Mindscape Casual Games: Hoyle Word Games 3 is a collection of word games, some that you’ve likely encountered through out your lifetime, others probably not. They have been recreated in flash format and a few things have been sped up here and there to try and help move the games along at a quicker pace. There are a total of nine different games in this package, with a couple having being included in previous Hoyle packages.
Hoyle Word Games starts you off by having couple of options for creating your own character. It’s no EA game face but it does give you a variety of options and even pre-created templates. Some of these templates were silly faces such as a donkey or a bunny. On top of that, there are numerous options for each game to change the template or to change the options such as difficulty and game speed. From there, it’s just up to you to jump into the many games that are on offer.
A bit like Poker, but with words
There are nine games on this compilation:
- Double Cross
- Word Searches
- Crosswords
- Wordox
- Speedy Racer
- Enigma
- Anagrams
- Hangman
- Word Yacht
One of the games that stands out is Speedy Racer. Not because it’s particularly brilliant but because it’s quite different from the rest. It has two different modes, Three Pigs and Pirates. The basic aim of the game is to type the letter as it falls from the top of the screen and you go to the next level with each wave that you clear. The game may have had some benefits, had it required you to type words over just the letter but you can actually get through the game quite easily by slamming down every random letter on the keyboard as fast as you can.
What also makes Speedy Racer distinguishable is that it’s one of the only games in the compilation that probably couldn’t be done off the computer. There is Enigma, which is a puzzle solving game that requires you to switch letters and solve a secret message but for the most part, these games are played just as well in print, on the Internet and with pen and paper. However, to the developers credit in this case, the games are actually much more functional in this compilation than in others.
The primary reason for this is that most games can be played well individually and those that have you placed against computer AI, will not have the odds stacked heavily against them. That is, you actually have a chance of beating the computer in this compilation and things such as dice rolls will no longer come out horribly out of your favour. However, most games will end up being a battle between the clock and your own wits. Games such as Hangman and Anagrams can throw down quite a challenge.
You'd hang yourself if you paid more
Despite a clean presentation and a more functional set of games, Hoyle Word Games has very little lasting appeal. Aside from the fact that there are a lot of other viable options, the main stumbling block to game is that there is very little reason to keep going with the game. Once you’ve played through each game a couple of times, they will be pretty much worn out. It’s bad to have something like this if you’ve got a couple of minutes to kill but its not as if you can take advantage of this on the train or other, less flexible situations.
The presentation is clean, clear and functional for a set of flash games. Hangman, Anagrams and Speedy Racer ought to get a mention for their colourful presentations that actually look as if some effort has gone into them. The rest of the presentation is passable and it gets the job done, though the load times are a little discerning. Sound wise, there are a bunch of AI characters with voiceovers that are serviceable and get the job done. When there aren’t voices, there is some sedate but suitable music. It’s nothing groundbreaking but the least that we expect for any game.
Hoyle Word Games is a solid and functional compilation. It gets most things that it ought to right and does the minimum for what we’d expect from a budget title. Unfortunately, the games have a very limited appeal as you can find more efficient alternatives almost anywhere. There is very little reason to recommend this compilation over physical alternatives, even at a budget price point.
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