GoSum Review – Addition, Subtraction And Strategy On iOS

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GoSum (universal) by Aaptek Ltd. may look familiar when the game board is fired up, but it offers a completely different experience that anything else for iOS. GoSum uses a Scrabble-like board but instead of letters uses numbers and addition, subtraction, multiplication and division signs in order to create equations. The game is for two to four players and can be played in pass-and-play style or online.

Players score points in typical Scrabble fashion and even come with double/triple number and double/triple sum tiles. Each equation needs a solution and while players can use other numbers or signs used in previously played equations, just like in word games a number can’t be placed next to another number if it’s not being used in some type of equation. 

GoSum allots six numbers and two symbols in each rack. Players can easily add up the points by using more than one symbol in an equation as long as they are all on one side of the equal sign. For example, playing two multiplied by three minus one is acceptable, but playing two plus three equals one minus four is not. 

GoSum‘s App Store page brings up a good point when it mentions games can be played online with no language barrier. There’s no need to make sure every player is using the same dictionary as math is a universal language and almost anyone can create simple math equations. 

The only downside  to GoSum is the time a game can take. Playing a two person pass-and-play game took around 45 minutes since both of us took a while each turn looking for the best possible equation. As long as it’s a fun game, though, who can really complain?

I was pleasantly surprised at how fun GoSum was. My girlfriend even sighed, complaining about how much she hates math before our game started, but forced me to start another as soon as the first one was over when she lost by just a handful of points. It’s an addicting concept and can be played competitively or even used as a tool to help young kids learn how equations work. 

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