Words with Friends Review

The Bad:

• Built in dictionary can be a little too forgiving in accepting some words.

E

very now and then I come across a feature in gaming that changes everything. Words with Friends is such a game. Sure, the actual game is nothing new. We've all played Scrabble or one of its many variants, but it's how Words with Friends goes about it all that makes this a truly unique and rewarding experience. To give a quick overview of the game, Words with Friends is simply Scrabble over the Internet. Two people take turns trying to create words with their given letters in the form of a crossword puzzle. Different letters are worth different points and playing word tiles on different locations on the board grants you various bonuses. The person with the highest score at the end of the game wins. It's pretty simple, and the idea isn't new by any means, but the way the game is played is completely refreshing.

The first major change to the traditional Scrabble board game is that you can now play through mutiple games with different players at any given time. At one point, I found myself playing separate games with my wife, my co-worker and a friend--all at the same time--and that's just the beginning. You can quickly start games using your device's contact list, by entering phone numbers, usernames, or even by choosing to get matched up with another random player. Most iPhone and iPad games don't actually work over the Internet. My experience is that they typically prefer to use Wi-Fi or AdHoc connections for play, so opening this up to everyone with a data connection is appreciated.

The second major change, and one that isn't really unique to Words with Friends, but rather to software-based Scrabble, is the inclusion of a dictionary. There is no more hoping that the word you've crafted is actually real or not. If it is, you can play it, and if not, you'll be asked to make another selection. Though part of Scrabble involves being able to challenge other players if you suspect them of playing an invalid word, I personally find that lacking that particular compontent speeds up play, and declutters the experience. If I had any gripe about how the dictionary in Words with Friends works, it would be that it can sometimes accept too many words. The example that keeps coming to mind is Fe (the periocdic symbol for Iron) was accepted as a valid word. I found it funny, and told the tale to my wife who later used the 'word' against me. I should have kept mouth shut.

The last change, and in my mind the one that seals the deal, is that turns can be completed without both players being in the game. This means that I can go ahead and play my word and exit the game, at which point my opponent will receive a notification that it's their turn. They can then take however long they'd like to complete that turn. I personally went almost 24 hours without responding to another player's turn, but that's the beauty of the game. You don't have to schedule a time to play with someone else. Everyone can play at their own convenience, and when gaming on the go, that's an important thing.

Words with Friends is available for free (ad supported) on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad; or for $2.99 for a version without ads, and in the case of the iPad, in HD. A perfect game to enjoy in small chunks, I couldn't recomnend Words with Friends more. It's perfect for people of all ages and interests, and a title that demands you play it.