Crosswords DS

Overview

Published by Nintendo and developed by RetroStyle Games, Crosswords DS is the premier crossword video game for Nintendo's Touch Generations lineup. Featuring well over one thousand crosswords, approximately 240 wordsearches and limitless anagrams, this game will easily keep you busy through waiting rooms, commute or times when you just feel bored.

Gameplay

Much like Nintendo's Brain Age titles, Crosswords DS plays using the "book" style in which the player holds the DS vertically instead of the standard controller position. As soon as the main menu pops up, player's are given the option to choose a Training Mode or the Main Game. Training Mode outlines the basic controls and rules needed to fully comprehend gameplay and selecting Main Game will prompt you to create a profile. Upon creation of a profile, players are granted access to the three words game: crosswords, wordsearches or anagrams.

Crosswords

The crossword portion of the game revolves around writing down words that correspond to clues and the appropriate allotted spaces on the grid. At the start, players are only given access to the easy and medium difficulties. Within each difficulty, completing crosswords will end up unlocking more crosswords of the same difficulty and eventually more crossword modes. Grids start in 4X4 sizes and grow to upwards of 13X13 sized grids. Putting letters in the grids is as simple as writing the intended letter. Some detection errors may occur, so it is best to write in capital block lettering.

Wordsearches

The wordsearch portion of the game deals with finding a designated list of words inside a jumbled mess of letters. Less than half of the small and large puzzles are available from the onset but, as with crosswords, completing more will unlock more puzzles and modes. Each puzzle follows a specific theme such as, construction, French association and groceries just to name a few. As far as controls go, players use the stylus to touch one end of a word they found and drag it to the other end. Doing so will highlight the word and cross it off the list. Wordsearches are relegated to the screen size at first, but more advanced puzzles will have the player shifting around outside of the screen's boundaries.

Anagrams

The anagram portion of the game has virtually no limit, instead of clear-cut puzzles, the game will generate six random letters for use. The objective is to get as many words as you can using the provided letters. The developers were courteous enough to provide a blank list of words that players fill. Anagrams are divided into short, medium and long ones; short asks up to four-letter words, medium asks up to five-letter words and long asks up to six-letter words. Some conflicts may occur, especially when an inappropriate word is entered.

Medals

By completing a entire set of crosswords, wordsearches and anagrams, players will be rewarded with medals. Examples include:

• Wordsearch Expert (Complete all small wordsearches)
• Anagram Novice (Complete one hundred of one size of anagrams)
• Anagram Expert (Complete two hundred of one size of anagrams)
• Anagram Master (Complete three hundred of one size of anagrams)