Others say...

"I could spend hours playing this!!"
This is very addictive! I could continue to play this forever. I am an adult, so I don't know how much a kid would enjoy it. They may find it boring. But I highly recommend this for adults.

"As advertised"
The game is easy to use and very intutive. It did take a little while to get used to the "orientation" as it was different than my other crossword game. The only issue, if you could call it that, is it does have a little trouble recognizing some of my hand writing letters... but other than that it is an excellent game. The anagram and word search is also fun, but they can be quite challenging for the longer words and having to "side" the puzzle back and forth to see the entire screen.

"Great presentation, but puzzles are kind of lame"
I really like the user interface on this software. It is crisp, clean, easy to read and easy to navigate. The handwriting recognition is superb -- capitals, lowercase, print or cursive. The sideways orientation works well, and it's comfortable to hold in that position.

But.... the puzzles themselves are kind of lame. You start with a choice of Easy or Medium. On Medium:
* The Medium is way too easy. I am not a hard core solver (I can't do the NY Times puzzles easily), but these are simple. They are just right for my 9 year old. My 6 year old does sort of okay on Easy.
* The clues are repetitive from puzzle to puzzle
* Some of the 'words' aren't even words. You might get a clue like "Ham and E___", where your answer is GGS.
* 25 percent of the puzzles are only 4 letters by 4 letters. That's not a crossword!!!

The worst part is that you have to complete ONE HUNDRED of the medium puzzles before unlocking the hard puzzles. It is tedious, tedious, tedious. Once you get to the Hard level, the puzzles improve substantially. But still, 25 percent of the puzzles at this level are only 4x4. Lame.

In addition to crosswords, this game also includes anagrams (word scramble) and word search. The word search is surprisingly enjoyable. The crisp, clean, readable presentation really helps, and this word search is so much nicer than the one in TouchMaster.

Overall, I'd say this game is worth getting. It is perfect for a quick puzzle while waiting in carpools, traveling on the plane -- anywhere you might do a traditional puzzle. If you happen to have a 9 year old to complete the first 100 puzzles for you, you'll love the game.



"Very fun"
My daughter, age 9, just got this game and loves it. There are different levels making it appropriate for all ages, adults and kids alike.

"The Good, the Bad, and the Abased..."
I'd like to get some items out of the way before talking about the not-so-great aspects of this game.

First, the interface works well. The handwriting recognition is very good. I like the zoom-in, zoom-out, big-grid style, and the sans-serif, unembellished font. The music is pleasant. It's a game you can relax with. I don't think the developers tried to compete with the New York Times Crosswords game, and I think the idea of providing puzzles "the whole family" can enjoy shows savvy market research. (Hmm...the back of the box reads, "Crosswords for everyone!" but the front cover shows an adult using the game.)

I thought I would like the anagrams section, but I became frustrated with it because it does not allow references to, for example, adult beverages. (The game has an "E for Everyone" rating.)

The Word Search can be fun, but the categories are hokey.

But the heart of the game is the puzzles, and they're...well, too often exasperating. Ridiculouly easy clues pepper even the Hard puzzles; there's little effort by the puzzle-makers to be witty or oblique. (You'll rarely, if ever, find yourself smiling on the inside by these clues.)

More about the way the game works...

The opening of harder levels seems to be willy-nilly. I had to complete 11% of the Easy- and 34% of the Medium-level puzzles before the game unlocked the Hard puzzles, and so far I've completed 71% of those. I don't know how many more Hard puzzles I need to complete before the game unlocks the next level.

Sure, I'm aware that the charm of many of these games lies in surprise revelations, but forging ahead in Crosswords DS is too often not great fun. Many of the puzzles are simply tedious. At times while completing some puzzles I felt I was simply going through the motions.

Is it because the same words are used again and again? Are "abash" and "abase" in at least in every other puzzle, along with some form of the word "acne"?

(Possible spoiler warning) Some answers have strange clues; for example, a clue for "sushi" is "rice that likes vinegar." Another clue perplexed me for a long time: "embellishes with garnish" ended up being "lards." I tried "lures" and that didn't work, so I started to look at other areas of the puzzle for errors. I began questioning if I had given the right answers to the other clues.

Players can choose to be notified immediately if they've written an incorrect letter. I used this feature but stopped doing so when I'd completed about 60% of the Hard puzzles. I suspected that using this form of help might be keeping me from opening the puzzles one level above Hard.

So, I suppose I'll do a puzzle now and then, and maybe someday -- someday -- the next level of harder puzzles will open, I hope, to crosswords that are a little more engaging.