Introducing South Africa’s first fully-bilingual Adventure-based language learning App Game designed to help South African kids feel comfortable with and learn their second language.

Here in South Africa, much like in other countries, children are required to pass both their home and second language tests in order to move through to the next grade. A fail in their second language results in the child repeating the year, regardless of whether or not other subjects were passed with flying colours.

In South Africa, fun education (written or digital) is available in either English or Afrikaans, with nothing available in both languages simultaneously. It’s very difficult for a child (and even adults) to become comfortable with and learn a second language when they can’t understand the instructions given in that language.

Additionally, many parents working full-time struggle to find the time and resources to help their kids pass their second language assessment tests, mostly because they either don’t know the second language themselves or because they don’t have time to sit with them and translate all the materials.

The answer was to create a game that could be played in both languages at once; where everything said and written is first done so in English then immediately repeated in Afrikaans, giving children a chance to hear and read what is said in their mother tongue as well as in their second language. The interactive learning part comes in when the player/child is asked find what Owen is looking for then answer all questions in their second language. Answers are provided through text and audio, leaving the child to key the correct answer into a pop-up keyboard in the game – and kids just love to push buttons, don’t they!

Owen’s Adventures makes it as simple as letting your child get comfortable on the couch, in the garden or in the car on the way to the mall, then start the game and play. Besides installation, no parental assistance is required. The player lives in the game with their new friend, Owen, and becomes comfortable with their second language as they travel with their bilingual buddy through South Africa.

South Africa’s very first fully-bilingual learning Adventure App game - Owen’s Adventures through South Africa – Owen se Avonture deur Suid Afrika - consisting of ten levels to unlock with four minigames per level, has only recently been launched on the Google Play and App Store markets FREE.

This exciting, colourful and adventure-filled game promises to help kids become comfortable with, enjoy and learn their second language. Wrapped-up in a single App Game it’s like a written story, animated movie come audio-book, with a pop-up keypad for writing answers, and star-rated rewards for helping Owen (our hero) on his awesome adventure from Cape Town, up the coast, inland and back to Namaqualand.

The game is not your average flash-card game, nor is it basic C-A-T or D-O-G education! It’s the first of its kind in South Africa; an adventure-orientated, multi-level App Game for kids on the move, created by a mother/Ghostwriter with the intention of effectively helping her own son to pass his second language assessment tests. Being a Ghostwriter specializing in children’s books, Carly van Heerden decided she had to find a way to help her son pass Afrikaans after he failed the first term. Hence Owen’s Adventures was born.

As it’s been designed to help educate South African kids, the languages featured are English and Afrikaans. However, it’s possible for the game to be adapted to different languages in future. For more information please contact Carly van Heerden at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the website at http://www.bilinguallearninggames.com/