What I discovered was an oversimplified word game, avid crossword enthusiasts hungry for a greater challenge.
The game breaks down into three sections: crosswords, word searches and anagrams. With over 1500 puzzles it claims to be perfect for everyone regardless of age or experience. However, what I discovered was an oversimplified word game, which will leave avid crossword enthusiasts hungry for a greater challenge.
Having tried various puzzles in both difficulty levels, I found them to be disappointingly easy. I am not particularly strong at these types of puzzles, yet I was able to finish them all rather quickly even without using the hint system. While this may be a positive aspect for some, I also found many of the clues to be repetitive and uninspired.
If, on the other hand, you happen to find some of these puzzles difficult, there is always the possibility of using the clue system, which Nintendo touts as one of the games high points. For each puzzle, you receive a number of clue points, which you spend each time you use one of the hints. But using the hints will cost you time as well. For every additional clue you add one minute to your clock time, for a free letter it is three minutes and to reveal the entire word, five minutes. Obviously, the goal is to complete the puzzle in the least amount of time, so you may be better off using trial and error, rather than clues, as it may cost you less time in the end.
The word search category was a bit less disappointing, although it had problems of its own. This time, there are three difficulty levels, two of which are unlocked from the start, small and large. Each puzzle relates to a different theme. I found the small puzzles rather amusing; however, the problem lies with the larger puzzles. Due to the size limitations of the DS screen, scrolling vertically and horizontally is required to get around the board to find words. This rapidly became annoying as it made it much harder to spot the hidden words with this limited perspective.
The anagrams are decent enough and range between short, medium and long word difficulties. These go from three to six letter answers. It is pretty straight forward and the only issue I had was the lack of hint system. It would have been a perfect occasion to use the system, but instead, when you get stuck your only options are to use trial and error with every letter combination or to give up. Needless to say, this can be quite frustrating.
n retrospect, Crosswords for the Nintendo DS left much to desire. With a $20 price tag, crossword fanatics may be sorely disappointed. However, it may be more adequate for a child who needs to widen his or her vocabulary. But contrary to what I initially believed, a wiser way to spend your time and money would be to pick up a good old-fashioned puzzle book.
- Nathalie Caron - The Able Gamer
This review has been edited, please see the original version here: http://theablegamer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=150:crosswords-ds-review&catid=13:nintendo-ds&Itemid=70