One-Hour Review: Bookworm Adventures
While many casual game companies are pumping out sequels and clones faster than a book-loving insect can gnaw through chapter one, PopCap has inched along slowly to capitalize on the success of Bookworm, their classic word game. Now the sequel has arrived with plenty of buzz-buzzing around its plump budget and premium price tag of $30.
I’m tempted to join the debate about whether this is sheer brilliance or blind arrogance, but that wouldn’t be much fun. Instead, let’s see what we get for free. But first…
An Open Letter to the Original Bookworm
Dear Lex,
Thank you for many, many hours of hypnotic word puzzling as you stood to the side, a witty and knowledgeable companion. Your insatiable appetite helped expand my vocabulary, and you were very forgiving when I burned down the library. Sure you’re a bit of a nerd, but I’m happy to see your career taking off. Can’t wait to see what’s in store now that you’ve wormed your way into the big time.
Your friend, the B-Labber
P.S. Admittedly, I played the free web version of your game. Oh, and the free trial of Bookworm Deluxe. Sorry.
Words and Meanings
When you read PopCap’s witty description and Gamezebo’s stellar review of Bookworm Adventures, it sounds like a crazy mash-up of adventure story wrapped around a word game with characteristics of a role-playing game; help Lex save the library, create words to fight bad guys/gals, earn treasures, gain powers, save the girl. My initial impression was — yuck, what a schizoid game! And why does it have to be about saving the girl?
But as a bit of a bookworm myself, I know when you combine words into sentences, the meanings can be subjective and broadly interpreted (especially when it comes to marketing copy and product reviews), so I had to see for myself.
The Clock is Ticking
In my hour of trial, I found the fundamental appeal of Bookworm is still intact. It’s mostly about creating words from a selection of 16 letters on a 4×4 grid. Letters don’t have to be adjacent, although you must click them in sequence to spell the word because the interface doesn’t allow you to rearrange letters as you form the word. The better the word, the better you fare in achieving your goals.
Lex is still witty and helpful. This time he’s not just lobbing definitions — he’s head-butting monsters! Unlike a “serious” fighting game, you don’t directly control the battering, you just create a word then click the “Attack” button (analagous to “Submit” in previous versions of Bookworm) and Lex does the rest. It’s all cartoony violence that shouldn’t be too offensive for family gaming.
The storyline is well-integrated and filled with interesting tidbits from mythology. The visuals are high-quality, the audio is engaging, and the writing is good. The game appears to have tons of play value, with a lengthy adventure mode and several mini-games for interstitial and ongoing play.
But don’t be fooled into thinking a spending premium of more than 200% over other high-budget productions plus a 50% premium on the price equals an exponential increase in quality and fun — the game is good, but (like most sequels) it’s more evolutionary than revolutionary.
Time’s Up
Bookworm Adventures is another fine offering from the talented folks at PopCap. Like any well-executed product, it doesn’t lose sight of the core audience (word gamers) while offering a range of emotional “hooks” to (in theory) attract a more diverse audience. Still, I need to be straight with my little green friend, so here goes…
Dear Lex,
Congratulations on your new game. I’m very impressed with your fighting abilities. Did you learn those moves in a book, or are you working with a stunt double?
Although I enjoyed spending an hour in your adventure, my time has expired and I’ve returned to reality. I’ll still visit you in the free web version of your original game. I promise not to burn down the library again, especially now that I know you can beat the you-know-what out of me…
Your friend, the B-Labber
With the holidays approaching on top of everyday life, I don’t have much time to play games and $30 would buy a nice gift for someone on my list. I don’t know that my opinion would change if the game cost $20, although I’m more likely to make an impulse purchase at that price. But the real clincher for me — no Mac version, and no free web version to make me feel happy about getting something for nothing (not to mention putting some ad dollars in PopCap’s pocket).
‘Fess Up!
Of course, this review is subjective and the meaning can be broadly interpreted. Discussion or debate? Bring it on. But first, form your own opinion by downloading the free trial of Bookworm Adventures.
