There’s not a whole lot that can be
added to or changed for the basic game of Scrabble. Which is fine, as Scrabble
is a splendid game which has stood the test of time with little change. The main
point of having a board game on a handheld is to have the fun of the game
without the bother of carting around a big board and lots of little pieces.
Scrabble for the DS is a good port
of the board game, with a clean and simple interface and some nice features.
Scrabble for the DS offers either a
single-player mode against the AI, or multi-player either with Hotseat or Wi-fi
play. Happily, players don’t have to have multiple copies of the game to play
online. There are three different games, Classic, Speed and Slam. Classic is
regular Scrabble, Speed is Scrabble with a timer, and Slam is a variation of
card games like Dutch Blitz and Blink with letters instead of numbers. Slam is
fun, but really isn’t anything like Scrabble. The players all play at the same
time, and try to place letters on top of existing letters in a stack in the
middle to form legal words. The first player to use all of their cards wins.
The interface is easy to understand
and use. The different modes of play and options are accessed through a simple
menu. The online multi-player is easy to set up, as well. During play, players
will drag the letters with the stylus. Scrabble offers a decent amount of
features, including training, a dictionary, the ability to challenge and player
ranking, all of which adds to the overall game.
The board is small, of course, but
the colors of the extra point spaces are familiar to Scrabble fans. The pink is
more of a reddish orange, though. The board can be zoomed closer with the
stylus, but this means the whole board can’t be seen. Various options include
having a timer, or having hints. As players advance, they can earn more themes
for the board layouts.
I prefer to play actual board games,
instead of playing them on the PC or the console. However, having a handheld
version is handy when traveling, as it is definitely quieter and less annoying
to others. Scrabble for the DS is a well-designed edition of a family favorite,
and is a good addition for anyone’s DS library.
Gameplay: 7.0
Playing Scrabble on the DS is fun enough if you either can’t find someone to
play with or you are traveling. It’s easy to pick up and play and offers some
good options and features. Also, it can help you practice in case you want to
beat out a favorite opponent.
Graphics: 6.0
The look of the game is fine, but nothing to get excited about.
Sound: 6.0
The sound is unmemorable.
Difficulty: Medium
The game is as easy or difficult as desired, according to which options are
chosen.
Concept: 7.0
Nothing new, but the execution is good.
Multiplayer: 7.5
Playing against others is a lot of fun when stuck somewhere while traveling or
in the car.
Overall: 7.0
This edition of Scrabble for the DS is a good traveling companion. It’s easy to
play and pass around, and the ability to share the game with others without
multiple cartridges is great. The various option settings and the training and
ranking features add to the overall experience. A good game for the summer!
