Word Power: Brain Spark – Review

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By: Vivity Labs Inc.

Version #: 1.0

Date Released: 2010-04-05

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Price: 0.00

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a regular reader of Reader’s Digest. It all started when my vocabulary and trivia fiend of a grandfather introduced me to his collection of issues of the monthly pocket magazine, the oldest ones dating back to the 50s. Since then, I’ve been a fan of Reader’s Digest. Its mix of comprehensive feature articles and entertaining regular sections remains a winning formula. And one of my favorite departments in the magazine, along with the funny fillers and bits of trivia, is the Word Power section. Over the years, Word Power has helped me improve my vocabulary, and I couldn’t be more happy that it has now been ported to my favorite iDevice by way of Fit Brains’ Word Power: Brain Spark.

Outside of its being commissioned and endorsed by one of the leading brands in the print industry, Word Power: Brain Spark is quite simply a word-building and vocabulary-expanding iPhone game done right. The interaction design is composed of tried and tested elements, from the intuitive controls to the sleek graphics. The game itself is both classic and innovative and is sure to keep you coming back for more especially if you fancy yourself a logophile.

The game is divided into three modes, namely, Quick Word, Full Game, and Classic. The Quick Word and Full Game modes have similar gameplay; both involve unscrambling words to earn points. You play by tapping on the letters to spell the words and shaking your device to shuffle the letters (a particularly helpful control when you’re stumped). To win a game, you must be able to figure out the longest word, but you can also submit shorter words to earn extra points. The Quick Word mode is concerned only with unscrambling random words in the manner just mentioned, while the Full Game mode requires you to unscramble words that ultimately form a predetermined motivational sentence. Both modes are fun to play and at times mentally demanding, but my favorite is still the Classic mode, a multiple choice-type game that is of course inspired by the original Word Power game played on the pages of Reader’s Digest. In this mode, you must match words with their synonyms by tapping on the word among the four choices provided that is closest in meaning to the given word. It also doubles as a race against time as you are given only a minute to match as many words as you can.

All things considered, Word Power: Brain Spark is easily one of the best word games available in the App Store today. While it’s not without its share of shortcomings, like its inability to display the correct word after a failed game, its persistent how-to-play reminders at the beginning of a game, and its lack of an option to display the correct answers after quitting a word-scrambling game, Word Power: Brain Spark is undeniably nice-looking and intelligent, not unlike the popular magazine section that inspired it. The novelty of a scoring system that powers various electrical objects, from a small flashlight to a giant stadium, (hence the name of the game) also adds to Word Power: Brain Spark’s appeal (syn. allure, charisma, enticement).