While the name of the app may make you laugh when you first read it, this app is far from being anything detrimental to your mind. Crystal Math – Numbers on Speed is exactly that – a way to learn your numbers and quick arithmetic in an environment where speed is key.
You don’t have to be perfect when you start. The game has four different categories from which to select games. I highly recommend starting off with the Free Game, where you play on your own, against a 30 minute timer. This mode of play provides the perfect amount of practice before you take on further challenges.
Once you feel comfortable at that level, you can go on to work with Daily Challenges. These challenges are set up by the game itself, and is a great way to get on the community game board and work your way up to a lead position.
If you are up to a more daring challenge, then invite a fellow player to a duel. First one to solve the problem wins and walks their way past the loser.
For even more practice, there are Time Attack games. This helps you get faster at making quicker calculations in your head. The more you do, the better you’ll get.
Each game is similar in nature. You basically start off with a number and with each swipe up, the app provides the next calculation to perform. It could be an addition, a multiplication, a subtraction, a division, or even a swapping of digits. Once you complete each step in the calculation, you’ll have to enter the final answer. The app will tell you if you are correct.
At first, it was hard to get through the entire arithmetic problem without the timer going off, but the more I did, the faster I got, which made my times get better. To easily see if you are getting better at the game, you can check out the Statistics page. It will provide stats on each type of game that you play.
To add a bit of fun to the game you can create your own avatar and join the community of players, making Crystal Math more game like, which helps increase the fun factor. The challenges can get pretty serious, but that makes you even better.
I liked how the entire app was set on a background that looks like graph paper. What I did not care for was the font being used. It looks like someone’s handwriting, and I would have preferred something cleaner.
I really liked this app. It made doing math fun and it forced me to work my way up to working problems in my head much faster than I’ve ever done before. This is a skill that is handy to have and can save you lots of time.
Rating: 9 /10
Price: Free
