Product Reviews

Word games and handhelds are made for each other - they work well on any screen, they don't need lots of processing power and they are great for filling those short spells of free time that we all get from time to time. Word Watch is a perfect game for those spare moments. It's simple, addictive and perfect for playing in short bursts.

The game is a cross between

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Word Yahtzee and the Countdown Conundrum. Each round presents you with a jumbled word that you have to guess within a time limit. Words start with five letters, but get longer as the game progresses.

If you can't guess the word, you just make the longest word you can to move on to the next round, but any unused letters change to red letters and sit at the bottom of the screen. Get eight red letters and the game is over. However, there are bonus rounds that enable you to use the red letters to make other words and gain a new lease of life.

Practice and untimed modes let you get to grips with Word Watch before you dive into the timed game, but it doesn't take long to pick things up. The game's clean and simple presentation helps make things easy, and you just need to tap away with the stylus to play.

The only caveat is that, being an American game, Word Watch uses US spellings, which might catch you out when the clock is ticking.