Review

This app presents simple word searches in a highly accessible format. It contains many great design features that we consider to be dementia-friendly, such as non-distracting backgrounds, unlimited hints and many customization options such as colour schemes, fonts and 5 difficulty levels. An example of a small detail that raises the app above others in this category is that when highlighting a found word, users can miss the last letter or 'over-run' by one letter and the word will still be accepted. By requiring less precision, this avoids potentially frustrating scenarios and makes the app even more accessible. Additionally, this app allows users the option to select the first and last letter of the word instead of manually highlighting every letter of the word. This feature allows users to have flexibility in which gestures are used.

We identified a couple of potential issues of which users should be aware. Although the font size cannot be adjusted within the app, the letters found within the puzzle and word list are sufficiently large and spaced out. Additionally, there is a timer present in the bottom right-corner, and although it does not countdown or restrict the user at all, it could be an unwelcome distraction for some (can be disabled under Settings).

The app is free to download and offers 23 different categories (free). When starting a new word search, a random selection of 6-20 words (depending on the difficulty level selected) from the chosen category will be included in a randomly generated puzzle. Therefore this free app can be enjoyed over and over again without the user encountering repeats of puzzles they have already completed. However, if a user plays often enough and becomes frustrated by the repetitiveness of the words, there is the option to purchase more categories. 

Tip: In-App Purchases do require a password before completion, but they can be completely restricted on your device, if preferred. For information on how to do this for the Apple iPad, read our step-by-step guide.

Recommended settings

Access the settings by tapping the ‘Fun Options!’ icon in the upper right corner of the main menu screen. (Can also be accessed from game screen by selecting the stacked lines icon in the bottom right corner and then selecting the ‘Fun Options!’ icon at the bottom of the list).

• Background (select from a display of 14 different styles)

• Pen Colours (user preference, rainbow option is selected by default)

• Font (select font from list of 7 styles)

• Tokens (select token type that will appear when the user correctly finds a word from the list)

  • If animated tokens are distracting for the user, these can be removed by turning off the Stars option under ‘Other Settings’

• Timer (On (default)/Off)

When beginning a new puzzle, select from the five (5) difficulty levels:

• Tiny (6 words, presented horizontally, vertically & diagonally; forwards or backwards)

• Easy (8 words, presented horizontally, vertically & diagonally; forwards or backwards)

• Medium (12 words, presented horizontally, vertically & diagonally; forwards or backwards)

• Hard (16 words, presented horizontally, vertically and diagonally, forwards and backwards)

• Extreme (20 words, presented horizontally, vertically & diagonally; forwards or backwards)

*Note: font size in Medium, Hard and Extreme puzzles is very small *