App of the Week: Letterpress Word Game
App Name: Letterpress Word Game
Price: Free
Available Platforms: iOS 5.0 or later (iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone)
What does this app do? Letterpress is a two-player word game that lets you construct words by arranging letters on your screen. Created by atebits, Letterpress is not only about earning points - one point per letter - but also about strategy. As you create words you can steal letters, represented as tiles, from your opponent to lower their point score.
Log in to Game Center to launch the app, and from there invite friends to play. Or you can let the app choose a challenger for you. Select letters on the board to create words, and then press "submit." Each tile you use to create a word turns your assigned color, either red or blue. You can swipe tiles from your opponent as you build words and this will, in turn, change the tile to your color. Protect your tiles by using surrounding ones of the same color. In order to grab a protected tile, your opponent will need to use the letters around it first.
Press the home key to reassign, skip your turn, or share a replay. Keep in mind words must have two letters and may only be played once. The game ends when all of the tiles have been used, and the highest score wins.
For $.99, you get more themes as well as the ability to see played words and play against more than one person.
Is it easy to set up? Installing the app requires some work: you will need to create an account in Game Center if you do not already have one. However, the app allows you to import your contacts so you can easily send invitations to play with friends.
Should I try it? Give this game a few tries to get the hang of it and you will find yourself immersed. The app's minimal design - red and blue tiles against a white background - coupled with an intuitive layout make it easy to dive right in to the game. If you are not already deep into the Words With Friends app or others like it, such as BOGGLE or SCRABBLE, you will find Letterpress a fun alternative.
