Bowman vs Chess for Watch & Phone
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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**
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.
- Play against AI (easy, medium, hard)
- Play with friends (versus mode)
- Play on Apple Watch
- Play on iPhone/iPad
- Intuitive drag-and-highlight controls
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Bowman | Chess for Watch & Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| Rating | 3.3 (6.6K ratings) | 3.9 (64 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.9% of reviews — better | 52.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6.6K — better | 64 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 13 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lentrica Software | Diem Le |
Customer experience
Bowman
Chess for Watch & Phone
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
Bowman
No in-app purchases
Chess for Watch & Phone
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Bowman free?
Is Chess for Watch & Phone free?
Which has better reviews, Bowman or Chess for Watch & Phone?
Do Bowman or Chess for Watch & Phone have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bowman or Chess for Watch & Phone?
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