Math Sticker – Solve Math Riddles

Available In: App Store

Price: $0.99

I’ve always liked math. Multiplication tables, story problems, and solving equations all seemed to come natural to me. There were definitely times when my love for math would put me in the minority. Then, the sudoku craze hit and later, Nintendo had a wildly popular game in its Brain Age series for the DS. Suddenly, people were getting very excited about math and numbers. Thus, when I saw the application Math Sticker, I was intrigued, but my first thought was that it was a kids program. The “sticker” part of the name threw me for a loop. After downloading the app, I soon figured out why it was so named.

Overview
Math Sticker is basically played where you have to move matchsticks (there’s the “sticker” reference) in order to solve the problem (or riddle, as they’re called in the game). So, for the problem shown in the screenshot below, I could move a stick in the top number changing it from a “2” into a “3” and voilà, the problem becomes a correctly solved math problem (3+1=4). Your score is based on the skill involved and the time it took for you to solve the problem. In the upper left corner, you are told the number of sticks (picks) that are needed to move to solve the problem. If you end up moving more than this number, your score gets lowered.

Options
There are a variety of options (skills) in the full version that can be adjusted as you get accustomed to the game. You can have as many as 5 digits for each number in your riddle. You can solve problems that require up to three moved picks. Subtraction problems are also an option, and lastly, there is an option to have the computer adjust the skills automatically. With the auto-skill on, the computer added more digits as I successfully solved more riddles. I’m not sure if I have the patience to solve the really hard problems, but at least there’s the option if you’re so inclined.

Conclusion
Although I was a bit confused about the game play initially, Math Sticker grew on me. The app is certainly a well planned and solidly executed game that reminds me of a puzzle game commonly found in the Brain Age series. Math Sticker also keeps statistics and saves your progress scores even if you leave the game. There are enough options available to justify repeat games, and as these games typically advertise, Math Sticker may keep your brain in shape and perhaps make you smarter! I may “stick” to the traditional methods of multiplication tables myself, but I will recommend Math Sticker as a solid app for the price.