Art of the iPhone

*Updated 9/23/08 for version 1.1*

Wurdle ($1.99) is a Boggle-like word game available in the iTunes app store. The game is well-designed, jammed-packed with features, challenging, and most of all fun. Thanks to some recently added features and polish, Wurdle is currently our top-rated iPhone word game with a rating of 7.9 out of 10. Check our video review below for a closer look at the game:

In Wurdle, players are presented with a grid of scrambled letters, and words are created by tracing a finger horizontally, vertically, and diagonally over letters on tiles to create words.

The game allows you to choose your grid size, from 4×4 up to 8×8. You can allow select the length of the game, from 1, 2, or 3 minutes.

Wurdle records high scores and offers the choice to upload you scores to a website to compare with others. You can view the top scores on the iPhone by tapping on “Visit online high scores” in the menu section, which launches the website in Mobile Safari. Wurdle also tells you (in the menu section) what your longest word is and how it ranks compared with other players’.

But where Wurdle really excels is in the sensory arena. Tracing your finger over the tiles creates a very satisfactory clicking noising, and forming a word in the dictionary is signaled by an alert. Tiles float over an attractive crumpled notebook paper background. Created words float down onto the paper. Overall, it’s a very good-looking game with plenty of pleasant sounds.

The game’s menu offers plenty of choices. There are 7 premade tile sets, and players can also choose any picture on their phone as the background for a see-through tileset. Players can also select different maximum play times, turn off sound, change the minimum word length, and even choose between two different dictionaries.

One of the additions in version 1.1 is the word list. The word list shows you all the words that were possible in the puzzle or puzzles you just played. This was a crucial missing feature in terms of extended game play, as players couldn’t learn from their mistakes. It’s addition was one of the biggest factors in increased Wurdle’s score from a 7 to 8.

Conclusion

Wurdle is a beautiful and highly customizable Boggle-like word game. Its low price ($1.99) makes it one of the best values in the iPhone app store. If you like casual word games, Wurdle is a must buy for your iPhone.

• Name: Wurdle
• Version Reviewed: 1.1
• Developer: Semi Secret Software
• Price: $1.99
• iTunes Download: