Back in 2013 we wrote about a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter raising $75,000 to make a storybook-app called Weirdwood Manor. We thought it looked great.

Sadly, the developer didn’t make that goal, but the good news is they pressed on with development of their app regardless. Recently, it was released for iPad.

It’s a mixture of pictures, animation, puzzles and mini-games, aimed at 8-12 year-olds with a liking for fantasy yarns: developer All Play, No Work cites Harry Potter and The Golden Compass as reference points.

The story focuses on three children – Oliver, Celia and Eugene. “The children win a trip to Weirdwood Manor to meet their reclusive hero — the eccentric writer and inventor, Arthur Weirdwood,” explains its App Store listing.

“Naturally, there’s also a robot butler, a ghost boy who haunts the Manor, and a librarian with more than a couple secrets of her own to hide…”

We’re big fans of this app: there’s lots to explore, and it has a charm all its own, rather than remaining in thrall to its famous inspirations.

The tale is woven over the course of five “books” – the first two come with the app, with the next three to be made available as in-app purchases. Parents can expect between an hour and 90 minutes of action in each of episodes 2-5.

Weirdwood Manor costs £2.29 for iPad from Apple’s App Store.