TextTwist for the iPhone/iPod Touch

So you’re sitting on the subway, making the long daily commute to work, thinking to yourself that you really should be putting this time to good use. A newspaper next to you displays the day’s crosswords and sudoku puzzles, but you don’t even have a pen. Then you remember your iPhone tucked neatly into your pocket. You bust it out and low-and-behold your savior: TextTwist.

Yes, the addictive word game is now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. For those of you unfamiliar with the word puzzler, TextTwist presents you with 6 letters in random order which can be rearranged to form words (only those with three letters and up count). In this version of the game, when the letters are presented, there is also a list of blanks at the top of the screen (the game itself runs in landscape mode). Each blank represents a possible word, so you can track how close you are to finding all the combinations within the 2 minute time limit. The last blank in all the lists represents the ‘big one’; a word formed out of all six letters.

How does it play? Well, the developers have made good use of the iPhone’s accelerometer, such that when you shake the device side-to-side the letters rearrange themselves, making new combinations easier to spot. The touch-screen controls are straightforward; tap a letter to insert it in the next available slot in the word you are forming. It would have been nice if you could tap any letter and insert it in any of the six slots but the chosen method certainly adds a greater degree of urgency. Once you have your word of choice, simply tap the empty space to submit. If the word is acceptable, you are given a score based on the length. If not, you’re rejected.

All in all an addictive puzzler that will no doubt help build your word power.