By Heather Dove
Online Editor
Words With Friends
Since this application hit the Mac world, its popularity has blown up, even to the point where the game is playable on Facebook.  Just like Scrabble, players create words from given letters and try to beat their opponent.  This game is great to play with friends, and it isn’t without some degree of academics-  the more words a player knows, the better off they are.  The only down side to this is that the sound effects can get slightly annoying.  Purchasing the full version for $1.99 allows users to play without Ads.  Personally, ads aren’t that big of a deal— so stick with the free version.
3/5
Toca Hair Salon
I’m not going to lie, this application is downright strange.  Players are put into a hair salon and given six different clients they can choose from.  Three of the six choices are animals, and the sixth option may or may not be a human.  Since the graphics in this game are so quirky, it’s hard to tell.  However, because the graphics are so different and innovative, I like them.  While playing this game, I felt myself reliving first grade— messing up the hair of the people in a CD game I had.  The sound effects paired with the surprised, somewhat scared, faces on the clients make this game good for messing around for a couple minutes.  The best feature is the option to take a picture in-game, allowing you to easily share with your friends the wacky hairstyles you’ve made up.  However, it isn’t worth purchasing:  the game was free when I downloaded it, and that’s the only time you should consider getting it. Currently, it’s $.99
*2/5*
Anodia
A game similar to pong, Anodia is the perfect time killer.  Players move a platform sideways on their screen, attempting to keep their ball from falling to the bottom.  The goal is to hit all of the targets without going through all of your lives.  While the graphics and sound effects are good quality, there is a time lag problem that hinders the experience and might become frustrating. *3.5/5*
Tap Tap Revenge
This free game is fun and addicting: players chose a song and difficulty, then use their fingers to tap buttons and earn points. The higher the player’s accuracy, the more overall points he or she gets.  Points players get can be put into the game’s store, which can be used to make an avatar look more individualistic.  The fun comes in with the tapping, and as you are able to go to more difficult levels of songs, the game becomes more addicting.  Graphics wise the game is clean and sophisticated, and its similarity to Guitar Hero or and Rock Band is comforting. *4/5*
Glow Unblock
If you’ve ever played the board game Rush Hour, then you’d be familiar with this application.  Players have one goal:  get the red block out and off the screen.  While this task starts out moderate at first, by level twenty, even on the easy setting, things get difficult.  The graphics and sound effects are about par, and overall the game isn’t too invigorating.  It will however get you to waste some time, and think while you’re at it.  Best of all: it’s completely free. *2/5*