Spell check and autocorrect won't help you with this great spelling game app - WellWrite Android app review

It ocurred to me (oh wait, that's "occurred" isn't it) that, as a word game lover, I didn't know of any Android/Smartphone spelling game apps. Well, I found one. WellWrite. And I love it.

I have always prided myself on being a good speller. In fact I made the semi-finals in the eighth grade spelling bee. I was eliminated on a word that I will never again misspell. Using the WriteWell app format, here's the word that I spelled incorrectly in the eighth grade.

Pick the correct spelling:

1) cantelope

2) cantalope

3) cantaloupe

4) cantleope

So, whattaya think? Well, the answer is number three. I think I spelled number one. That wouldn't have happened if I had had the WellWrite app for Android. Too bad it was a few decades before the game was created.

WellWrite is a free app (with additional levels for a nominal fee) which displays four possible answers (including the occasional "none"), and you have to click on the correct spelling. Simple and addictive.

The interface has a classy, private-school look and is simple to use. You can choose between a number of options including One and Two Player games. Each round consists of 20 words (I got 18 correct in my first try). When you finish each found you WILL be graded (A+ to F) but it will not go on your permanent record. J

Of course, you can share your brilliance with others (and compete with them) on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

It also features a pretty soothing music track while playing the game.

This fun app is perfect for anyone who either thinks they're a good speller or wants to become one (because they rely WAY too much on spellcheck and autocorrect).

WellWrite is a great spelling game app and is highly reccommended, or is it recomended, or is it...? Oh, never mind.

        

Android free game app reviews - a few that got my attention

I really wish that I could take the time to download and explore every app that is submitted to me to review. It would be a very cool job since most of the submissions I receive are Android game apps. It would also be a very bad paying job. So most just sit there in my inbox. Never downloaded. Never given a chance to entertain.

Although the apps that get my attention are productivity and creative apps, I do like to play an occasional game. Regular readers know that I think the standard for Android games is Stupid Zombies (reviewed here) and Stupid Zombies 2. Simple and fun. I also like word games and some adventure games, but if I tried to learn the ins-and-outs of all of the games sent to me for review I wouldn't have time for anything else in my life.

So, just so I'm not totally negligent, here are a few games that have occupied my time in recent weeks because, in a weak moment, I downloaded them based on an email request or personal recommendation.

Fruit Ninja Free

Slice fruit. Get points. Avoid bombs. The game has a few options and offers some interesting fruit trivia. I give it a 7.931 out of 8.2461392.

Download Fruit Ninja Free from Google Play.

Stick Swing

This Android game has long been one of my favorites, but it took me a while to re-find it. Originally its title had something to do with Spiderman, but I think the real Spiderman got upset.

Basically it's a stickman who shoots a web and swings to varying size platforms. The closer you come to the middle of the platform, the more points you get. You also have to deal with changing wind and gravity intensity. Great frickin' game.

Download from Google Play here.

Super Stickman Golf 2

Super Stickman Golf 2 is the sequel to, you guessed it, Super Stickman Golf, which I never played. I hear it was fun, award winning and that this one is much better. So, I'm not gonna even bother downloading the one that isn't as good as this one. I'm smart that way.

The sequel is a simple, fun golf game unlike other golf games (except maybe Stickman Golf 1). You don't choose your clubs and you defy gravity and other laws of nature as you try to get your little ball into a hole which may be down at the bottom of a crevice or atop a mountain while you're stuck in a cave below. Bunkers, water traps and a more than 20 courses. There are power-ups, customizable characters (I have a cool pirate hat on my guy but not sure if it does anything for my golf game), a few dozen achievements and online multiplayer action if you're so inclined.

Once I completed that first course and unlocked the second, I never thought I'd get through it. But I did. And I'm on my way to Level 3.

A fun distraction. Get it here.

Android game app review - Pluto Strikes Back - Asteroids for Android

After I first started writing this blog, I was so excited that a couple of developers actually sent me their new apps to try and review. That meant that at least a couple of developers were reading this blog.

Then, thanks to you and your kind, readership grew. Then, more and more developers started sending me apps to review. Now, I can't keep up. I probably have a backlog of 30 or more requests to review and some of them are way back in my email folder and will probably never be seen again. To those developers, I apologize. One of you probably sent me the coolest app ever, and I missed it.

