Saturday, January 18, 2003
Handmark's Scrabble v1.01 reviewed
Posted by Andy Whiteford in "SOFTWARE" @ 03:42 PM
Those of you who enjoy a game of Scrabble will no doubt be happy that it has been officially released on the Pocket PC platform. There are imitations around but this is the real deal and a very faithful version we have too! If you are unfamiliar with Scrabble, where have you been? This is possibly the most famous and popular word-style board game out there and now you can take it anywhere with you.
In Scrabble, the concept is fairly straightforward. Up to four players play on one board and each receive seven random lettered tiles that are replaced as you use them. These are hidden from the other players and are used to make up words on the board. Each letter has a points value depending on how common it is with more obscure letters such as Q or Z having the maximum score of 10. The goal is to add words to the board in turn and receive the accumulated letter score from the word you add so the longer or more complex the word, the higher the score. To add to this, there are coloured squares on the board that will double or triple the score of the letter or word that covers them, depending on the colour of the square. The drawback of this game is that any word you add must be physically linked to another on the board and any subsequent tiles that are adjacent to each other must also create a valid word. At least you receive the score from these newly created neighbouring words as well.
Where To Buy
The software can be Handmark's website.
Break out the board
So how does Handmark’s conversion compare? Well firstly, this is a perfect representation of the board game. The board layout, scoring and rules of the game are identical. If you have played the board game, you will be able to pick up this version and play straight away. The game uses the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, which assures you that words being played are valid. During install, you are prompted which components to install. To save space, you can install the game only, which while containing the full list of words in the dictionary, does not contain the definitions. If you can afford the extra storage space, I would recommend installing the optional definitions dictionary, which will automatically display the meaning of each valid word played. You can configure this so the word is only looked up manually and then can choose to view the definition if you are unsure what a word means. This can be a great way to learn new words however if you are short of storage space, prefer to use a third party dictionary or do not care for the meaning of a word, you can elect not to install this part of the game.
The Game menu lets you start a New game, see a scoring summary of the current game, Save or Load a game and also Send or Receive to start a multiplayer game by Infrared. The final option we have is Exit, which will handily ask if you wish to save the current game. Selecting New brings up the game configuration screen that allows you to select up to four players and also if they are human or computer opponents. You can change the name of any player in the game at this point although these names are not stored so the next time you start the game, you will need to enter the names again if the same people are playing.
There is a Multiplayer option that allows you to pick between playing on the same device with each human person hiding their tiles before passing onto the next player and Infrared which allows two or more devices to be used in a game. The final option on this screen allows you to select a Game Mode. You can pick a Tournament mode that strictly follows the standard Scrabble rules, or a Friendly mode that gives you the option of your device Suggesting words and also to accept other words during the game if it is felt they are genuine.
Figure 1: The playing area
Let's play
Once into the game, you are presented with a view of the entire playing board and below this, the current scores and the tiles you have available to play with. You can drag these tiles into any order to help you compose words or just click on the scramble icon to mix these tiles up into a different order to assist you in seeing new combinations of words. Adding words to the board is done by tapping on a letter then tapping on its destination square on the board. Once you have created your word, you can optionally select Score from the Turn menu. This will show if the word you have entered is valid and what score you will receive for this word. Once you are happy with your word, you can hide your tiles if playing against another human before clicking Done to pass on to the next player. The game follows this trend until the end. If you have selected a Friendly game and are struggling to find a word, you can pick the Suggest Move option from the View menu and the computer will give you a list of possible combinations and their associated score. If you have some high scoring tiles you wish to keep a hold of but cannot currently create any words, you can select Pass from this same Menu and you will miss out on the current turn. If you cannot create a word and are not happy with the tiles you have selected, tap the Exchange Tiles option from this menu and then select which tiles you wish to get rid of. These will be replaced by fresh tiles at the expense of you missing a turn.
