Frankenstein Matchmaker - Monsters Need Love Too Review

Frankenstein Matchmaker - Monsters Need Love Too is a fun and educational universal arcade-style game involving Frankenstein monsters and their brides as one is in charge of playing Cupid, shooting Frankenstein monsters with word-loaded arrows to create monster couples.

Game play is simple as the bottom of the screen includes a row of monster brides with specific word choices. Center screen are monsters walking around labeled with other words that need to be matched up with the words below. To do so, tap on a matching word at the bottom and then swivel the included crossbow, aiming these words at the corresponding monster. Work fast as these monsters will begin to fill up the page, and when they make their way down the screen to the bottom of the page, the game is over.

I have really enjoyed this application, praise to be sure as I usually shy away from both arcade and word games because I am not good at either, but I have enjoyed my time spent with the application.

I did, however, find the aim with the crossbow a little difficult at first as this weapon seems very sensitive, and the aim can easily be off as one moves a finger not only to line up the target but to fire the weapon, with player's finger movement accidentally changing the aim for the worse. After some practice, however, I got the hang of this game, and it is a lot of fun. Subtle sound effects are included when loading, firing, and hitting these monsters, creating a very satisfying experience.

Being very educational, four different modes are included that teach Anagrams, Rhymes, Synonyms and Antonyms. The Easy section focuses on Rhymes and Anagrams only, while the medium and difficult levels ultimately cover all four topics. An “Insane” level is included with an increase of speed with which these monsters move.

This would be a wonderful game for grade school children and above, including teens studying for their SAT’s as the Synonyms and Antonyms can be surprisingly complex, and I appreciate how, except for the “insane” level, just enough time is given to pause and contemplate one’s answer for a brief moment while still giving a player the chance to respond.

The look of this app is super-cute as well, and I really enjoy the concept of the Frankenstein monsters being always angry because they don’t have mates. The green ghouls are more cute than scary but still include some creepy monster-like details that made me smile, and there is a fun intro scene involving Cupid shooting a Frankenstein monster to match him with a lady monster that I enjoy, and it is nice that the background of this game changes scene to scene, oftentimes with a darkened field or farm-like area, as well as other landscapes.

Now that Valentine's Day is coming up, this may be a good app to download for children, even teens, who may benefit from this nicely conceived word game. The arcade aspect of this app will engage students who may otherwise find this subject matter tedious, making this a great teaching tool.