I’ve always hated crossword puzzles.  I was always much more of a word search guy myself.  Which probably explains why I like the Bonza games so much, they’re basically combining the two puzzles into one.

BONZA

We start with the purest of all the games in the series, Bonza is all about the crosswords.  You start off with some puzzle packs, each containing about 30 puzzles or so.  Completing each puzzle as well as completing entire puzzle packs give you some in game currency.  You use this currency to buy more packs but can also use real money to speed up the process if you need to.  The economy here remains untouched for the majority of the series.

BONZA: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

The Nat Geo version of Bonza is almost identical to the original game except for two very important distinctions.  The Nat Geo version contains categories that focus on animals and locations and such, you know, National Geographic type stuff.  But they also add in jigsaw puzzles too.  “Here’s a picture of a tiger, it’s all jumbled up, fix his face.”  As mundane as that addition may sound, it was totally a game changer that broke up the monotony of  just doing crossword puzzles.  Apparently I wasn’t the only one who felt that way either.

BONZA: JIGSAW

So they went ahead and made Bonza Jigsaw, a game that is all about the jigsaw puzzles.  With added challenges like rotating pieces and blind images, it really adds a lot to the experience.  The problem is, there is kind of a paywall in this one.  As you complete puzzles you get experience.  New levels grant you a new puzzle pack.  Unfortunately you’ll find yourself just a few XP short once and a while.  And for one 6 dollars you can unlock 4 more packs.  I’ve spent 12 dollars already.  I don’t feel bad about it either, I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment out these games and it seems fair that I kick them some cash for it.  I just don’t like how in this one I hit the paywall twice already.  But hey, it’s still a fun game.

So yeah, Bonza, it’s a series of really fun apps that are all technically free.  I strongly recommend these games if you’re looking for a way to kill time.