We've covered our fair share of word games for the Windows Phone. Some may argue that there are way too many word games in the Marketplace. But, word games are an easy way to pass the time and can be entertaining, challenging and competitive.
Words by Post is such a game. Sure, it's another scrabble type game but Words by Post expands your opponent base by jumping platforms. Words by Post is compatible with the games iPhone and Android versions.
Among the scrabble-type games, AlphaJax may be the front runner with its fantastic appearance and large player base. But the cross platform feature definitely makes a case for Words by Post to be the top dog.
Head on past the break to see how Words by Post measures up.
Game Layout
When you first launch Words by Post you will be prompted to register or, for existing players, log in to your account. Registration is free and painless.
Words by Post is very similar in layout to AlphaJax and Spellit. The main hub layouts out your moves, your opponent's moves, and finished games. You have three buttons at the bottom of the main hub where you can start a game, view player rankings, and access the game's settings.
You can start a new game four ways. You can have Words by Post find an opponent at random, you can challenge a player by username, you can find an opponent through your contacts list, and you can choose a "hand-off" game where you pass the phone back and forth.
Words by Post's settings mainly deal with how Push Notifications are handled. You do have the option to turn off the "shake to shuffle" feature and contact the developer in the settings menu.
Game Play
The playing board of Words by Post is dark. Black tiles and dark, colored bonus squares. After playing AlphaJax for the past few months, it took a little getting used to.
Up top you have directional arrows to navigate through the various games where it's your turn. There is also a chat button to let you conversate with your opponent.
Down low you'll see buttons to delete the game or resign, your current scores, skip turn, and swap tiles. Once you place your tiles, a button to submit your score will appear with the point totals for that move displayed and a recall button to cancel the move.
Beyond that, Words by Post is a game of scrabble. What makes Words by Post an attractive option is the cross-platform ability. My wife uses an iPhone and we can now see who's the best speller. She helped me test the game out while on vacation. Not only could we play a friendly game while she was on the beach but the chat feature helped us keep in touch.
Overall Impression
Words by Post is a very good scrabble game. I'll give AlphaJax a slight edge based on the games appearance. I just like the lighter colored game board.
However, when you take into account the cross-platform ability Words by Post pulls slightly ahead of the competition. Words by Post ran smoothly, moves were registered quickly and the chat feature performed well.
If you have friends who use other platforms and are looking for a good game of scrabble, Words by Post will do just the trick. Even if you hang with a crowd that's exclusively Windows Phone only, Words by Post is worth a try.
Words by Post comes in two version. There is a free, ad-supported version that you can find here and a $2.99 ad-free version that you can find here (both links opens Zune) at the Marketplace.
Update: Words by Post was recently updated to give you a light colored playing board that improves the appearance (in my opinion) greatly. It makes the choice between AlphaJax and Words by Post all the more difficult to make.
