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Bookworm (game)
Encyclopedia
Bookworm is a word-forming computer puzzle game
by PopCap Games
. From a grid of available letters, players connect letters to form words. As words are formed, they are removed from the grid and the remaining letters collapse to fill the available space. As in Scrabble
, players earn more points by creating longer words or words which use less common letters. In November 2006, PopCap Games released a spiritual successor, Bookworm Adventures
. Bookworm was released for the Nintendo DS
digital distribution service DSiWare on November 30, 2009. It has also been released on the regular Nintendo DS
cartridge
.
Though this is not the first time it has been released to a Nintendo handheld, as it has been on Game Boy Advance
.
These titles either come randomly or because of usage of longer words. They give the player a bit more of extra points, but it doesn't help as much as any other bonus title. Unlike gold titles, these come down, instead of trading a random letter.
If desired, the game can be played in "Action" mode (as opposed to the "Classic" mode discussed above). In this mode, the game runs in real-time, periodically adding a new red tile every few seconds. These tiles must be dealt with quickly, leaving little time to plan longer words before having to turn one’s attention to another red tile. It may also destroy the tile underneath it.
At times one needs to "risk" letting red tiles fall to clear out clumps of unwanted letters. In this case, one needs to plan ahead for words that will use the red toward the bottom of a column.
The title features a separate high score "Hall of Fame" for each of the two modes.
"The maximum score the player can reach on Bookworm is 2.14 billion, because the game doesn't correctly interpret scores above this value. The data structure that holds the score only has so much space, and at 2.14 billion is where the game runs out of possible values. As a result, the player will end up with the score flipping and a large negative number (example -2,147,483,647), when increased beyond the limit." -
Books: Body Parts, Clothing, Colors, Fruits, Insects, Minerals, Pets, Tools, Vegetables.
Computer puzzle game
Puzzle video games are a genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles to be solved can test many problem solving skills including logic, strategy, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion....
by PopCap Games
PopCap Games
PopCap Games is an American video game developer and publisher, based in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 2000 by John Vechey, Brian Fiete and Jason Kapalka, and currently employs about 400 people...
. From a grid of available letters, players connect letters to form words. As words are formed, they are removed from the grid and the remaining letters collapse to fill the available space. As in Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
, players earn more points by creating longer words or words which use less common letters. In November 2006, PopCap Games released a spiritual successor, Bookworm Adventures
Bookworm Adventures
Bookworm Adventures is a follow-up to the word-forming computer puzzle game Bookworm from PopCap Games. Released in November 2006, Bookworm Adventures combines the "create words from sets of letters" aspect of Bookworm with several elements of a computer role-playing game...
. Bookworm was released for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
digital distribution service DSiWare on November 30, 2009. It has also been released on the regular Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
cartridge
ROM cartridge
A ROM cartridge, sometimes referred to as a cart, is a removable enclosure containing read-only memory devices designed to be connected to a computer or games console....
.
Though this is not the first time it has been released to a Nintendo handheld, as it has been on Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
.
Tile types
In addition to standard letters, tiles of various colors can appear depending both on the current level within the game and on the length of words being formed. Short words tend to increase the appearance of negative tiles, while longer words increase the appearance of positive tiles. The tile colors are as follows:- Green Titles
These titles either come randomly or because of usage of longer words. They give the player a bit more of extra points, but it doesn't help as much as any other bonus title. Unlike gold titles, these come down, instead of trading a random letter.
- Gold Tiles, Diamond Tiles, and Sapphire Tiles - These tiles are awarded to indicate skill in forming longer words. Using these tiles in subsequent words increase the number of points earned by the word. It takes progressively longer for burning tiles to burn through the higher value tiles. The player mostly gets these titles if he or she gives a five-letter word.
- Burning Tiles - Throughout the game, burning red letters appear, increasing in frequency at higher difficulty levels. These letters automatically move downwards, and if they reach the bottom of the grid, the entire library is burned, ending the game. Hence, players must take care to remove these letters (by using them to form a word) as quickly as possible.
