Parents' Guide to Jeopardy! Words

The game isn't quite an exact replica of the TV show, but it packs in a fun mix of puzzles into one package. Although correct word guesses players enter appear in question format briefly in Jeopardy! Words after they're keyed in, the emphasis really is on completing short crossword puzzles. You can get some help with that, if needed, by hitting a button to scramble the available letters for a fresh perspective, or clicking on another word and trying to fill in that portion. Similar to a traditional crossword puzzle, because words intersect, that can sometimes reveal part of another word to help you figure it out.

The game's swiping functionality can sometimes be a bit off -- you may need to enter a word twice because letters might not register your input. Players get a few free boosters when they start playing, which reveal one or more letters when used -- hopefully, they won't need many more. The prices for additional ones are pretty steep -- $10,000 for a booster that reveals a single letter. Yet after doing well in more than 30 levels, you may have amassed around $24,000 in coins, which will only fund about two boosters. Generally, the trivia questions aren't too hard, though, so they may not need to depend on extra items to guess the correct word. The game isn't ad-free -- banner ads appear on the screen, and longer ads you have to wait to click out of are shown periodically. They're not as intrusive or frequent as the ads in some apps, though, so you may not find it too distracting. In-app purchases of booster packages are available, which can help players determine answers to the questions more quickly. Those really aren't required to play, though. Without much to spend the coins you earn in the app on, the experience doesn't end up feeling like a money grab, even with the commercials and occasional pop-up windows promoting the booster packages. For gamers who like trivia games, Jeopardy! Words can be a pretty fun -- and free -- one to play.