Review: WordFu

Overview:

If Webster's Dictionary is your favorite book, or you just know a lot of words, then this is a game for you. Reminiscent of the popular game "Boggle" by Milton Bradley, WordFu is a game of letters with just a hint of Eastern culture thrown in.  The object is to create as many words as you can, using only the nine letters provided, in a set amount of time.  It's fun if you're into the more "puzzle-y" games and it will surely keep you entertained - again, as long as you know your words.

Features:

There are a few cool features in this game. First is the ability to change the game play from "Classic", in which you can use a single letter as many times as you like in one word, to "Shaolin" style, where the letter can only be used once. You can also change the time limit of the game to make it more difficult. Anyone can look at a group letters and come up with some decent words in two minutes. But when you only have 30 seconds, you mind starts to fly, thus making it more difficult. As with "Boggle", you have the ability to change the letters before the game actually begins, however you only have 20 seconds to do so. You can change either one letter by "flicking" the die on the screen, or you can change all letters by shaking the device. Another great feature is the ability to get "power-ups". How can you get a power-up in a word game, you ask? Simple. If you enter a big enough word (let's use the word "example") then more dice will be thrown on the board. These dice don't have letters on them, but instead either double your points, stop time, or allow you to change one letter already on your board.

The Good:

The game is incredibly easy to pick up and play. There is even a tutorial at the beginning of the game that tells you exactly what to do. The best part about the tutorial is that if you've played the game before, you can just tap the screen and it skips straight to the game. Amazing! I wish all apps had that option. Another selling point is that each game only takes from 30 seconds to two minutes, depending on how long you set the timer, so you're not stuck a few levels into a game and then have to quit.

The Bad:

The flaws I found in this game are minor. When you start the game, you have to change all of the letters three times before you actually get to "choose" your letters. So, if you get nine awesome letters the first time around, you're screwed because you have to change all of them two more times. I would say something about the music being the same thing over and over, but as I said before, the game takes 30 seconds...so why have more than one track?

The Verdict:

Overall, I enjoyed this game. I'm not one to spend a whole lot of my hard earned dollars for a game, but for it's price, $1.99, it's not a bad deal - again, if this is your type of game. I'd say this is a game for the more "intellectual" gamer, which, of course, is not to say that anyone couldn't play it.

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