Mystery Word Town - Sight Word Spelling
Mystery Word Town - Sight Word Spelling gallery
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that, while the premise of Mystery Word Town is a bit criminal, it's all in kid-friendly, crime-solving fun. A band of robbers has stolen some gold and hidden it -- and themselves -- in buildings around town. Kids have to spell words to go through doors and windows in search of the gold and the outlaws. Parents can set up different accounts for multiple kids, setting a difficulty level based on three word lists. There are two ways to play: Kids listen to a word and fill in the missing letter or just fill in a letter that will create a word.What kids can learn
The detailed graphics, witty character commentary, and overall adventure of catching the bad guys make this game a good time.
Kids are empowered to explore the maze-like buildings however they want to and can adjust the settings to best fit their learning style. The word lists are provided for each level, so kids can see all of the words they'll be spelling.
Parents can set up accounts fo multiple users, and kids can choose the challenge level of words. There's no way to add a custom word list, which would be a nice addition to practice for spelling tests of specific words.
What's it about?
In MYSTERY WORD TOWN - SIGHT WORD SPELLING A gang of outlaws, the Huevos Rancheros, stole the gold and are hiding in the town. Kid take on the role of the ghostly sheriff to find all the gold and the outlaws; to move from room to room, they have to spell words correctly. Before playing, kids can create an avatar and choose their challenge level -- easy, medium, or hard. They then collect letters as they wander around buildings in town, and use them to spell words. They can tap the pictures hanging on walls to hear more of the tangled story of the town's residents. If kids have the words read to them, they fill in the missing letters. If they choose the option to spell on their own, they'll still fill in missing letters, but without the audio clue.
Is it any good?
Mystery Word Town - Sight Word Spelling is a fun way to construct words, but even more interactivity would keep kids coming back. The details of each scene are gorgeous and beg to be explored, but those aren't interactive. The pictures on the walls, though, are, and tell witty tales sure to delight and encourage critical thinking. Spelling is the educational focus, but the fun and critical thinking go beyond that. If kids struggle with a word, after two incorrect tries, they get a hint, but there are no hints as to where the gold is hidden. If kids could spell any word they wanted with the letters they've collected, that would open the game up to even older kids and more literacy skills. It would also be great if kids could customize word lists, so they could use the app to study assigned spelling words. As it is, it definitely embeds spelling in a unique way and offers some options for varying skill levels.
Families can talk about...
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Families can talk about the methods that help them learn how to spell: Does filling in missing letters help them learn words and spelling? What else helps?
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Have fun adding to the stories behind each character. Kids get hear parts of their stories by tapping the pictures on the walls, but they can get creative and embellish them, too.
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Look through the three word lists when setting up kids' accounts to chose the one that will challenge them while still being playable.
App details
| Devices: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Fire phone, Kindle Fire |
| Price: | $2.99 |
| Pricing structure: | Paid |
| Release date: | May 20, 2015 |
| Category: | Education |
| Size: | 292.00 MB |
| Publisher: | Artgig Studio |
| Version: | 1.0 |
| Minimum software requirements: | iOS 5.1 or later; Android 2.3 and up |
