# Strong Mind Puzzles — Designs For Strong Minds

> Cognitive puzzle game designed to enhance executive skills and critical thinking. (iPhone/iPad app by Donalee Markus.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strong-mind-puzzles/id396769075 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Donalee Markus](https://appshunter.io/developer/396769078)
- Category: Games, Education, Puzzle
- Price: $29.99 with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.10/5 from 10 App Store ratings · 20 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 127 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2010-10-25
- Data updated: 2026-08-24
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strong-mind-puzzles/id396769075/reviews.md

## What is Strong Mind Puzzles?

Strong Mind Puzzles update provides progressively difficult variations. This encourages deliberate rehearsal and enhances learning.
The rules, graphics, number of icons, and abstract images become more complex.

Individuals must use the voice in their head to match the goal and complete the game.

The voice in our head (internal dialogue) builds executive skills because it helps:
* reduce impulsivity
* contributes to planning behavior
* encourages introspection and reflection
* provides a system to generate alternatives

This updates include all previous Strong Mind Puzzle Variations. The user is able to control their starting point and progression. The user has the flexibility of moving between games to individualize their learning experience.

—

Strong Mind Puzzles is a game designed to challenge your brain. In her 35 years of cognitive restructuring practice, Dr. Markus created a series of paper-and-pencil puzzles to explore new ways to challenge the brain and rehearse cognitive abilities. To reach beyond her clinical practice, these puzzles were converted to a mobile format which provide numerous, varied opportunities for learning.

Effective problem-solving and decision-making is based, at least in part, on the number of variables a problem solver or decision maker is capable of evaluating.

With deliberate rehearsal, individuals can learn to increase the number of variables that they use to make a decision. 

-- Why Finding Mistakes Develops Critical Thinking Behaviors

Strong Mind Puzzles can help reduce mistakes. Think about what happens when you make a mistake. You become emotionally attached to the mistake. As a result, this emotional investment makes it difficult  to examine results objectively. Such reasoning helps explain why we are better at catching other people's mistakes than our own errors.

These puzzles give you practice in identifying and learning to anticipate errors.  When you are comparing and contrasting images you search for mistakes. With practice, this develops an error-detection reflex.

## Key features

- Progressively difficult puzzle variations
- Internal dialogue for skill building
- Reduces impulsivity
- Enhances planning behavior
- Encourages introspection
- Error-detection reflex training

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: $29.99.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Levels 4-9 | $1.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 20)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strong-mind-puzzles/id396769075/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Icons way too small on advanced levels.

*2024-01-02*

I just recently bought this app, as it was recommended by the creator to help with my mild TBI. On the advanced and expert levels (the creator advised me to start on the advanced level) with 48 shapes per page, the icons are SOOOO tiny on a majority of the choices. For ten levels and 480 shapes, I find myself having to individually open up hundreds of the icons to read the description in order to verify which rules apply. This becomes incredibly and unnecessarily time consuming, as well as exhausting. As I already struggle with intense fatigue, this becomes clearly detrimental rather than beneficial. 

As recommended by the creator, I bought the biggest iPad I could afford, which they assured me would be an appropriate size. (The next size up would have cost over $1000.) Even worse, if you miss even one icon choice out of the 48, you have to reopen every icon again to reread the description in order to discern which one you may have inadvertently missed. 

I’ve done multitudes of these exercises on paper, as part of my therapy. Those go extremely quickly, as I’ve never found this exercise to be difficult. This becomes incredibly frustrating and I hate both how much time it takes and how much effort and energy must be expended in order to complete. I wish I’d never bought this app, for this reason.

### 4/5 — Liking the revamped version!

*2019-04-27*

Thanks for the revamp! This app has definitely helped on my recovery from a mTBI. Some critique of this latest version:
1) what happened to the saved progress? The quick “Play Now” button helped users start off where they last finished. 
2) I cannot utilize the Expert level at all as some of the color differences are so subtle that the color-blind amongst us (yes that’s me) deeply struggle to discern the shapes’ colors. I particularly am red-green color-blind and find the yellow/green, pink/purple, and green/red impossible to sort out despite applying different backgrounds and adjusting lighting. PLEASE put in an option to change shape color schemes!

### 2/5 — v3.01 (23 May 2018) is buggy

*2018-05-26*

I like v2.5 of Strong Minds, but find v3.0 to be very awkward (with a variety of bugs and poor design choices); my initial impression is that v3.0 is a late-alpha/early-beta for a promising redesign of a very good tool.  I will keep v2.5 on my iPod (and wish I knew how to un-upgrade v3.0 from my iPad).   I have emailed the developer with my offer to provide detailed comments; I will update this review no later than mid-June 2018.