Other elements
If the player clicks on Lex (off to the side of the play area), all of the tiles will be scrambled; however, this will produce a light to medium onrush of red tiles. If players scramble two or more times in a row, a large number of fire tiles will begin to appear on the board. Nonetheless, this provides a way to create more word combinations, as over time, less frequently used letters will otherwise gather in certain areas.If desired, the game can be played in "Action" mode (as opposed to the "Classic" mode discussed above). In this mode, the game runs in real-time, periodically adding a new red tile every few seconds. These tiles must be dealt with quickly, leaving little time to plan longer words before having to turn one’s attention to another red tile. It may also destroy the tile underneath it.
Strategy
As the player advances to each succeeding level, red tiles appear more frequently and offer more letter combinations designed to present multiple word options to the player; for example, "cow", "scow", "scowl", or "scowled". In many cases, the player must overcome the urge to immediately get rid of the tile. Instead, he or she must scan the board and look for opportunities to make the best possible word. When two or more red tiles appear, the player must judge which tile(s) should be attended to first, so as to minimize the chance of a red tile being a letter that cannot be used later. If the player can't use a red tile immediately, he or she should at least try to use the tile it touches below as this will automatically be burned through. The exception to this is when a red tile appears on top of a green, gold, sapphire or diamond tile. If this occurs, the colored tile will "hold" the red tile a little longer, allowing the player to have a better chance of creating more favorable letter combinations if the red tile is surrounded by letters that can't be used to form a word. As one becomes more experienced at word making, it will become easier to make more and varied words. If the player settles for succeeding instances of shorter, simpler words, the spate of new red tiles will become overwhelming and the game will quickly end. By maneuvering sapphire and diamond tiles to the base of the board a buffer is created giving more time to deal with burning tiles.At times one needs to "risk" letting red tiles fall to clear out clumps of unwanted letters. In this case, one needs to plan ahead for words that will use the red toward the bottom of a column.
Tips For Higher Scores
Look for (or create) letter combinations like "tion" or "ing" that will help in creating longer words, e.g. "evacuating" or "evacuation". The longer the word the more points you get and the more golden, sapphire or diamond tiles you earn. Also remember you can create compound words such as "bloodthirsty".Game modes
The modes of the game include "Classic" and "Action". Classic mode is generally easier, because the player has an unlimited amount of time to form words. In contrast but if the burning tile is at the bottom of the screen the player can't scramble, in action mode, tiles move on their own, and a larger number of red (burning) tiles spontaneously appear. As a result, it is generally easier to create longer words in classic mode, whereas in action mode, the primary goal is often to simply remove red tiles before they cause the game to end. In action mode, one can scramble the tiles even when red tiles appear at the bottom of the game board (unlike in classic mode), but one loses the ability to do so if there are too many red tiles on the board.The title features a separate high score "Hall of Fame" for each of the two modes.
High scores
The maximum score the player can reach on Bookworm is 2.14-billion. See below, extracted from Bookworm's producer,Popcap Games' website: quote:"The maximum score the player can reach on Bookworm is 2.14 billion, because the game doesn't correctly interpret scores above this value. The data structure that holds the score only has so much space, and at 2.14 billion is where the game runs out of possible values. As a result, the player will end up with the score flipping and a large negative number (example -2,147,483,647), when increased beyond the limit." -
Bonus word
If the player can get the bonus word, the player gets extra points. For example: if the player spells the word "Hap", the game will give him or her 1,000 points. These bonuses rise with each matched bonus word: e.g., 1,000; 2,000; 4,000; 6,000; 10,000; 15,000; etc.App Version Books
In the App Version of Bookworm you can also collect and complete "books" which are groups of words in a similar category. Once you complete the first of any of these words in a particular category you "unlock" the book, and are given a complete list of the words you must make in order to complete the book and get bonus points.Books: Body Parts, Clothing, Colors, Fruits, Insects, Minerals, Pets, Tools, Vegetables.