Crosswords DS
By Jinny Gudmundsen,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Nifty set of crosswords, anagrams, & word searches
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this game.
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Based on 1 parent review
nice game
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What’s It About?
CROSSWORDS DS provides over 1000 crossword puzzles on four levels of difficulty. It also has three levels of anagrams (puzzles where you make words out of a given set of letters) and word searches (puzzles where you hunt for words in a grid of letters).
The game works well for either right- or left-handed players because you rotate the Nintendo DS on its side to accommodate writing on the touch-screen. For crosswords, the clues are always featured on the side where you are not writing. Simply tapping on the square where you want to write, zooms you in. And once there, when you write a letter, the letter recognition software works well. You can even activate a feature that lets you know if the letter you wrote is correct. If the letter is correct, it will appear in black; if you're wrong, it turns red. Plus, there is no need to erase – if you change you mind, you can simply write on top of your previous letter.
Is It Any Good?
This is a nifty compilation of puzzles that families can take on trips. It can keep track of up to four profiles, and players can save unfinished puzzles. However, if you are really good at crossword puzzles, this game won't start hard enough for you and will make you work through some easy puzzles before you can unlock the more challenging ones.
What makes this game good for kids and adults who are new to crosswords, is that it offers a tutorial explaining how to play. Plus, the crossword puzzles come with a hint system so that you will never get stuck. You can use three different types of hints: an additional clue, show a letter in a specific box, or have the whole word filled in. While you can't play with others, it's perfect for players who enjoy playing with words.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about which is better: crosswords in the newspaper or crosswords as a video game? Do you find yourself using the hints? Or is it a matter of pride to not use them? Which type of puzzle do you like best -- the crosswords, anagrams, or the word searches?
Game Details
- Platform: Nintendo DS
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Release date: May 5, 2008
- Genre: Educational
- ESRB rating: E
- Last updated: November 4, 2015
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