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Are you ready for a challenge? Know how to find a triple word score in less
than the blink of an eye? Handmark has released the classic board game Scrabble
on the Pocket PC. Featuring 3 difficulty settings- easy (short words), medium
and difficult (get ready to be outplayed). All levels have a fast response time
from the computer. At the medium and difficult level the AI uses full dictionary,
so expect lots of obscure words. Experienced players find AI similar to chess
programs, calculating all possibilities. However, the AI?s main goal is
maximizing points, not starving opponents of triple word scores.
 
Up to four players- human or computer can play a game. Game players have the
choice of using the same handheld or two or three machines via IR beaming. With
the current version, be aware that if you exit the application and later restart,
all players? names will have to be reentered. Before actually receiving
your tile set, the main player must choose whether this will be a friendly or
tournament round. Friendly mode is more for children or those looking for a
leisure style of play. Rules are relaxed, so a created word can be placed almost
anywhere on the board. Also the ?suggest a move? feature can be
activated, which is a great way to encourage people who don't like word games
a fighting chance against wordsmiths. On the opposite end of the spectrum is
Tournament mode, following official rules. All words added to the board must
make valid words for all intersecting connections. If it does not, it is not
a legal play and must be removed. In this mode, challenging the validity of
a word is crucial to keeping others from pulling a fast one, especially if they
are good at making up fake definitions. Be careful with challenging, the loser
automatically is penalized with a loss of a turn. For those thinking of challenging
the AI, don?t bother. In all the games we played, it never flubbed on
word choice.
 
The board layout is just like the classic board game. All the colored power
squares are there, and their various values can be decoded via the display legend
option. Each player?s letter tray is at the bottom of the screen, showing
the tiles available for play. When it is your turn, select a tile on your rack
and then tap on an empty square on the board to place the tile there. If you
are intently staring at your letters and no word combinations are appearing,
the shuffle button may prove helpful by mixing up letters on the tray. A score
box is displayed to the left of the letter tray, showing your score on top,
and the opponents beneath. Clicking on it will show the number of tiles left,
helpful for those who like counting.
 
The hefty 100,000+ word Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary is included with
this version of scrabble. For those finding their storage area ever shrinking,
the dictionary is an optional install. The game will perform fine without it;
you just will not see any definitions when performing a challenge. If you do
install the dictionary, consider selecting the automatic display of definitions
after a word is played. It?s a great way to learn new words, especially
when playing against the computer.
 
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