If you enjoy a good game of scrabble on a rainy day or a challenging crossword puzzle with your morning scone and coffee, then you'll probably have fun testing your verbal skills with Sierra's latest edition of Hoyle Word Games. The CD features nine different games that together should appeal to wordsmiths of all ages. It's not much different from the previous installment, but it's a good value if you don't already own a version of the game.
Many classics are represented in Sierra's package in one form or another. Wordox is a simplified version of Scrabble that is just about as fun and challenging as the real thing. Both players select from the same set of letter tiles to form words on the board. When the coveted triple-point squares are finally reached, the board is cleared and the game resumes. Another very fun game is Word Yacht, which is Hoyle's version of Yahtzee played with lettered dice. Like Yahtzee, Word Yacht has you complete a checklist with various spelling and word-formation requirements. When the dice are rolled, you have but a few minutes to make as many word combinations as you can while fulfilling the checklist items. The words you type appear in a separate list, and simply right-clicking on one brings up the full Webster's dictionary definition.
You'll also find classic diversions such as hangman, word searches, and cryptograms in the game. Some 500 Dell crossword puzzles have also been included for you to exercise your brain with. No erasers are necessary: Just type in the word, right-click to change from vertical to horizontal, and backspace to erase. For cheaters, there's an option to solve the word you're on and even an option to solve the whole puzzle. And as with most of the games, you can save and come back at any time.
Sierra has tried to liven up the games a little by enhancing their presentation. For example, enigma - the Hoyle version of cryptograms - is played from an interface that resembles a World War II message decoder. The setting for hangman looks like a sandy beach, with letters, gallows, and a man inscribed in the sand as you play.
For competitive games, Sierra has welcomed back its colorful cast of opponents. These computer-controlled challengers range from a snobby pub-goer named Rick, to Harley the talking grizzly bear. Characters are animated, and you can see them blinking, shifting around, and sipping beer at random. Each character also has its own spontaneous comments. The commentary is always pertinent to what is going on in the game, though you may find that some of the jokes have an awkward delivery. Fortunately, you can set a slider in the options menu to change your opponents from "talkative" to "serious" if the chatter is getting out of hand.
As sort of a bonus, Hoyle Word Games has included Sierra's patented Facemaker, which lets you combine eyes, noses, facial types, body types, and hairstyles to create your own personalized player. There are many, many combinations possible. This is actually a fun part of the game that you may want to spend some time playing around with before getting into the games themselves.
The value of Hoyle Word Games is bolstered by its built-in free Internet-play option. Most of the games in the package can be played over the Internet and prove to be quite fun with live players. Of course you can also play many of the games with up to four people on the same computer.
There isn't much criticism to be leveled against Hoyle Word Games. If you'd rather take its games more seriously, you'll probably want to disable the commentary and even some of the more childish games such as anagrams and speedy racer. However, in the end, Hoyle Word Games is challenging and addicting and offers something for everybody. If you like wordplay, and you don't already have a CD-ROM collection of word games, then this is the package to get.
