App reviews: YouTube Kids, Alto's Adventure

YouTube can be a great way to kick back, learn and explore with your children. But for some parents it can also feel dangerous, as if you're always just a click or “recommended video” away from having to shield some eyes. Google has a new app for careful parents who want their children to use a version of YouTube made for young minds. The videos are in four categories — Shows, Music, Leaning and Explore — and have been pulled from the site's more professional video producers such as Sesame Street, Khan Academy and the Vlogbrothers.

The videos that are easiest to find are aimed at the preschool set when you start the app, but there is content — particularly educational content — that would suit a slightly older audience as well. The app gives parents the option to set a timer on how long children can use the app, enable or disable the ability to search and turn sound effects on or off. Search histories can be cleared. Free, for iOS and Android.

It's all downhill from here, so enjoy the ride

On paper, Alto's Adventure sounds boring: As the snowboarding main character Alto, you glide down a mountain until you crash. And when you crash? Well, you head right back up to the top again. In practice, however, it's so much more than its reverse-Sisyphean concept. Its stunning visuals, clever design and overall elegance make it not only a compelling game to play in spare moments, but a genuine time-suck. (That's a compliment.)

The controls are simple. Alto jumps onto his snowboard when you tap and goes into a back flip when you hold your finger down. Timing is everything: You may make a beautiful jump, but muff the landing and end up with a face full of snow or hear a disconcerting thud. But the game is smartly designed to keep you from getting frustrated. The landscape changes each time you have to restart, so you don't keep trying to get past the same point. It's more expensive than the average mobile game, but well worth it. $1.99, for iOS.