Pokemon are going to preschool in the Pokemon Company's latest mobile app, Pokemon Playhouse. Pokemon Playhouse is a free app downloadable on both iOS and Android devices made for kids between the ages of 3 and 5. Described as a "Preschooler Experience," Pokemon Playhouse offers a variety of fun and games for young children. Not to mention starting them on the path of "catching them all" from a young age.

The Pokemon Playhouse lets players visit different rooms in the Playhouse where they can partake in an assortment of different games, solve puzzles, explore, or just goof around with their Pokemon. Rooms in the Playhouse include the Tower, with its own telescope, the Playground, where Pokemon can play on different play structures, the Lounge, where Pokemon can be fed and cleaned, and the Playroom, with lots of fun activities. Everything in Pokemon Playhouse is very simple and straightforward, with an added bonus of cute Pokemon, so it's perfect for young audiences.

But the main feature of Pokemon Playhouse is absolutely collecting Pokemon. By completing puzzles or participating in activities, Pokemon Playhouse players will slowly crack a Pokemon egg. After a Pokemon egg has been cracked several times, it will hatch into a new Pokemon friend. There are dozens of Pokemon to hatch, a hand-picked selection of the most adorable Pokemon from the overall Poke-pool. And unlocking them is very fast and simple, so kids won't get frustrated.

Older Pokemon players may be disappointed to hear that there's not much in Pokemon Playhouse for them. This is purely a Pokemon app made for preschoolers, though there's no denying that simple games with adorable baby Pokemon can be cathartic. Beyond that, it's slow-moving and relatively thin on content. There aren't even any Pokemon stickers for iMessage in the app.

The intent from The Pokemon Company seems clear. They'd love for you to open up Pokemon Playhouse for your kids on an iPad or another tablet and just let them goof around for a while. It'd be a stretch to describe Pokemon Playhouse as an educational game, but depending on a child's age it can still be a video game learning tool. The extra benefit of teaching children the names of Pokemon and getting them hooked on catching 'em all is also something The Pokemon Company was certainly aware of when it made Pokemon Playhouse.

Pokemon Playhouse is now available on iOS and Android devices and is free to download.