obstacles that pose some serious peril. If you can ascend and successfully avoid these hazards, including fire, buzz saws and pounding blocks, you're rewarded with a higher score. As you play, you can unlock other characters - some simian, some not. The app also has other minigames that can help you earn in-game currency to buy more characters.

The game does have in-app purchases for those who want to buy more of the game's gold. It's also ad-supported, though anyone who buys something through the app can ditch ads. Players can opt to watch ads for additional gold, if they want. There's also some implication of violence when you miss a peg or hit an obstacle. But there's never any violence on screen. The app carries a 9+ rating, which can be a guide for parents who are worried. Overall, though, Sling Kong is a fun way to pass the time.

Free, for iOS and Android.

Shout

Shout is a new app aimed at helping you curate and share the best articles, videos, recipes and other pieces of the Web for yourself and others. The app functions as a sort of cross between a bookmarking service such as Pocket and a curation service such as Flipboard. You can save articles to your own private list right from your mobile browser, or opt to make a public list that others can see and follow. You can also follow other people's public lists in the app, and it's easy to send an email digest of any particular list to your followers. Shout also makes it easy to share to other social networks.

The app is available for iOS devices and also has a plug-in for Chrome for those who want to save and share from their computers. Shout is still a relatively new product and, like any social-media platform, will probably improve over time as it gets more users. For those excited about reading and sharing articles about the things they love, it's a worthy addition to your social toolbox.

Free, for iOS.