Special Interest
SleuthLab
Players run a detective agency, taking on mystery cases that require real forensic science techniques to solve. Dust for fingerprints, run chromatography, compare fibers under a microscope, analyze handwriting, and build evidence chains to identify suspects. Critical thinking through scientific deduction.
Meet your mentor
Every Spark & Anvil app has a friendly mentor character that demonstrates, praises, and patiently scaffolds learning. On-device AI personalizes the mentor's responses to your kid's progress — never connecting to a server, never collecting data.
Mentored by Inspector Vex
#FFA726 SleuthLab is a forensic science detective game where you run your own detective agency and solve mystery cases using real forensic techniques. Analyze fingerprints, test fibers under a microscope, compare handwriting samples, and crack the case before the trail goes cold!
Distributed-narrative cast
Meet the cast
SleuthLab's 10-character cast embodies the foundational forensic-science evidence-types AND investigative methods — impression evidence (Loop), trace evidence (Fiber), chemical evidence (Drop), document analysis (Stroke), biological + digital evidence (Witness), chain of custody (Seal), scene documentation (Sketch), timeline reconstruction (Tick), alternative explanations (Branch), and testimony reliability (Account). Inspector Vex (mentor) frames each primitive; cast embodies them at school-detective-club / junior-forensics-team scale (NEVER hardboiled-noir / CSI-procedural register). Investigation-bias gate enforced: cast models evidence-based reasoning over hunch; foregrounds 'what would change your mind?' epistemic humility.
Loop
Impression evidence — fingerprints, shoeprints, toolmarks (class vs individual evidence)
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Fiber
Trace evidence — fibers, hairs, paint, glass (Locard's exchange principle)
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Drop
Chemical evidence — chromatography, pH, spectroscopy (test-don't-guess)
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Stroke
Document analysis — handwriting, ink, paper (comparison methodology)
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Witness
Biological + digital evidence — DNA + digital footprints (statistical-match, not certainty)
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Seal
Chain of custody — bag it, label it, log every hand it passes through; a broken chain can't be trusted; otter with evidence bags + logbook
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Sketch
Scene documentation — record the scene before anyone touches it; the scene only tells its story once; heron with a measuring notebook
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Tick
Timeline reconstruction — put every event in order on the clock; the sequence is where the answer hides; mouse with a paper timeline
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Branch
Alternative explanations — ask 'what else could explain this?' and test each branch before choosing; squirrel with a whiteboard of possibilities
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Account
Testimony reliability — ask open questions and listen; memory is fragile and a confident witness isn't always correct; rabbit with a gentle notebook
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Browse all 10 chapters → · What's distributed-narrative methodology? →
What's inside
Crime Scene Investigation
Visit crime scenes to search for clues. Tap around the scene to collect evidence like fingerprints, fibers, and documents. Be thorough -- missing a clue could l
Lab Analysis
Take your evidence back to the lab and run real forensic tests. Use chromatography to separate ink colors, examine fibers under a microscope, compare fingerprin
Case Solving
Put all your evidence together on the evidence board. Connect the clues, rule out suspects, and identify who did it. Present your findings to close the case.
Mentored by Inspector Vex — on-device AI, no data leaves the device.
How SleuthLab handles your kid's data
- ✅ All progress, settings, and AI-generated content stays on the device
- ✅ No analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs
- ✅ No ads, no in-app purchases — you pay once
- ✅ COPPA compliant under the 2026 FTC amendments
- ✅ Parental controls + session limits + content filters built in
SleuthLab runs on ForgeKit — the open-source Swift Package Manager framework that powers every Spark & Anvil app. ForgeKit ensures consistent accessibility, COPPA compliance, and design language across the portfolio, so your kid's progress and preferences feel coherent across every app they touch.
Coming to the App Store
SleuthLab is in active development. Email us to hear when it ships — no marketing, no spam, just a one-shot launch announcement.
Email me at launch