I keep hearing and reading that exercising your brain will keep it healthy. I decided to try Text Twist, by Astraware. Well, Text Twist does just that - it exercises your brain!
Loving word games in general, I immediately fell in love with Text Twist! Read on...
Setup and Game Play
Text Twist is compatible for the Palm Centro, Treo 600, Treo 650, Treo 680, Treo 700p and the Treo 755p.
Setup was a breeze, I simply downloaded the game from the TreoCentral store and installed via HotSync. Once installed, you can begin playing if you're familiar with the game - or read the Help section for game instructions.
In Text Twist, your goal is to juggle 6 letters to make as many words as you can in a limited time!
Text Twist is played using your stylus. As a round starts, you're given 6 scrambled letters with which your goal is to unscramble the 6-letter word(s). You're required to guess a 6-letter word to advance to the next level and keep the game going. If you just can't make the 6-letter word, you make as many 3, 4 or 5-letter words as possible to maximize your score before the game is over.
The possible 3, 4, 5 and 6-letter words are predetermined and you're given a list of empty spaces indicating the position for each word. The list is arranged alphabetically, which helps you figure out what letter(s) the missing words start with should you have guessed two 3-letter words and another 3-letter word still remains between them.
If you're stuck and can't immediately think of a 3, 4, 5 or even a 6-letter word, you can use the 'twist' function - which randomly mixes up the letters. Here, you may just spot a few words and be able to complete the round and advance to the next level.
There's a 'Last Word' option which puts up the last word you guessed. This is very handy for making the plural of a given word, as it only requires two clicks most times! There's also the option to start a word with one or more letters, then using the twist action to rearrange the remaining letters. This can be handy when you're stuck. Below, I twisted the letters and it happened to unscramble the 6-letter word for the round, awesome!
If you guess all the possible words in the list, you're given a bonus and you advance to the next level. The game is over when the time expires in a round and you haven't guessed at least one 6-letter word for that round.
Features - Sights and Sounds
Text Twist has a decent word bank. The word list is stated as almost 10,000 words, so the same word doesn't come up very often - although, I have seen words repeat. I do, however, play the game a LOT - so that's to be expected, hehe.
The graphics are excellent - crisp without being over-powering and distracting. The background is a nice blue with a letter holder that's another complementing shade of blue. The letters are black and in white circles which resemble the balls used in lotteries.
As you click a letter with your stylus, you hear a clicking sound and the letter is sent up to the letter holder to form a word. Once you've completed what you hope is a word in the list, you tap 'Enter' and, if the word is correct, you hear a distinctive sound indicating the word is good and you're given points. Should the word not be acceptable, you hear another, more irritating sound, hehe.
When the timer reaches 10 seconds, the game clicks down the final seconds as you nervously try to figure out the 6-letter word if you still need it. When the time is up, you hear a loud bell. There have been MANY times when I've gotten the 6-letter word JUST in time!
When your game is over and you've qualified for a high score, you enter your name and are presented with a high scores screen, shown below. I've got all the high scores! (I'm the only one who plays)
Tips on Playing
There are times when you just can't figure out the 6-letter word that lets you progress to the next level and twisting the letters makes them fall into place and there's that elusive word! What a great feeling when that happens!
Make good use of the last word option as you can build onto smaller words with the remaining letters more easily. Also, using the twist option will help you through many a round, as you start a word and twist the remaining letters. I can't tell you how many times I've suddenly guessed the 6-letter word(s) using this handy function!
Conclusion
Text Twist is a great way to pass the time when you're waiting at the doctor's office, at an airport or just can't sleep and need something to occupy some time.
If you've followed my previous reviews, you know how big a fan I am of word games on mobile devices. Text Twist is no exception! The game is easy to learn and is challenging enough to keep your interest, perhaps for hours at a time!
With a large word bank, Text Twist has great replay value! Sure, words will repeat, but you'll be so involved with time running down, you'll probably not even notice.
I find the game to be very addictive. I tell myself "just one more game, then I'll stop". Then, an hour later I finally make myself stop playing. Astraware did an excellent job of translating GameHouses Text Twist to the Palm OS. Download the trial today and see for yourself!
Text Twist is also available for the Pocket PC!
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| Pros |
Word list of almost 10,000 words
Brain-teasing against-the-clock action
Smart Graphics
Twist feature to help to give you hints to get words
Easy to play - tap based system
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| Cons |
| None, except I sometimes spend too much time playing it and the wife gets angry! |
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