Review: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Overview The only thing this contagiously fun app misses is Jeff Foxworthy's quips. If you've watched the show, it works exactly like that. Join a cast of five 5th grader students who are intent on helping you win a million dollars. If you mess up though, you're going to have to admit that "I am NOT smarter than a 5th grader."

Functionality

5th Grader is really easy to start up. You'll pick a student to become your helper to begin with. By tapping on each student, you'll see which subjects they excel in. Make sure to remember that and pick your topics accordingly as the game starts. Each student will be available to you for three questions. If you get stumped on a question, you can "Peek" or "Copy" on your student's work. Be careful though. Once you've done that, you can't do it again. You also have one fallback. If you answer incorrectly, but your student has answered the question correctly, you use your one and only "Save."

I was rather surprised to get all the way to the $500,000 question on my first game. I'll admit, it was sheer luck, because in playing numerous times since I've only made it that far (and won) once.

So in that first game, with $500k on the line and all of my peeks, copies, and saves exhausted, I turned to my daughter for help.

I was stuck between two options: free market enterprise or open competition.

I barged into her room and told her what was going on. After she rolled her eyes at me, she suggested... well, I can't give you the answer, but it was wrong! Bummer. What did I expect? She's a fourth grader.

But I was then faced with the following screen. She laughed as I proclaimed out loud, "I am NOT smarter than a 5th grader!"

I knew I should have done the "Dropout" option. That's when you take your money earned to date and run. After all, $500,000 is a lot of money. But I was greedy, and she insisted that she was right.

Review

I've played 5th Grader multiple times now and was embarrassed to discover just how addictive it is. The game is just, well, delightful. In an app world of deep graphics, rich audio, and mutiple levels, this app in its fun simplicity is going to remain on my iPhone. My kids love it, and my wife loves it. I don't know that it's worth $7.99. That is definitely a steep cost for what the game features. I mean, there's nothing to it, really. Perhaps a better price target would be $1.99? Even then, I don't know that folks will be willing to take that plunge.

Summary

Get ready to feel stupid all over again. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? will definitely put you in your place. I keep asking myself, "Do they really teach 5th graders this stuff these days?" As for pure enjoyment and simplicity, there's not a better trivia game app out there. With the twists and features of the beloved game show, it is a winner. The price is the only detriment to the app.

Related articles