Comparison

Bowman vs Chess for Watch & Phone

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Bowman

Engage in a classic archery battle where you aim to defeat your opponent by accurately shooting arrows. Adjust angle and strength for precise shots, targeting vital areas for maximum damage. Enjoy a bird-shooting mini-game for added fun.

Highlights
  • Archery combat
  • Adjustable wind, wall, and fatigue settings
  • Angle and strength trajectory guide
  • Headshot and chest shot mechanics
  • Play against AI or a friend
  • Bird shooting mini-game
Features
Read full description

This version of Bowman is better than all previous versions. If you wish to play the original game, simply turn off the Wind, Wall and Fatigue features within the game settings. This latest version has it all. It has many options which you can turn on or off depending on how challenging you want it to be. Bowman is a highly addictive classical game. Even if you've never heard of it before, play it just once and you'll be hooked. The object of the game is to shoot arrows at your opponent and kill them before they kill you. It's a battle against your opponent to see who can accurately judge the angle and strength of the shot to make the arrow land on your opponents body. A head shot inflicts the most damage while a shot in the chest takes second place. Everywhere else on the opponents body inflicts less damage. To shoot your bow, simply drag your finger across the screen and you'll be presented with a trajectory plus angle and strength (power) information. Release your finger to release the bow. You can play Bowman against the iPhone or against a friend. To make it even more entertaining, we have also included a bird shooting game. You'll have to shoot as many birds as you can within 3 minutes and then let your friend try the same. Hopefully, you will have shot more birds than your friend. Thousands and thousands of people play Bowman online every day and now you can enjoy a better version of it on the iPhone. It really is highly addictive. **Lentrica Software has also released another simple yet highly addictive game - Escapa**

About

Chess for Watch & Phone

Engage in classic chess battles on your wrist or phone. Challenge AI opponents at various difficulty levels or compete against friends in versus mode. Intuitive touch controls make gameplay seamless.

Highlights
  • Play against AI (easy, medium, hard)
  • Play with friends (versus mode)
  • Play on Apple Watch
  • Play on iPhone/iPad
  • Intuitive drag-and-highlight controls
Features
Read full description

An excellent board logic game CHESS, now available on your Watch & Phone: - Play with AI (easy, medium, hard). - Play with Friends (versus mode). - Play on your Watch or Phone. Tips: drag your finger to highlight locations.

Screenshots

Bowman4 screens
Chess for Watch & Phone3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Chess for Watch & Phone at 3.9 against Bowman's 3.3. Chess for Watch & Phone also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Bowman's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 13 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Bowman costs $0.99 and Chess for Watch & Phone $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess for Watch & Phone holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bowman has 6.6K ratings behind it against 64, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Bowman's written reviews are positive against 53% of Chess for Watch & Phone's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bowman ships an update every 3 weeks, Chess for Watch & Phone every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Bowman versus Chess for Watch & Phone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBowmanChess for Watch & Phone
Price$0.99$0.99
Rating3.3 (6.6K ratings)3.9 (64 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.9% of reviews — better52.9% of reviews
Number of ratings6.6K — better64
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 13 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB19 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperLentrica SoftwareDiem Le

Customer experience

Bowman

All ratings6,625 ratings
Positive47.3%
Neutral21.6%
Negative31.1%
Written reviews242 reviews
Positive57.9%
Neutral14.0%
Negative28.1%

Chess for Watch & Phone

All ratings63 ratings
Positive73.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative20.6%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive52.9%
Neutral11.8%
Negative35.3%

Bugs and requests

Bowman

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game crashes or doesn't load
  • Arrows behave erratically
  • Opponent distance changes unexpectedly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Online/multiplayer mode
  • More weapons and power-ups
  • Customization options
  • Difficulty settings
  • Endless/high score mode

Chess for Watch & Phone

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Bowman

No in-app purchases

None

Chess for Watch & Phone

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bowman free?
Bowman costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess for Watch & Phone free?
Chess for Watch & Phone costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bowman or Chess for Watch & Phone?
Chess for Watch & Phone is rated higher. Bowman averages 3.3 out of 5 from 6.6K ratings, while Chess for Watch & Phone averages 3.9 from 64 ratings.
Do Bowman or Chess for Watch & Phone have ads?
Neither Bowman nor Chess for Watch & Phone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bowman or Chess for Watch & Phone?
Bowman ships an update every 3 weeks, and Chess for Watch & Phone every 13 months. Most recently, Bowman was updated on November 6, 2026 and Chess for Watch & Phone on November 7, 2026.

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