We wrote about the Talking Angela app controversy earlier this month, but as part of our research for that, we discovered an app from developer Outfit7 that’s new to us: Groove Racer.

It’s basically Scalextric reinvented for touchscreens. If the word ‘Scalextric’ means nothing to you, by the way, it’s the electric car-racing game that millions of Brits grew up with: you built a track, placed cars on it then manipulated the trigger-like remote to send them… well, barrelling off the track into the nearest wall, usually.

(It was more fun than that sounds.)

Anyway, Groove Racer, which appears to have come out quietly in May last year and updated a few times since, most recently on 21 February, takes that idea and makes it virtual.

“Race 21 unique cars across 110 gorgeous tracks with a press of a finger,” explains its App Store listing. “Collect at least one gold trophy to unlock the next track. Win all trophies every time to speed to the top of Game Center Leaderboards for some bragging rights.”

It’s not specifically for children, but we sense slightly older kids will get as much out of it as their parents. The controls are idiot-proof: you hold your finger or thumb on the screen to make your car accelerate, and lift it off to brake.

The challenge comes from not going too fast round bends and spinning, but also not going too slow to beat the rival car. Just like real Scalextric, in fact.

Groove Racer is a free download for iPhone and iPad, with 77 tracks included in that, although you unlock each by playing through the previous one and earning trophies.

In-app purchases are also used: you can pay £1.99 to unlock all the ‘free’ tracks at once – so you’re paying to not have to go through them in order – as well as paying £1.49 each for three additional ‘premium’ packs of 11 tracks: Groove City, High Tide and Moon Walk.

Read about more games for kids on Apps Playground, and check out our 100 Best iPad Apps of 2013 e-book – £1.99 from Apple’s iBooks Store