TOEFL Test - iBT Practice Free App

Note: I was unable to try this app out myself, so the below comes only from developer info, the app's page and other online sources.

A few years ago, I ran a word-of-the-day game called Million Dollar Words: Daily Edition. It was a lot of fun to put together, and despite the fact that 80% of the words I use on my blog (and more like 90% in real life) are either "awesome", "sweet" or "amazing", I really do enjoy learning new words! Since vocabulary apps are small, they're pretty much the only things my 3 year old phone can handle, and I'd download them to try to find even more delicious words of awesomeness.

What I never considered, though, was searching for TOEFL apps! TOEFL - the Test of English as a Foreign Language - interestingly includes a whole slew of words that lots of us who speak English as a primary language don't even know!

For those who aren't big fans of learning new vocabulary, and for those of you who want to read about the app and not my own life experiences, TOEFL Test - iBT Practice is an awesome app! Instead of simply using virtual flash cards or reading a list of words and their definitions, you also get games to play in addition to the quizzes, flash cards, charts and so on, perfect for people who learn all sorts of ways!

The free version includes all of the features of the full "pro" version but with fewer words (150 instead of 3000!!!), so you can easily see what the full app has to offer for free! If you decide to go for the pro version (hint: you should!), it's only 99 cents anyway, far less than the cost of a boring book.

Available For: Android and iOS (Free version; Pro version $0.99)

Developed By: MediaAgility

Maths Tree VS for iPad

Note: I cannot play/test/review the game myself as I don't own an iPad, this information is all coming from the developer's webpage, video and iTunes page

As a former kids' game developer myself, I'm always on the lookout for games that are both fun and educational for kids and not insanely annoying for adults. Not an easy feat, trust me.

Really fun art certainly doesn't hurt either :D

Maths Tree VS seems like a perfect fit from what I can see! You play as a monkey that throws balls up at descending ones, each with a number on it. Your job is to change the number on your ball so that it matches the mathematical statement in the middle, like "sum: 15" or "difference: 13", etc. The game uses addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, so kids (or adults!) will become masters of each. Plus, as you play the game, you earn bananas that are used to customize your monkey's look, so players will be hooked!

The game is called VS for a reason - two people can play at the same time on the same iPad, and we all know that competition (when used right) can be an incredible force for learning something. The game also has dozens of challenges across five difficulty levels that unlock as you play, so there's plenty to keep players interested as they go.

Available for: iPad ($4.99)
Developed by: Hamster Force