As a professional writer I like to keep on top of my vocabulary and am always on the lookout to add more words to my linguistic arsenal; now, I could always read the dictionary but by ‘C’ I just get so bored that I want to skip ahead to ‘Z Z Z…’ So, where better to increase my knowledge of all things wordy than with Puzzler Crosswords, a sweet new crossword app that will keep your brain ticking over as well as your focus totally engaged in solving those clues.
Well, we all know how crosswords work (if you don’t, words fail me), however, what separates Puzzler Crosswords from simply scrawling letters on the back of a newspaper is all the added extras that accompany this quirky little app. My favourite feature has to be the ‘hints’ option, where you can tap the screen to reveal a letter, complete word or check for mistakes; because the difficulty factor ranges from very easy to pretty darn tricky, the fact that you can check for mistakes is so useful; crossword enthusiasts will join me in feeling the utter frustration of getting to the last word and then realizing that you got one of the other clues wrong…argh!
The clues and solutions themselves are all fairly clear (not easy, it just means that they are not really arcane; you won’t be penalized for not knowing about an obscure Smiths b-side bootleg…which is a shame for me as I LOVE The Smiths). Another cool feature is that you can save your unfinished puzzles and return when you are ready to crack on with them.
Summary
Puzzler Crosswords is a very useful little app for killing time in a productive way; much more productive than flinging furious feathered creatures into light-fingered pigs anyway. The layout and design is simple and engaging and it is a true pleasure to play. Two thumbs up!
Pros
- The updates mean that it’s very unlikely that you will complete all of the puzzles, making the app fantastic value for money (it’s free, by the way…).
- The clues are very fun as they are designed to jog your memory in an innovative fashion.
- You can play offline which means that it’s great for tube rides and long train journeys.
Room For Improvement
It would be cool if you could somehow engage in a multiplayer crossword, maybe taking turns with someone to complete each clue?
I have just purchased the Puzzler Crossword app. Having completed the first crossword I found I could not save it.