The View menu gives you the option of looking up any word that has been played in the game so far. If you have the Definitions Dictionary installed, the meaning of the word will also be displayed. There is also a Board legend that shows you the bonus scoring squares on the playing area and also a Tile Distribution option that displays all the letters in the game, the score they carry and also the number of each tile available in the game. The Instructions option is also found on this Menu and this details how to play the game and what options are available to you.
Figure 2: Starting a new game options
The enemy
When you select a game against computer opponents, you can pick the difficulty level from easy, medium or hard. Any easy opponent will most likely create smaller, lower scoring words whereas the hard opponent will frequently create larger scoring words and generally use the whole of the available dictionary, provided they have the necessary tiles at their disposal. The computer plays a very good game and although the Easy opponent is a nice gentle introduction to playing the game, the Medium and Hard opponents really do have you planning which words will get you the required higher points to beat them. In saying that, the computer does also play a fair game and all the words played are genuine, albeit sometimes obscure.
While I do recommend the installation of the Definitions dictionary, the meanings provided are basic and to the point. If you want to use this as a fun way of learning new words, I would also recommend a dedicated dictionary to get a more comprehensive overview of any words you are unsure of.
The interface is clear and simple to use and the graphics are crisp which makes playing this game, easy and enjoyable. There is no sound in this game other than alerts to pop up messages to certain actions. Playing the game is just simply a case of tapping on a letter and tapping where on the board you wish it to go to create your word. Tap done and wait for your next turn. This game really is made for a Pocket PC.
Figure 3: If you can't make a play
Gotchas
I can find nothing to warrant real concern in this game, in fact the only thing I would change would be to have the player’s names remain there after closing and opening the game instead of being reset back to default. The other small niggle is when you start the game up, the Look Up word option is automatically set to yes which means you need to turn this off every time you start up the game if you don’t want it. These two issues are purely down to the default options being set when the game is closed down. Otherwise, this game is flawless.
Conclusions
Handmark's rendition plays Scrabble exactly how the board game is played, the layout is identical, the options are all helpful, the interface perfect and the AI sensible but challenging when turned up.
Being able to play multiplayer on the one device or between many is simple but well implemented and the full instructions will have the uninitiated playing in no time. If you are a fan of Scrabble or other word games, this is quite simply a must have. If you are just looking for a simple but fun game that will even teach as it plays, this game again fits the bill. This can’t come more highly recommended.
In Scrabble, the concept is fairly straightforward. Up to four players play on one board and each receive seven random lettered tiles that are replaced as you use them. These are hidden from the other players and are used to make up words on the board. Each letter has a points value depending on how common it is with more obscure letters such as Q or Z having the maximum score of 10. The goal is to add words to the board in turn and receive the accumulated letter score from the word you add so the longer or more complex the word, the higher the score. To add to this, there are coloured squares on the board that will double or triple the score of the letter or word that covers them, depending on the colour of the square. The drawback of this game is that any word you add must be physically linked to another on the board and any subsequent tiles that are adjacent to each other must also create a valid word. At least you receive the score from these newly created neighbouring words as well.
Where To Buy
The software can be Handmark's website.
Break out the board
So how does Handmark’s conversion compare? Well firstly, this is a perfect representation of the board game. The board layout, scoring and rules of the game are identical. If you have played the board game, you will be able to pick up this version and play straight away. The game uses the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, which assures you that words being played are valid. During install, you are prompted which components to install. To save space, you can install the game only, which while containing the full list of words in the dictionary, does not contain the definitions. If you can afford the extra storage space, I would recommend installing the optional definitions dictionary, which will automatically display the meaning of each valid word played. You can configure this so the word is only looked up manually and then can choose to view the definition if you are unsure what a word means. This can be a great way to learn new words however if you are short of storage space, prefer to use a third party dictionary or do not care for the meaning of a word, you can elect not to install this part of the game.
The Game menu lets you start a New game, see a scoring summary of the current game, Save or Load a game and also Send or Receive to start a multiplayer game by Infrared. The final option we have is Exit, which will handily ask if you wish to save the current game. Selecting New brings up the game configuration screen that allows you to select up to four players and also if they are human or computer opponents. You can change the name of any player in the game at this point although these names are not stored so the next time you start the game, you will need to enter the names again if the same people are playing.
