Sometimes you don't need an original idea to make a killer app, as long as you get the presentation right. Take Tinder, for example, which managed to put a whole new spin on internet dating thanks to its slick, simple mobile interface. Now, there are innumerable quiz apps out there for mobile devices, but none quite like QuizUp. Released last month on Android after launching last year on iOS, QuizUp is spreading through this editor's friendship group like wildfire, because what are friends for if not to beat at question-and-answer games and wind them up about it later? It's not just the online multiplayer that makes QuizUp a gem, though -- it's also super easy to use and looks great, too.
QuizUp kind of does for quizzing what Words With Friends did for Scrabble. Pitting your LOST knowledge against a confident chum while riding the bus is what makes the app so fun, and signing in with Facebook, Twitter and G+ will auto-populate the in-app buddy list with any connections that have QuizUp installed. You can battle each other in real-time, or answer your seven multiple choice questions whenever you want, letting your opponent catch up later. You score points for correct answers, obviously, but quick fingers are also key, as you get penalised the longer you take to choose. If you want to brush up on a topic, of which there are over 400 from architecture to Star Trek, chemistry to brand logos, you can challenge a random online, but the higher you level up on any given subject, the harder the questions get.
If you needed any more reasons to spend time within the app, then there's messaging, rankings, a history of what your friends' are up to, achievements and even forum-like discussion boards for each topic. On top of all the little extras, QuizUp also looks and behaves impressively. It's colourful, everything works as you expect it to, and the simple UI makes for easy navigation. For a free app it's nicely polished, although you can buy XP boosters with real money if you're absolutely intent on levelling up quickly. We imagine, like Words With Friends, you just won't load it up one day, and forget about it. Until then, though, it's the type of casual but crazy addictive game that'll have you sitting in the pub in silence, with a grunt here and a snort there revealing which of your mates knows way too much about One Direction.