Searching for Boggle: Word Spotter and Quordy both satisfy

I'm quite fond of Boggle, the game where you extract words from a N-by-M grid of letters. You can use each letter only once and the letters must connect to each other with straight lines, whether vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. The App Store is full of word search games, but the only two games I found that really jumped out at me as having been designed to closely emulate Boggle were
.
Both games let you trace your finger along the on-screen letters to create your words. You place your finger on the first letter and then move it to each subsequent one. When you lift the finger, the word is finished and compared to the game's built-in dictionary. When it comes to the on-screen interaction,
was the clear winner. Although both games were subject to mistakes in hitting unwanted letters, with
it was far easier to hit each letter without having to backtrack from false moves.
A rich dictionary to compare words against is an important component of any Boggle-style game. In real life, we usually keep a reference dictionary on-hand. On the iPhone, the apps must rely on their built-in word base. Of the two,
provides a more robust dictionary based on the official Scrabble word set. Words that I knew were real were almost always recognized, whereas
would declare them invalid more often. Both programs by the way, failed at "lede."
In terms of game play, each had its strengths and weaknesses. It bothered me that
scored 3-letter and 4-letter words the same.
on the other hand never really explains how it scores at all, depending on some cryptic algorithm based on the number of possible words versus the number of words found. So, as far as scoring goes,
gets the nod. I might not completely like how it scores but it's clear how the scoring gets done and you can track your progress throughout the game.
. From a design point of view,
presents a more visually pleasing interface. It's bright, it's cheerful, and it's uncluttered. I'm not thrilled by
's crowded screen, dark color choices, and small font sizes.
's decision to make each letter fly to the bottom as its used is another negative for me, as the motion kept pulling my eye away from the game itself.
Both games offer reasonable customization choices.
does not. You can play
with your online friends or use a pass-and-play option.
lets you choose your dictionary, adjust the grid size, and change the time limit during gameplay.
I really enjoyed playing both games. While neither offer
ed the perfect Boggle experience, both provided usable, fun applications. Simply put, you would not go wrong with either product. Word Spotter and Quordy both provide entertaining takes o
n Boggle and are well worth the $1 or $3 that they cost on App Store.
Name: ( Publisher: Price: $0.99
Platform: Name: ( Publisher: Price: $2.99
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