Game Stooge

REVIEW: Bookworm Adventures Vol. 2 (PC)

• Scribbled on August 4th, 2009 by Jonah Falcon
• Filed in Casual Gaming, PC, Puzzle, Reviews

One of the best word puzzle franchises is back, as Bookworm Adventures Vol. 2 has been released, the third game in the franchise. The original Bookworm introduced us to Lex, the letter-hungry titular character who chomped and burped letter tiles as people spelled out long words a la Boggle. Lex then starred in his own lite roleplaying game as he wandered the lands fighting enemies with words. He’s back again, and this time facing off against his most dangerous foe yet: his evil twin EviLex.

Those of you unfamiliar with the first Bookworm Adventures, gameplay is simple: you combat enemies by spelling words – unlike Bookworm, the letters need not be adjacent. The longer the words, the more damage they do. Players are awarded potions and gem letter tiles depending on how good the word is. Gem tiles may add special damage effects like poison or burning, or even heal Lex’s wounds.

After spelling a word, the enemy attacks back, doing damage to Lex or the letter tiles themselves. Every enemy has their own unique attacks as well. After each adventure, Lex may earn potions and bonus tiles by playing minigames, which are available after being unlocked by the adventure portion. Along the way, Lex can earn artifacts that give him special powers, and use up to three of them at a time.

Bookworm Adventures Vol. 2 features much of the same addictive gameplay, but now there are very important differences. The biggest are companions – Lex may meet special characters who travel with him on his quest, and offer assistance for an entire level (”book”). For example, the Cheshire Cat will remove all harmful effects on Lex every four turns, while Mother Goose will issue a healing potion every four turns. The companion takes the place of one of the artifacts. The artifacts themselves have some more weird powers; for example, the Mad Hatter’s hat will grant a random bonus every time Lex shuffles the letters.

There are also three new minigames in addition to the three carryovers from the first game; a personal favorite is the Mutant Letters in which you must unscramble as many themed words as you can before the timer runs out. There’s also a new gem tile which only appears if Lex uses three gem tiles in a word; the new gem acts as a blank letter tile from Scrabble. Another important change is that unlike the first game, you may replay the adventure again without having to create a new profile.

Even if you’re new to the series, you’ll be charmed by the latest edition of Lex’s adventures, and like all Popcap games, can be played in small doses or “how did it get so late?” binges. You can download the game and a demo version from Popcap’s official site here. If you’re into word puzzle games, you won’t find much better.

[Review originally posted at CGC.]