Games Like Text Twist
Text Twist is one of the most popular word games available on the Internet, but you shouldn't feel restricted to that title just because all your friends are playing it. There are many online word games out there that are just as good as (or arguably even better than) Text Twist. Here is a sample of some of the best ones the Internet has to offer.
Word Sandwich
The concept may be incredibly simple, but Word Sandwich is easily one of the most addicting games on the internet… and it could be because of its utter simplicity. You are to guess a random five-letter word. If your guess is too early (or "high") on the alphabet, it "floats" to the top; if your guess is too late (or "low") on the alphabet, it "sinks" to the bottom.
For example, if the target word is "honey", and you guess "marks", the word "marks" will slide to the bottom half of the word sandwich. This tells you that your next guess should be earlier in the alphabet. By giving closer and closer approximations, you approach the target word. Sounds pretty simple, right?
While there isn't a time-limit, per se, your score is based on how quickly you can guess the correct answer, both in terms of time and in terms of number of guesses. There is also a score "multiplier" based on the time between guesses. Each game consists of five target words.
Inklink
Sometimes, the best ideas for online games are simply adaptations of the physical board games that occupied our childhood. Charades have always been a lot of fun, and it was great when it was adapted the game to drawing pictures with Pictionary. Now you can take Pictionary online, and play with would-be artists from clear cross the globe in Inklink, found on the Shockwave website.
Also available through Yahoo! as "Graffiti", Inklink will scream with familiarity. You get different colored crayons, a target word, and a group of online friends to guess what you're drawing. Every player gets a turn to draw, with both the artist and the correct guesser getting points, based on how quickly the correct answer is submitted.
Bookworm
With a board filled with letters, your task in Bookworm is to link adjacent tiles to find complete words. When you double-click on your connected word (at least 3 letters in length), it gets fed to the hungry worm waiting to the left, new tiles pour in from the top, and the search continues. You can take your time with this game as there doesn't appear to be a countdown meter, but you will need to bear a couple of things in mind.
Eventually, you'll see some burning tiles. These letters must be used before they reach the bottom of the screen, or else the game is over. Your goal is to fill a meter (longer words fill the bar more) above the Bookworm. Extra points are awarded for longer words, gold and green tiles, and finding the bonus word.
There are three versions of this word game available: online, free trial download, and a full version that can be purchased for $24.95.
Word Racer
Word Racer is a word game of a different breed. While crosswords and word search puzzles are typically rather slow-paced, meant to wrack your brain, filtering through that long glossary you have floating around in the old noggin, Word Racer is played at breakneck speed, where coming up with responses quickly is of paramount importance.
Competing against other Yahoo! users, you are presented with a 4 x 4 grid of letters. In much the same way that you'd search for words in Boggle, you are to quickly type in words based on adjacent letters, but you are racing against several other players. If they already input a particular word, you will not get credit for it (this is where Word Racer departs from the Boggle tradition).
