Traveling with kids can sometimes feel like trying to train a fire-breathing dragon. So Nokia and DreamWorks Animation teamed up to develop a mobile game that turns a family drive into a magical expedition.

Based on the animated How to Train Your Dragon film franchise, DreamWorks Dragons Adventure harnesses the power of Nokia's HERE Maps to keep children occupied for any length trip.

Under animated cover of the fictional Isle of Berk, Nokia's mapping technology populates the pixelated game with the same roads and bodies of water that surround the player, adding real-time traffic and current weather conditions for a truly interactive experience.

"It's definitely a first as it mirrors the world around you as you are moving," Bryan Biniak, vice president and general manager of Nokia developer experience, said in a statement.

Players begin in At-Home Quest mode, where they pick their dragon then assume the role of trainer, caring for the creature's stable and village. Once in Driving Quest mode, the real-world environment will be echoed in the city, highway, or country roads the character travels.

Complete quests and care for your dragon, visit the Dragon Academy to trade loot for skills, and ultimately earn the title of Dragon Master.

Pre-loaded on the recently launched Nokia Lumia 2520 tablet, the game puts parents in control by allowing you to set a specific route, at the end of which gameplay finishes. Which, in theory, means fewer arguments about handing over Mommy's tablet when it's time to go to school.

"For parents and kids it turns drive time into quality family time," Biniak said.

Companion app Dragons Adventure Companion (right) enables parents to participate in the game by setting quests and missions on their Lumia smartphone. Enhance the action by adding new challenges, adjusting the difficulty, or adding more hidden treasures  all from the front seat of the car.

Dragons Adventure Companion is available on most Lumia smartphones running Windows Phone 8.

"With Nokia's new high performance mobile devices, combined with the HERE Maps and LiveSight technology, Dragons Adventure is leading a whole new evolution of what a mobile app can deliver," Jim Mainard, head of DreamWorks' digital strategy, said in a statement. "More importantly  it's a whole lot of fun. I for one am completely hooked."

Both applications are free to download, and don't include any in-app purchases, so there are no concerns about kids unsuspectingly racking up hundreds of dollars' worth of dragon eggs and training supplies.

Plus, Biniak promised "more to come with this amazing technology," especially in conjunction with the second installment of the How to Train Your Dragon movie, expected for release June 13.

For more, see PCMag's review of the Nokia Lumia 2520.

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