Parents' Guide to

Tricky Test 2: Genius Brain

By Galen McQuillen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Tricky, frustrating puzzler with glitches pranks players.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android Free Puzzle Games
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A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

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What’s It About?

TRICKY TEST 2: GENIUS BRAIN is a series of more than 100 puzzles that direct the player to interact with on-screen words, objects, or numbers but with intentionally misleading instructions or outside-the-box solutions. For example, instructions might read "drag me into the box" and display a square on-screen; to solve, players must drag the word "me" from the instructions into the box. From there, puzzles become increasingly difficult, often requiring mathematical skills to figure out patterns and equations or physical manipulation of the mobile device in specific ways. At any point, players can spend in-game currency to get a hint or buy a solution to bypass a level. After five incorrect tries on a puzzle, the game deducts points from the player's "IQ" and gives the option either to spend coins to continue or go back and replay the last three levels. Players can earn coins through timed free gifts, by watching advertisements, or by buying them from the in-app store, and full-screen advertisements interrupt gameplay ever five levels or so.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This puzzler would be a blast if it weren't so frequently frustrating and full of ads and purchases. The puzzles in Tricky Test 2: Genius Brain are occasionally fun, clever, or just outright funny, but more often than not they elicit groans and frustrations, especially when solutions are nearly impossible to discover without more trial and error than the game allows with punishment or purchases. Because it penalizes players for experimenting to solve problems, it promotes a very narrow view of success and intelligence that favors flawlessness and sheer luck over persistence and patience. Many puzzles aren't truly satisfyingly "clever" or "tricky"; they're just dishonest, and success at the game sends a message that intentional deception is fun -- a potentially dangerous idea for kids. Aside from these fundamental issues, it is sometimes glitchy. For example, there's a puzzle in which ketchup should come out of a bottle, but many users report getting stuck because the game mechanic just won't work on their device, preventing them from continuing. Though the concept of thinking creatively is a solid one, this app is more frustrating than fun.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about divergent thinking, which Tricky Test 2: Genius Brain requires as its core mechanic. What does it mean to think outside the box, and how is true cleverness and problem-solving different from wordplay "tricks"?

  • Talk about in-app purchases and ads. What are your rules around them?

  • Discuss persistence in problem-solving. Many games require quite a few tries to get them right (which the game punishes with a decrement to "IQ"), but it's not possible to progress without clearing every level. This can be very frustrating -- how can a break from the game or a few deep breaths help with those feelings?

  • Talk about intelligence or what it means to be smart. The game measures players' scores as "IQ," giving the impression that solving every puzzle without making mistakes is a measure of intelligence. What is the value of mistakes? And given that the world is full of so many things to be good at or learn about, how can one puzzle game gauge how smart a person is?

App Details

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