Common Sense Media Review
By Amanda Bindel
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Old West crime-fighting takes kids on a spelling adventure.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Mystery Word Town Spelling
Privacy Rating Warning
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
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. Kids 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, choose their challenge level (easy, medium, or hard), and customize word lists by recording themselves saying the words. 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, and there are audio bits attached to many items, but the images are static. Pictures on the walls 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. Being able to customize words lists opens the game up to even older kids learning more literacy skills, and it puts kids into the game.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
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?
Have fun adding to the stories behind each character. Kids get to hear parts of their stories by tapping the pictures on the walls, but they can get creative and embellish them too.
Look through the three word lists when setting up kids' accounts to chose the ones that will challenge them while still being playable.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Kindle Fire
- Subjects : Language & Reading : spelling
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : logic
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Release date : May 20, 2015
- Genre : Education
- Publisher : Artgig Studio
- Version : 1.2.1
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 8.0 or later;
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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