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Gameplay
Sound
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Graphics
Value
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Reader Reviews
5 reviews. Average Rating: 4.8
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Publisher:  Genre: Arcade
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Mac OS X: 10.2.8 Mac OS Classic: Not Supported
CPU: G3 RAM: 128 MB Hard Disk: 10 MB Graphics: 16 MB VRAM |
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There
are two different ways to play the game. The first, and easiest, is the
Classic game. This is a game without any time limits, and allows for a
more leisurely paced game. The goal is to progress through as many
levels as possible. Hindering this progress is one of the special types
of tiles in the game: the burning tile. This fiery red tile starts at
the top of the stack of letters, and if it is not used in a word, will
burn its way through the letters below it, one letter for each word
that you make that does not include the tile.
If the tile reaches
the bottom of the stack, the library, and your game, is toast. Using
the tile in a word will send it off the board into the mouth of the
bookworm, who'll respond with a whiff of smoke from the mouth. Allowing
the fiery tiles to reach the bottom of the stack is the only way to
lose the Classic game. Even if it appears that there are no words left
to be made, simply click on the bookworm in the sidebar, and the tiles
will scramble. Doing this will cause a couple of fiery tiles to appear,
but this can often open up some new opportunities for new words. An
additional feature of this game over the online version is that you can
save your progress, coming back to it anytime you want. I've had games
go on for days, only ending when I decided that the letter selection
was getting too sparse, or when a fiery tile would finally make it to
the bottom of the pile.
The second type of game is the Action
game. Like the Classic game, you are still making words on the same
grid, trying to progress through levels. The difference here is that,
when a fiery tile appears, it doesn't wait until you create a word
before moving down, destroying the tile below it. It will do it after a
certain (short) amount of time. This makes it imperative that you try
and use these tiles as soon as you can. If you wait too long, you can
have four or five fiery tiles on the board at once, each moving its way
to the bottom of the board. I found this game to be a bit too
challenging at first for my lack of mad spelling skillz, but as I
played it I found that it grew on me. The frantic race to create a word
with the fiery tiles can be quite a rush!
Bookworm
is dangerously addictive. In much the same way that Bejeweled's
simplicity keeps you playing for hours on end, Bookworm's intellectual
stimulation keeps me coming back for more. Even if you don't compare
your scores against the numerous other players using the online scoring
system, you will be constantly looking for that combination of word and
bonus tiles that will give you the ultimate high score. Word search
fanatics will be in seventh heaven.
The graphics are nice. The
glow of the special tiles is nice and smooth, while the fiery chaos of
the burning tiles makes it quite evident that these are not tiles to be
messed with. Letters are large and easy to make out, so no chance of
getting that "g" mixed up with the "e". Your bookworm host is quite the
cute one, as well, with humorous reactions to your on-screen actions.
No flashy 3D accelerated graphical glitz, but then there really doesn't
need to be.
Sound is good, as well. The music is upbeat and
cheerful, and doesn't distract from the gameplay. The Bookworm has his
own set of sounds, as well. From the satisfying "crunch" of the
completed word tiles as then go flinging into his mouth, to the
occasional shouts of "Astounding!" when you complete a particularly
high-scoring word, the sound effects are very well done.
PopCap
has succeeded in once again giving me a reason to spend inordinate
amounts of time in front of a single game, trying to get to just one
more level before I go to bed. Even if you came in dead-last in the 3rd
grade spelling bee, Bookworm is a game that you should definitely try.
And somewhere around the fifth word that you've had to try and spell
with the "Qu" tile, you'll realize that you can't get enough of this
game.
Pros
• Addictive gameplay
• Fun, even mildly educational concept
• Ability to save game and come back to it later
• Online high score tables give greater replay value
Cons
• Would like the definition of more than just an occasional word
• A couple more game modes might be nice
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