Spinlight Studio's Geography Drive Arcade app (2013) quizzes users on their United States geography knowledge in an engaging way. The app has six sections:

Study Map: This streamlined map of the U.S. shows the states color-coded by region, with all fifty capitals marked and labeled. Tap each state to go in-depth, accessing a page where its silhouette and a list of facts (capital, size in square miles, date and chronological number order of statehood) accompany a brief overview of the state's history. On the next screen, the state flag is displayed next to its time zone, nickname, abbreviation, state tree, state bird, highest geographical point, and a "Did you know?" trivia tidbit.

Might I suggest you spend some quality time with the study map before attempting the four games? That way you may avoid the utter embarrassment that was my performance in...

State Shape Challenge: In this game you match a state's silhouette with its name by choosing from an alphabetical list.



My best score in this section was in the low 30s (it was not unlike these attempts, actually, except that I live in the U.S.). Ouch. I thought that was bad until I got to...

Flagstaff State Flag Game: Five various flags appear as the narrator prompts you to select the correct one for each state. Five misses, and it's game over.

State Capital Challenge: As in the State Shape Challenge, a state's silhouette appears — this time with its capital indicated with a star icon — alongside an alphabetical list of capitals. Match the capital to its correct state as a patriotic march plays.

Honolulu Spelling Bee: Finally, something I was good at. Each state's silhouette appears as a friendly narrator prompts you to spell its name. There's a "repeat" button for the spoken name in case you miss it (and, like me, can't tell Illinois from Iowa by shape). Low-key, luau-worthy music plays in the background and a score card keeps track of your attempts.

Exit any game at any time to return to the main menu, where you can easily access the study map. From there you can also view your...

Trophy Case: Earn bronze, silver, and gold trophies for each game as you progress through six levels of state knowledge prowess. Your level, top trophy earned, and number of perfect scores for each game appear here. Your best score for each game is visible on the menu.

Upbeat background music, sound effects, and narration plus a straightforward navigation round out the presentation. Even though I was humiliatingly bad at most of the games, I did improve on subsequent rounds (and after some study of the study map) — so the app not only tests your states knowledge, it teaches you some, too.

Available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (requires iOS 6.0 or later); $0.99. Recommended for intermediate users and up.