Wordrop App Review
App Info
Price: $0.99
Overview
Wordrops is a fast-paced spelling and thinking game that challenges players to think fast on their feet and make words from letters that drop from the top of the screen. The game has two modes: single and multi-player, as well as numerous levels of difficulty. There is a leaderboard for multi-player competition, as well as cash prizes for the best players each month.
Features include:
- Single or multi-player modes available
- High quality graphics, animations, and sounds
- Play in English, Spanish or French
- Suitable for a wide range of ages and abilities
- Unlock levels by scoring points within a time limit
Quality
Wordrops is a high quality app that features simple, intuitive game play. Developers included a help screen with brief directions, but it’s hardly necessary. Just select single or multi-player games, then start watching for letters that can be made into words. The letters are assigned various point values, and must be clicked in order to make valid words, and players must remember to click “submit” after spelling each word to make it count.
Education
Wordrops will hone spelling and vocabulary skills as players create words. It also requires players to think quickly; the letters fall across the screen fairly rapidly, and not all of the letters to make a word are visible at the same time. Players will need to have quick reactions and be able to process letters quickly into words to be successful. The more words you know, the higher you will score.
There are a few ways that developers could make the game more attractive for students, though. It’s not immediately obvious if a word is accepted for points, since one has to pay close attention to the letters currently dropping. It would be nice to have a negative sound if a non-word is submitted. The other feature that developers should consider to help players improve is to pause between levels and show a list of submissions and their accept/reject status. That would very much help students improve their performance and subsequently, their working vocabulary.
Entertainment
This game will be highly entertaining for players who enjoy competitive, higher-pressure games. In single-player mode, there are time limits and points goals that will unlock progressively more difficult levels. Players will feel a sense of accomplishment as they unlock new levels. There is a leader board where the best scores are displayed, and the developers promise that the highest score on the Leader Board at the end of the month will be eligible for a cash prize. This makes it very motivating to play!
In the multi-player mode, players can challenge other players in real time. This is sure to appeal to those who enjoy competition. Multi-player games, however, do not count for the cash prize Leader Board.
One feature developers should consider adding is an untimed “practice mode” that will allow players an unstressful opportunity to learn to play the game and to improve their skills in a non-threatening environment.
Value
This app is free on the App Store. It’s a great value for people who enjoy fast-paced games, multi-player games, and word games. The app does, however, serve ads between and during games (action pauses while the ads play), and has no protections to keep young players off of the internet.
Child Friendliness
This app is not really designed for young users. There are frequent ads during pauses during and between games, as well as advertisements that can be clicked during game play. The app requires registration, and allows game play with others on the system. It also offers a cash prize for first place on the Leader Board, which may not be legal for younger players to participate in.
- YES frequent outside advertisements
- YES registration required
- YES competitive option to play against others
