Astraware Crosswords

Astraware Crosswords comes from Astraware, a British puzzle studio, and has been on the App Store since December 2012. It sticks to quick crosswords: plain definition clues in compact British-style grids, solved with the app's own keyboard on a phone or tablet. The clues are written for an international English-speaking audience.

The daily part is the Daily stream. Four new Daily puzzles of different sizes and difficulties appear each day (Astraware's site and the Google Play listing say four; the App Store text still says two), and the same puzzles go to every player so times can be ranked. When you finish, the app shows your time, your percentile and your rank among everyone who solved that Daily. Missed days can be played for up to a week. Each Friday a free Weekender crossword with a larger grid and some harder or cryptic clues is added for a slower solve.

Beyond the dailies there are 60 or more offline puzzles in four grid sizes and three difficulty levels, endless puzzle streams unlocked with stamps earned from ads or surveys, and paid puzzle packs. Hints and a built-in Solver with pattern matches, definitions and synonyms help with a stuck clue.

The free Dailies show a short advert after each game. The optional Puzzles Plus subscription opens every Daily, Weekender and stream puzzle as soon as it is out, without adverts, and a one-off purchase removes the adverts from the Dailies.

It suits solvers who like a short quick crossword with a race against the clock and a leaderboard to measure themselves on.