01-24-2003, 07:00 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 222
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Word Fun with Text Twist v1.01
Are you a fan of your local newspaper's "Jumble"? Do you have a craving for fast paced word games? If so, check out my review of Astraware's Text Twist 1.01.
Text Twist 1.01 from Astraware is the latest online-gone-offline game from Astraware. The game gives you six letters to see how many 3, 4, 5, and 6 letter words you can make out of them. If you make one or more 6-letter words, you move on to the next level. It�s simple, fast, and a lot of fun.
Who came up with this?
Astraware has made a name for themselves by taking popular online games and making handheld versions of them. The first (and my personal favorite) is Bejeweled, which became Diamond Mine for the Pocket PC. If you haven't tried it yet, stop reading this and download it now!
One of my favorite new online games is Text Twist on Yahoo! Games. When I saw that there was a Pocket PC version, I had to try it.
Figure 1: The main screen of the game. This is how it looks before you've "found" any words".
How to play
Text Twist 1.01 is a simple game to learn. You are given 6 letters and have to make 3, 4, 5, and 6 letter words out of them. To help you out, the game shows you how many of each type of word can be made. All you do it tap on the letters to build words and then tap "Enter". If you're stumped, you can tap the "Twist" button and the letters will shuffle, helping you spot words you've missed. Pretty simple, huh?
Figure 2: The game in progress. As you can see, I've found ART, CAT, RAT, VAT, and CART. As soon as I hit "Enter", I'll have CRAVAT as well.
There are some differences between the online and offline versions though. In the online version, you can choose letters with the mouse or keyboard. The keyboard is much faster for me. With the handheld version, you tap the letters with your stylus. It�s not quite as fast as the keyboard but is faster than with the mouse. The only other difference is the order of the words as you find them. Online, they're grouped by first letter, but not necessarily alphabetically. On the Pocket PC, they are in alphabetical order. This is a great advantage for when you can't find the words you missed.
Gameplay
At first, the game is just plain fun. But once you get the hang of it, you really get hooked. I don't think it�s as addictive as Diamond Mine, but it gets you. Finding the 6 letter word is the challenge. If you don't find it, the game is over. You have 2 minutes to find as many words as you can. I usually start by trying to find the 6 letter word and then moving on. Once in a while, I can't find it and lose.
Gotchas
- This game may become your new best friend.
Where To Buy
Text Twist 1.01 is available directly from Astraware for $14.95 for Palm OS or Pocket PC. A demo version is also available.
Conclusions
A solid word puzzle game from a reputable game maker that�s only 350KB. Simple, fast, and addictive. Great for when you want to waste a few minutes or half an hour.
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01-24-2003, 08:15 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 55
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Great game.
Used to play this all the time on my recently-departed Palm IIIxe. Can't wait for my Axim to arrive so I can give it a try again. This and bookworm will definitely keep you going for a while if you like word games.[/url]
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01-24-2003, 08:19 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 109
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This is great news. I've been playing this game on my friend's Visor for months now, and have searched in vain for a Pocket PC version. He's getting quite annoyed with me :-)
I've even tried to run this using the SLOW palm emulator on my PocketPC.
If this version is similar to the Palm version, then I'll be even more excited. I leaned to play this game with the stylus, the 'proper' word order, and the bonus for getting every single word (key to getting those insane high scores in the 100's of thousands. Trying to frantically enter the last few letters of the six letter word with the stylus while the last few seconds are ticking is quite a rush. I've never really enjoyed the online version using the keyboard for some reason, also the handheld versions save the scores.
A definite must buy.
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01-24-2003, 08:58 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,911
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This game looks like a lot of fun. I'm excited because I won a copy of it from the PDArcade.com Giveaway. I can't wait for it to come in so I can play (I'm holding off on the demo, waiting for the real deal).
PS- I love Diamond Mine. Astroware makes some great games.
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01-25-2003, 11:50 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 8
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I am interested in downloading a trial of this game, but I have never done that before. Do I just hit "download", wait, and then sync my desktop with my Axim?
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01-26-2003, 01:24 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 222
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by MrsB86
I am interested in downloading a trial of this game, but I have never done that before. Do I just hit "download", wait, and then sync my desktop with my Axim?
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Pretty much. The file you download is an executable. Run it and it will install the app. You can then sync and you'll have it.
Good luck.
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01-26-2003, 03:43 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 23
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Sounds fun, I always loved the Jumble (or is it Jumbo, LOL!). Anyways, I think I'll give it a try!
Kelly S
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01-26-2003, 08:07 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 717
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Finally the reason my wife needed to give my old 3850 a new home. I hate this game because I suck at it, but it brings a tear to my eyes seeing my ipaq being used once more....sniff sniff.
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02-09-2003, 01:40 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,213
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TextTwist v1.02 released
In case anyone is interested, Astraware released v1.02 of TextTwist for the Pocket PC. As is the case with all their software, there is no indication of what is different in this version from previous versions.
--Dave
__________________
Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.
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Linear Mode
