There have been some fab Curious George apps for kids in recent memory, including Curious George at the Zoo and Curious About Shapes and Colors.

Now the cuddly monkey is starring in a new app: Curious George’s Town. It’s a town-building game that looks a bit like FarmVille, where your child gets to spend virtual coins on building new items for their town.

But wait, we know what you’re thinking. Virtual coins means in-app purchases! But no, there are no in-app purchases in this game. Instead of trying to get children to spend real money, Curious George’s Town wants them to learn to save virtual money AND behave well in the real world.

“This wonderful app encourages good behaviour and promotes saving by encouraging children to delay spending (deferred gratification) in order to accomplish a goal (create a town),” explains its App Store listing.

“When children defer gratification, they learn to plan activities, set goals, and make strategic choices. Parents can use a reward chart to set tasks for their child and help them earn more coins to purchase items in the Town Store. Children can also earn coins independently by playing a series of fun mini games.”

We think this is a great idea. Really great. We hope it does well. Curious George’s Town costs £1.99 for iPhone and iPad on Apple’s App Store.