I am a big fan of puzzle apps and the ones that I particularly like are the ones that you can actually solve pretty quickly and move onto the next; blame it on the instant gratification culture of the post-MTV generation that I grew up in, but the idea of toiling for hours over a puzzle makes me start to get a little itchy. That’s why Puzzler Kriss Kross has recently made it on to my iPhone and is fast becoming one of my favourite apps to waste some time with.
The crux of the app is very simple; you get a selection of words that you have to fit into an empty ‘criss-cross’ of boxes, with overlapping letters corresponding correctly. It can be fun for both kids and adults and is a great way to kill some time.
What I really like about the app is that if you drop in a word that does not intersect with previously placed words, then the previously placed words are removed from the grid back to the word list; this keeps you on your toes and stops you adopting such a lackadaisical approach to the puzzle. As with most of the Puzzler apps, you can ask for unlimited hints with various options to reveal the position of words and check for mistakes, save unfinished puzzles as well as easily manage your puzzles and puzzle packs.
Summary
This is a very simple and very effective app for training your brain to fit words across other words…it sounds fairly simple, but it can be pretty addictive once you get into things. Plus, simple is beautiful. (That’s what my girlfriend tells me anyway…I’m going to go ahead and assume that it’s a compliment…)
Pros
- The app has an easy to use interface that allows you to simply drag a word from the word list and drop into the grid at will; be careful though, as if you drop it into the wrong space, you’ll have to start again!
- It’s so simple to understand that you can hit the ground running as soon as you start and pick up from a paused game immediately, making it great to play sporadically throughout the day.
Room For Improvement
More words crossing over each other would make the game a little more taxing…