There is a Multiplayer option that allows you to pick between playing on the same device with each human person hiding their tiles before passing onto the next player and Infrared which allows two or more devices to be used in a game. The final option on this screen allows you to select a Game Mode. You can pick a Tournament mode that strictly follows the standard Scrabble rules, or a Friendly mode that gives you the option of your device Suggesting words and also to accept other words during the game if it is felt they are genuine.
Figure 1: The playing area
Let's play
Once into the game, you are presented with a view of the entire playing board and below this, the current scores and the tiles you have available to play with. You can drag these tiles into any order to help you compose words or just click on the scramble icon to mix these tiles up into a different order to assist you in seeing new combinations of words. Adding words to the board is done by tapping on a letter then tapping on its destination square on the board. Once you have created your word, you can optionally select Score from the Turn menu. This will show if the word you have entered is valid and what score you will receive for this word. Once you are happy with your word, you can hide your tiles if playing against another human before clicking Done to pass on to the next player. The game follows this trend until the end. If you have selected a Friendly game and are struggling to find a word, you can pick the Suggest Move option from the View menu and the computer will give you a list of possible combinations and their associated score. If you have some high scoring tiles you wish to keep a hold of but cannot currently create any words, you can select Pass from this same Menu and you will miss out on the current turn. If you cannot create a word and are not happy with the tiles you have selected, tap the Exchange Tiles option from this menu and then select which tiles you wish to get rid of. These will be replaced by fresh tiles at the expense of you missing a turn.
The View menu gives you the option of looking up any word that has been played in the game so far. If you have the Definitions Dictionary installed, the meaning of the word will also be displayed. There is also a Board legend that shows you the bonus scoring squares on the playing area and also a Tile Distribution option that displays all the letters in the game, the score they carry and also the number of each tile available in the game. The Instructions option is also found on this Menu and this details how to play the game and what options are available to you.
Figure 2: Starting a new game options
The enemy
When you select a game against computer opponents, you can pick the difficulty level from easy, medium or hard. Any easy opponent will most likely create smaller, lower scoring words whereas the hard opponent will frequently create larger scoring words and generally use the whole of the available dictionary, provided they have the necessary tiles at their disposal. The computer plays a very good game and although the Easy opponent is a nice gentle introduction to playing the game, the Medium and Hard opponents really do have you planning which words will get you the required higher points to beat them. In saying that, the computer does also play a fair game and all the words played are genuine, albeit sometimes obscure.
While I do recommend the installation of the Definitions dictionary, the meanings provided are basic and to the point. If you want to use this as a fun way of learning new words, I would also recommend a dedicated dictionary to get a more comprehensive overview of any words you are unsure of.
The interface is clear and simple to use and the graphics are crisp which makes playing this game, easy and enjoyable. There is no sound in this game other than alerts to pop up messages to certain actions. Playing the game is just simply a case of tapping on a letter and tapping where on the board you wish it to go to create your word. Tap done and wait for your next turn. This game really is made for a Pocket PC.
Figure 3: If you can't make a play
Gotchas
I can find nothing to warrant real concern in this game, in fact the only thing I would change would be to have the player’s names remain there after closing and opening the game instead of being reset back to default. The other small niggle is when you start the game up, the Look Up word option is automatically set to yes which means you need to turn this off every time you start up the game if you don’t want it. These two issues are purely down to the default options being set when the game is closed down. Otherwise, this game is flawless.
Conclusions
Handmark's rendition plays Scrabble exactly how the board game is played, the layout is identical, the options are all helpful, the interface perfect and the AI sensible but challenging when turned up.
Being able to play multiplayer on the one device or between many is simple but well implemented and the full instructions will have the uninitiated playing in no time. If you are a fan of Scrabble or other word games, this is quite simply a must have. If you are just looking for a simple but fun game that will even teach as it plays, this game again fits the bill. This can’t come more highly recommended.
