3 Degrees of Wikipedia Review

Wikipedia can be more than a giant repository of knowledge—though that's certainly nothing to sneeze at, it can also function as a game. Yes, really; and 3 Degrees of Wikipedia is an excellent game at that.

In 3 Degrees of Wikipedia, you pick from a database of "problems," some user-created, others built into the app. Each problem consists of two articles. The challenge? Start at one of them, and find a link to an article that will in turn provide you with a link to the end article. In other words, you're hunting for a mystery article that connects the two.

This creates some interesting associations, which 3 Degrees of Wikipedia seems to delight in. Bananas to quantum theory, Nintendo to prostitution, science to slang, rabbits to the United Nations...Wikipedia is more interconnected than you might think. The different problems range from somewhat obvious (Einstein to Hertz, for example) to hilarious.

Additionally, you can create your own problems, which is a very simple process. The app then adds your problems to its database for other players to try and rate. The "Memories" tab lets you see problems you've completed. There are also achievements for things like solving your first problem, creating highly-ranked problems, or more whimsical things like solving a problem about the Unicorn article.

Overall, the app is a lot of fun. It helps you build associations and forces you to think creatively. Unfortunately, because there's only one intervening article, you won't find too many brain-stumpers in the database. Also, there's no obvious way to see all of your created problems. Still, 3 Degrees of Wikipedia is a creative way to explore many different Wikipedia articles, learn a little bit, and have a quick bit of fun while you're at it. What more could you ask for?