If you do have a new app that you want me to review, here are a couple of pointers as to how to get me to actually do it:

1) If it's already in the Android Market (GooglePlay), provide the link to the GooglePlay page along with your captivating copy to get me interested. That way, if it sounds like something I might like to see, I just click and send it to my phone.

2) If it's not in the market, provide me with the link to download it. If it costs money to purchase the app, send me a FREE COPY. Sorry, but I'm not going to pay to review your app. I work really hard for every buck ninety-nine I have.

3) Don't be offended if I don't review your app. It could be for any number of reasons. Maybe your app is a game and I'm kinda sick of playing games. I have my little game family and it ain't easy getting in. Or perhaps, I hated your app. Usually, I won't write a bad review. I feel that my duty here (hee, hee..he said duty) is to share things that I think are cool or useful or funny, not shit that sucks. Plenty of that all around you. Quick, look to your right. See! Told you.

Anyway, today I'm going to review three of the apps sent to me by developers. Now, let me say that when it comes to games it a very subjective thing. Some people like intricate role-playing games, others like to drive fast cars, and still others like to shoot alien pumpkins and blow up zombies (okay, that's me). Then there's the whole word game genre. So, that being said, this is just what I think.

Pluto Strikes Back

This is a game very similar in look to the classic Asteroids, but instead of using hand controls to move your spaceship around, you just tilt your device. To shoot, you tap the screen in the direction you wish the explosive to project.

Rules completed. Engage play.

After getting easily blown up on my first few attempts, I wanted to dismiss it as total garbage. Yet, something lured me back. I needed to get a little better at it. And, as is often a good quality in a game, it's quick. No big committment to time required. Unless, of course, you get REALLY good at it and go many cool levels deeper into the game.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to address that because, even though the game has grown on me a little bit, I still suck at it.

Their backstory is simple and, frankly, unneccesary. Pluto is no longer a planet, so they're attacking. And you, the player, will get money for shooting enemies. There is an upgrade but I have no clue what you get for the money. Also, don't care.

My biggest complaint is that you play and play and finally get to a level where different enemies are appearing and then, you get blown up once and the game ends. You are then taken to a screen to try again or exit. No indication as to how you did. No recording of your high scores. No likie that part.

On the other hand, it's a rather fun time killer. Download it in GooglePlay and see what you think.

Count that baby and a foul! Android basketball games app reviews.

Just because you like a particular sport doesn't mean you'll like the games associated with that sport. And visa versa. I'm not a big golfer, but I love golf apps like Let's Golf 2. On the other hand, I love baseball but have yet to find a computer game or Android app that can keep my interest.

But, when it comes to basketball games and apps, I seem to love them all. For different reasons. So, let's take a look at three of them, and you can check them out yourself.

Basketball Shot - DroidHen Casual

Basketball Shot is basically the same game that you might play in an arcade. A basket the either moves or doesn't, and you keep shooting trying to beat the clock and score a certain number of points for that round. Simple? Yes. But, a fun time killer. Users give it about a four and a half star rating.

Basketball Lite - Ellis Markov

This was the first Android basketball game app I downloaded, and it's still pretty good. Rather than swiping your finger to shoot (like in Basketball Shot) you stretch and line up a trajectory line, and release to shoot. There are five different game modes, but for the most part you are trying to score as many points as you can in a pre-determined amount of time. Basketball Lite gets 4.2 stars and would have been worth downloading, had it not been for......

Tip-Off Basketball - IOPixel

This is the latest (and might I say, greatest) of the basketball games that I've tried so far. I noticed on the Basketball Lite page in the Android Market that it made a reference to check out the sequel, Tip-Off Basketball. They seem to have different developers, but there are certainly similarities.

The way you shoot is similar to Basketball Lite, using the trajectory technique and a time limit. But, that's almost where the similarities end. In Tip-Off Basketball you are given a variety of specific tasks that you must complete before moving on to the next level. Things like making 12 baskets, making a bank shot or even throwing an airball.

I'm still new to the game, but you get points or coins or something and you can buy stuff with them to make the game more interesting or fun or something.

Maybe it's because it's new to me, but this game seems to be the most fun of these three. And the accuracy of the shooting is much better. I give it five stars. It averages 4.7 stars.