The following is a reader-submitted game review by Maxro:
The computer game is not the strongest medium for word games. The crossword puzzle and word jumble dominate the papers; Boggle is the board game master. Computer games are often overlooked by the linguistically minded. But then, Text Twist changes all that. I'm tempted to call it the best word game I've ever played. Of course, there are lots of awesome games out there. Scrabble, Boggle, Funny Farm—you know the drill. But I think Text Twist's the best, or one of them—and here's why.
Text Twist's rules are simple. Combine the six letters on the screen to make as many words as you can. This is by no means an original concept, but it's been spruced up. The goal of every level is to get the six-letter word. Once you do that, you are allowed passage to the next level. However, there is not much pleasure in just determining the six-letter word. I found that by just typing words as they come, eventually the long one will pass through my mind. Play is at it's best when you complete every single word before time runs out, giving a huge score bonus. Very satisfying. Play is available with keyboard or mouse. This is particularly useful for the "Twist" button. Twist shuffles around the letters for you. It's annoying to have to click during a keyboard-oriented game, so press spacebar instead. The versatility is great for speed. The interface is understandable from the start, and it has a nice presentation.
Despite the great gameplay, the game does not vary much between levels. Eventually you will start to recognize some letter sequences (when I see A R E T, I think tea ate era are art tar rat rate tear etc.) Text Twist's word bank is not perfect; some words are omitted from the game that should not be. The game is not exactly built for longevity and playtime. That being said, if you want variation in levels and gameplay and a larger word bank, the full version is available to buy. The full version's strongest point is that it includes seven letter words and a high score list. However, these criticisms are from the point of view of someone who has played this game for a long time. For a beginner, none of these points apply.
Analysis: Text Twist is a wonderful word game. The joy experienced when having just uncovered a word in the nick of time is quite satisfying. The sound and interface suit the game well. The criticisms I've covered are quickly overcome by purchasing the full version. A good presentation and simple rule set make this game perfect for a quick break. And that means many, many rewarding quick breaks for you.
A last word of advice: "Ade" is indeed a word. Click.
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Comments (may contain spoilers)
So is “hie”.
This is basically the same as another game previously reviewed on JIG: 8 Letters in Search of a Word. The differences are:
Posted by: Peter Hosey | September 27, 2006 4:23 AM
Oh great - i was addicted to this game years ago (it has been hosted on zone.msn.com for a long time), and now i will be again!
Posted by: remko | September 27, 2006 9:35 AM
This has been my favorite web game for a number of years... before I discovered JIG, that is. I'm surprised this is the first time it's review has been posted! :)
Posted by: pinguino_ann | September 27, 2006 10:31 AM
I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with the reviewer on this.
The fact that the max word length was only 6 letters took all of the fun out of it for me as it made it just that little bit too easy.
8 Letters in Search of a Word is much more playable in my opinion.
However, I think these are both have quite a boring interface, and have much more enjoyed games with a theme- Just like Fowl Words.
http://www.miniclip.com/games/fowl-words/en/
Posted by: Razorgirl
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September 27, 2006 11:52 AM
It's nice that you can type in this one, aside from alternatively clicking each letter. It also shows the number of possible words that can be made.
Posted by: Spazzbite
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September 27, 2006 2:04 PM
I can't play this game anymore. I got addicted to it a while back and it's quite easy, so I NEVER DIED and just had to PLAY FOREVER. Heh.
Posted by: Emma | September 27, 2006 4:18 PM
thanks for reviewing this. this has been one of my favorite games for the past few years. only, i wish that they`d get new words!
Posted by: lindzee | September 27, 2006 4:27 PM
I must admit that I can't seem to enjoy any games of this nature except Fowl Words (as Razorgirl brought up) now. I believe Fowl Words is one of the most enjoyable versions of this game, because it offers seven words and one isn't limited to finding the longest word in order to survive (I'm not always good at that.) I found the game in a different place though; Merriam-Webster's online dictionary (www.m-w.com). They have some other games on their site that may be worthy of looking at. Hmm. I'm going to go play those games now.
Posted by: Linz | September 27, 2006 7:15 PM
Over the years whenever I've had 8 hours to burn in a row I'd easily rack up a few million points on the Text Twist online game. Cupola, Copula, I've memorized them all. Once in a blue moon I'd get a word or 2 that would come up once every 6 months & take me by surprise, like Apiary. That's always a nice surprise.
Posted by: Corona | September 27, 2006 8:00 PM
For those new to the game, there's a way to divine the six-letter word from the other words, AND a good way to fill gaps.
Posted by: Werebear | September 27, 2006 9:10 PM
I've always enjoyed this game. I like the word games. Thanks for re-introducing me to Text Twist.
Posted by: Jezebel | September 28, 2006 11:32 AM
This was on addictinggames for a long time...
and this is java?!?! talent, i see...
Posted by: EMDF
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October 1, 2006 4:27 PM
I love this game. Although, if I keep playing it non-stop, I'm sure I'll get tired of repeated words. But so far, it's fun and it's been a challenge.
Posted by: sweetie | October 4, 2006 11:19 AM
Haha this game became a family staple a few years ago...my brother would type and the rest of us would shout out words.
Freshman yr of college, same thing happened except during a large lecture...one student started playing on his laptop and soon many were whispering, then saying the words.
I liked that to advance you had to get a 6 letter word. even if you get all the short words, you still need that huge one.
Posted by: Pyre | October 5, 2006 12:00 AM
Hey, I need a super genius to unscramble chartar for me...
I am about to break 1.4 million points...
Posted by: Mark | December 20, 2006 4:00 AM
This is NOT a flash game
Posted by: Steve | December 30, 2006 9:51 PM
does anyone know how the scoring of this game is calculated?
Posted by: smfd26 | January 19, 2007 12:20 AM
How is text twist scored? I've looked all over the web and can't seem to find out the points are calculated.
Posted by: smfd26 | February 21, 2007 11:56 AM
this incredebly easy!!
Posted by: riana | June 2, 2007 6:20 PM
Very addicting game.
I got 100,000 in a few minutes with the help of a word finder :)
http://marvin.mindhyve.com/wordfinder
Posted by: bonna | December 12, 2007 5:07 AM