25-May — Minor update to my prior (17-May) review: v3.01 has a partial fix to bugs involving display of app's Help about images.  The developer has not yet responded to my email.

### 2/5 — Buggy first experience

*2018-05-25*

Downloaded on iPad Pro and app only appears on top left quadrant of screen.  Tried iPhone version on iPhone X and the screen is filled but ‘done’ button in top right next to notch is sometimes unresponsive.  The ‘direction key’ worked at first, but then just started showing a blank screen.  Worst part was I was getting answers wrong on super easy settings, and when I checked, the ‘goal’ was not consistent with the picture.  For example, the ‘goal’ might say ‘not grapes’ and the middle image was flowers.  Looking forward to this app working properly!

### 4/5 — Good concept

*2017-10-26*

I think it would be helpful to keep track of your progress instead of resetting every time.  That way you can see if you are improving. Also, it seems it presents the correct solution too often and for the entire level. Maybe that's on purpose?

### 1/5 — Stopped working

*2015-06-21*

I paid for this app and now I can't use it. "Play Now" isn't active so the app won't even begin.  When it works I definitely recommend this app.

### 1/5 — Crashes instantly

*2015-01-19*

Waste of time trying to run this app.

### 1/5 — Crash...  It should be an auto app.

*2015-01-13*

It never opened once.

### 3/5 — Abrupt stop to puzzles?

*2014-08-04*

I have completed the first set of puzzles. I agreed to pay for more puzzles, at that point the App crashed and has continued to do so. What the ....??? Please advise.

### 4/5 — Challenging

*2012-04-05*

The challenge is scoring well within the time limit.  The higher levels require a very structured thought process.

## Frequently asked questions about Strong Mind Puzzles

### What is Strong Mind Puzzles?

Strong Mind Puzzles is a game designed to challenge your brain and rehearse cognitive abilities. It was created by Dr. Markus based on her 35 years of cognitive restructuring practice and converted to a mobile format for varied learning opportunities.

### How does Strong Mind Puzzles help build executive skills?

The game utilizes internal dialogue, or the voice in your head, to help reduce impulsivity, contribute to planning behavior, encourage introspection, and provide a system for generating alternatives.

### What is the gameplay like in Strong Mind Puzzles?

Gameplay involves matching goals by using the voice in your head, with rules, graphics, and complexity increasing as you progress. The puzzles are designed to help you find and learn to anticipate errors.

### Can I customize my learning experience in Strong Mind Puzzles?

Yes, the app allows users to control their starting point and progression. You have the flexibility to move between games to individualize your learning experience.

### How does Strong Mind Puzzles help develop critical thinking?

The puzzles provide practice in identifying and learning to anticipate errors, particularly when comparing and contrasting images. This practice develops an error-detection reflex, which is crucial for critical thinking.

### What devices is Strong Mind Puzzles available on?

Strong Mind Puzzles is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices.

### What is the age rating for Strong Mind Puzzles?

The app has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for younger players as well as adults.

### How often is Strong Mind Puzzles updated?

The latest version is 4.4, and the app was last updated on May 6, 2022. Updates provide progressively difficult variations to enhance learning.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.4 — 2022-05-06

Bug fix - title for an element

### 4.3 — 2022-04-01

- Added in Tutorial Video Link
- Modified Variables Area to provide a clear indicator of what to match

### 4.2 — 2021-08-29

- updated game logic to include more answers in more advanced levels

### 4.1 — 2021-08-09

1) Single Graphic Detail Pop-up, that shows color, size and orientation!
    Press and Hold down on a single image to pop open a window that gives you hints about its characteristics. 

2) New and Redesigned Graphics!

### 4.0.10 — 2019-12-13

- Improved Image Key

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## More apps by Donalee Markus

- [BYOPuzzles — Mindful Creation](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/byopuzzles-mindful-creation/id695457968)
- [Strong Mind Mazes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strong-mind-mazes/id1141474443)
- [Rocket ABCs Print](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rocket-abcs-print/id1270346054)
- [Rocket 123s](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rocket-123s/id1304335839)
- [Strong Mind Estimator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strong-mind-estimator/id1383404371)

All apps by Donalee Markus: https://appshunter.io/developer/396769078

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-24.*