Andy Sullivan: Against the Grain

Thu, 08/20/2020 - 8:18am — Diane Dyer

2020 Quarantine Games

During quarantine, everyone looks for new ways to kill time. Recently I downloaded several free games on my iPad. Back when I had my old Kindle, I was very high on Words With Friends. I am a big wordy, if you will, so I found that game to be very entertaining. Fast-forward to present day and I’ve found a new favorite: Trivia Star. If you’re not familiar, Trivia Star has a plethora of categories. You can unlock a new category depending on your game prowess. You tap the roll button to get a new set of categories from which to choose. You may roll again for another group from which to choose but it will cost you 20 diamonds. The questions in this game can be current as well as historical. And the categories are topical: you have your regulars such as politics and landmarks But, you also have topics like ‘90’s music(of which I am proficient) and ‘00’s music(not so proficient).

Word Crush is a little harder. This game is set up in the typical crossword manner. The twist is that there is no word key on the side. The subject is at the top of the page. For example, it could say “Made with Flour” and your objective is to make words from the letters given of things that are made with flour. Sounds easy, right? It is not easy at all! This game puts the brain to good use for parents looking for mental stimulation for their kids or themselves.

The third and final game I will discuss this week is called Crossword Jam. In this game, the letters appear at the bottom of the screen in rotary phone form (that is, in a circle). Once you finish a puzzle, you get one point toward your goal of ten. Once you get to ten, you get coins and a new destination (background screen) unlocked. Also, the 10 turns into 20. And of course, the puzzles get tougher. Just in case you thought this game was easy, you get told at the bottom of the screen sometimes that “this puzzle has been solved by 54% of players”.

All these games are free in the app store on your Apple device. Get ready for hours of fun!

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