Sumdoit - 3.5 Stars

What is it?

I found this app through the Touch Arcade forum - a great place to see what indy developers are producing and a brilliant sharing community for hints and tips to getting your app right.

This appealed to me from the word 'puzzle'! When I went to look in the App Store I saw that it was a maths puzzle game. After my horrendous attempt at Financial Controls revision in November I wasn't sure if I was in the right frame of mind for this one, but hey ho ho (get it?) I gave it a shot.

When you open the app you are presented with three options 2x2, 3x3 and 4x4. Within those options you can choose from Easy, Difficult, Extreme and Insane... obviously I started on easy! To select the game you select your desired level and then press the play button (Sounds self-explanatory but I just constantly tapped the level to start the game - d'oh).

The easiest way to describe the game is from the 2x2 setup (pictured right). There are four blank squares in the middle and four answer squares around the edge. Above is a bar containing a selection of numbers that you need to drag into the the blank squares to create the appropriate sum that gets you the right answer. Once you advance to the Difficult level you have to also add in the +, -, x or / to the grid with the numbers again to get to the correct answer for all of the numbers around the edge.

If you do not like maths then this is not the game for you but if me you like a cheeky, numbers-related, brain teaser then this is pretty good game. I would even say it would help kids with thinking of maths in a different and interactive way (well as good as maths can be outside of counting Christmas presents!).

Being picky the app doesn't flow as easily as it could from one level to the next. Each time that you complete a level you are taken back to the main level and have hit play again. 

Other options available on the main menu include a heart, a connection icon, a question mark and a pie chart. The heart takes you back to the App Store to rate the app. The connection icon allows you to share the app with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Email and via iMessage. The question mark gives you a summary of the game, but not in-depth instructions. Finally the pie chart takes you to the GameCentre to see how you are doing against friend and other players.

It took me a couple of games to realise that each level that you play is timed, with the scores collected cumulatively and displayed on the main menu. This then goes on to the Game Centre, but I am not sure how this is worked out as the person in the lead has used just 3 seconds so it must be by level!

There are ad's in the app and they are screen invaders with countdowns that are a bit annoying. 

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 4

I am one of those people that will just try anything on an app or computer and if I break it, it's not my issue. But not everybody is like me and can be hesitant to just have a play. Personally I think that this game is relatively easy to grasp and use, but some instructions or tutorials would be good

Price - 5

This is a free app with no in app purchases. 

Adverts - 4

This app does have ads and pretty annoying ones. Full screen ads are all over the place and some are timed so you have to endure them for 5 to 10 seconds and yes I ended up in the App Store!

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

I liked this and will probably have the odd play of it over the next couple of weeks especially after the pain on my Finance exam has passed ;)

Overall Rating - 3.5
I like this app it is a good maths puzzle game :) 

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id933510213?mt=8 

Icon Pop Quiz - Halloween Special - 2.5 Stars

What is it?

This like Icomania, it's a game where you guess the famous people, hit movies or TV shows. The biggest difference being that the answers are not hidden in an anagram, you just guess by typing in the word you think is relevant.

There are different stages that you can access and swap between, for example Famous People, TV & Films, Characters, Season's Box and Specials. Each of these sections are split between different stages, with 16 levels in each stage. 

When you access a selection of 16 levels you click on the icon, then using the keyboard type in the answer. There are indicators if you are close to getting the answer right, but if like me you can have dodgy spelling, you quickly get annoyed and end up on Google. 

Each time you get an answer right you earn tokens. These tokens can then be used to Open Letters (400 tokens), Resolve (2000 tokens), Hint (200 tokens) and Eliminate Keys (300 tokens).  Don't worry if you haven't got enough tokens, you can buy some, what a surprise! You can even buy a version of the app without adverts, or even unlock all of the levels. 

If you get stuck you can ask your friends on Twitter and Facebook, which doesn't ask you to join a like page or send updates to friends. The only advertising is a link to the app in the post of the picture. 

Due to the spelling issues and the vagueness of some of the answers this could easily turn frustrating or expensive if you become addicted! Personally I prefer Icomania, but this app is ok for a bit of fun. 

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 3 

This is an easy app to navigate but the answers to the quiz can be very difficult and one misplaced letter will stop you collecting your coins. Due to the frequency of the adverts you can find yourself accidentally entering the App Store, or be directed to a web page or two. 

Price - 3

This is free to download but has in app sales. You can upgrade to a ad free version which I didn't review. You can also buy additional tokens for cheats within the games, which aren't very expensive but could add up over time!

Adverts - 2

There are quite a few adverts in this game which I am not a fan of. Banners at the bottom page, full screen pop ups with delayed options to close and poster sales for films you guess correctly! There is also the option to earn additional tokens if you are willing to watch the video adverts. The adverts are not as invasive as Scrabble Free, hence the rating of 2!

Keep, jury is out or delete - Jury is out

This is an ok game, but it is frustrating and I will not pay for additional tokens. Once you need to Google the answers it loses its appeal for me. I do prefer Icomania but this is an ok alternative.   

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/icon-pop-quiz/id568334356?mt=8

Android:  Not available.