Vocabulary Quest is an action-adventure game that also happens to teach you advanced vocab words

Studying for vocabulary tests in grade school was always the worst. Just you, a list of words, a sheet of paper and a pencil…and endless, endless, endless repetition. It was always the equivalent of an educational death march.

But the importance of an extensive vocabulary is undeniable. The disparity in vocabulary from 3-year-olds in rich families to 3-year-olds in impoverished families is known as the 30 Million Word Gap —and it's a very real indicator of the direction of that child's entire life. 

Point being…wouldn't it be great to actually enjoy vocabulary learning? Even as an adult? That's the mission of the very sly and very effective Vocabulary Quest eLearning Game

Vocabulary Quest is an online vocabulary training cleverly disguised as a sword-and-sorcery adventure game. Characters from wizards to warriors do battle in the land of Vocab as players identify, define and spell any of 1,200 advanced vocabulary words. 

And while this is targeted for students as young as 5th grade, this isn't basic language stuff here. Even at the easy level, don't be shocked to see words like enmity, superfluous, derision or vernacular crop up to challenge a gamer. For students getting ready for big tests like the SAT, ACT, or GRE, it makes learning about as entertaining as it can be.

By gamifying the learning process, the victories along the way trigger the player's brain to produce dopamine, which encourages the system to stay focused and motivated…except its sneakily encouraging learning at the same time.

As players battle forward, they can join guilds, earn special powers and magic gear, all as the game tracks a user's progress, craftily bringing back words that the player missed the first time around. 

And for an adult who feels like maybe they could benefit from having a few more words in their linguistic arsenal, Vocabulary Quest is like putting medicine inside a cupcake. You never notice the learning because you're having too much fun. 

The Parent and Teacher Choice Awards called Vocabulary Quest "remarkable software" — and right now, you can save over 60 percent off the $49 retail price, bringing your total down to just $17.99.

Prices are subject to change.

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