Review: Shifu Plugo Count
The Hands-On Math Kit
We love any STEM toy that makes learning fun, and the Shifu Plugo Count certainly provides kids with a fun mathematics learning experience. The team at Professor Plums in Australia recently sent us the Shifu Plugo Count and asked us to see what we thought. We have been amazed by this toy, and have been playing with it for a while now. My eldest son Ashton loves it! In this post, we want to share with you our thoughts and opinion as well as give you an overview of what it's all about.
Disclosure: This post does not contain affiliate links; however, we were sent this product for review. Saying that; our reviews are real reviews regardless of whether the product was bought or supplied.
Overview of the Play Shifu Plugo Count Kit
The Plugo Count is a fun learning system where the real world meets the digital world. Kids solve fun math problems and open up new levels on the tablet by placing the 'Spike' (See below) and numbers on the Gamepad. The Plugo Application on the tablet uses the camera to see what has been placed on the Gamepad.
Pugo Count is also available as part of a combo kit we recently reviewed: Plugo Link & Count Combo Kit Review.
There are currently five different games to play each with multiple levels. Parents get to decide what type of math problems appear in the games by customising the learning (See below).
Here is how Shifu describes Plugo Count on their official website:
Traditional math made fun with an innovative hands-on approach. Plugo Count reinvents math with engaging stories that help kids understand and fall in love with numbers.
• 5 story-based games in the app
• 250+ challenges and puzzles
• Age-adaptive challenges, PreK to Grade 5
• Skills: math (+ - x /), problem-solving, logical reasoning
Customisable Learning
One of the best features of Plugo Count is the available learning customisation. Head to the settings section, and you can choose what type of math problems you want to appear in the games. This is great for two reasons. Firstly, you can select age-appropriate problems to solve. EG, my son is currently only learning numbers, so I just have 'Counting' turned on. The second main benefit is to target learning. EG, your kids might be good at counting, but not division, so you can just have division turned on. See the settings below that are currently available.
What's In The Box?
Similar to when we opened the Plugo Link System, the packaging and boxing for the Count System is deluxe. The box doubles as storage with its easy to open lid held together by magnets.
There are two main parts:
Plugo Foldable Gamepad: The is the mat that you will build on. It folds up neatly to store, and when unfolded, it has a universal mount at the end that holds most tablets and iPads.
Plugo Count: Inside this box, you will find 'Spike'. Spike is placed on the Gamepad and used for all Plugo Count games. You will also see two sets of well-crafted numerals and four math operators. There is also a help guide to get you started.
Shifu Count Game Play
Before you start playing Plugo Count, you need to download the Plugo App. The App is available for iOS and Android. Here are the links:
Get it on Google Play
Download on the App Store
Available Games on the App
There are currently five games available for the Plugo Count. All of them are customisable, and parents get to decide on what mathematics to teach. All of the games have multiple levels and are story-based games.
AstroStrike
How far through the galaxy can your kids travel on their rocket? Well, that depends on how many questions they answer correctly. Almost all kids love rockets, my son included. He loved this game.
Monsters Can't Count
Choose your favourite monster and solve math problems. Tons of characters to choose from and plenty of levels. Work your way through levels by solving math problems.
Tales of Numero
Help Numero the fox make his way through the levels by solving problems. Beautifully designed scenes and a story that flows well. This game will keep kids entertained and well educated.
Little Dana's Adventure
Help Dana and follow her adventure as you solve math problems and move her from screen to screen, level to level.
Life of Thoe
Theo the Lama needs your help. Use your Gamepad and spike to solve math problems to help Theo get from level to level.
Plugo Application Compatibility
Here is the current list of compatible devices for playing Plugo Count. You can also check the official list here.
iOS Devices
iPad 3rd gen & above.
iPad Mini 2 & above.
iPad Air all models.
iPad Pro all models (except Pro 12”).
iPhone 6 & above.
Samsung Devices
2015 and newer, 2GB RAM and above.
Amazon Fire Devices
Fire 7 - 9th gen, 2019 release.
Fire 8 - 8th gen, 2018 release.
STEM Education with Shifu Plugo Count
Plugo Count is a great STEM education toy for many apparent reasons. It teaches logical reasoning, critical thinking, problem-solving, and is very math orientated.
Plugo Count Video
Here is the official Plugo Count video by Shifu.
Ashton Playing Plugo Count
My son Ashton loves playing Plugo Count. He is quite young though, and only uses a small amount of the available learning options. Which is great because I know he will grow into it, and this STEM learning toy will last him a long time. I can't wait for him to start learning some of the more complex mathematics.
Our Review And Opinion
We think the Plugo Count System by Shifu is a great STEM toy, and due to the customisations, it should last your kids many years. While it is not technically Augmented Reality, it certainly blends the real world with the digital world. The unique learning experience it creates makes learning mathematics fun.
The only negative to mention is device compatibility. Now, we have an iPad, so our device is listed, but not a lot of android tablets are listed. I think they support a lot more devices than they list, but it would be helpful for them to have a complete list.
This toy is really well built, and the Application by Plugo is well designed and easy to navigate. We are sure you would love this toy.
Overall, this is a great educational STEM toy. We rate it 4.5 out of 5.
Read Next
Review: Shifu Plugo Link and Count Combo
We road-test and review the amazing Plugo Link & Count Combo pack by Shifu. The educational STEM toy where the real world meets the digital world.
