Summer time is a great time to add some new diversions to your Smartphone or PDA.
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Word Monaco, from Smart Box Design is a worthy choice for addition to your Game Library. If you like Solitaire and you like Word Games – this is a good combination of the two. |  |
Read on for my thoughts.
I must have six different Solitaire games on my Treo and my Axim. I play each of them – but they are all very similar. After all, Solitaire is Solitaire, right? Not necessarily. Smart Box Design, makers of ‘Farkle,’ ‘Word Pop,’ ‘Word Watch’ and other great games has just introduced a new game – Word Monaco.
The ‘official’ line from the developer is: Part Solitaire, Part Word-Game, All Fun! Relax under the warm sun of the Mediterranean and play a cool game of word solitaire. Create words by moving letters from column to column. When all the letters are used, you’ve won! Three game variations, at three different locations, equals hours of fun. If you like word or card games you will love Word Monaco!
Features
* Three game variations each with their own goals 
* Three difficulty levels to fit your skill set
* Endless fun as no two decks are alike
* Play the way you want with customizable game settings
* Fantastic high resolution graphics
* Engaging OS 5 enhanced sound effects (5.2 for Sony)
* Install to device or memory card
* Trainee tips to get you started
* Strategy tips to help you win
* Help section with instructions
* Try the first ever word solitaire card game for the Palm today!
Gameplay:
Word Monaco is a lot of fun to play. It is also challenging. The premise is very simple – instead of number and face cards – your deck is letters. You move the letters onto another letter to make part of a word – or a complete word. As letters are revealed, move them to another pile to either complete a partial word or form a new word. You can move letters in groups or move the newest letter in the pile.
It sounds simple – but as you play on – you can easily get ‘stuck’ and have nowhere to go.
There are three variation of the game to play – ‘Larvotto Beach,’ ‘Royalty Caf’ and ‘Train Station.’ Each is more difficult than the next by requiring the words to be longer.
Graphics and Sound:
Word Monaco has basic Midi music that I eventually turned off. The sound effects were good and make the game more enjoyable. The background image reflects the ‘game’ you choose to play. Resolution was great and graphics were very clear.
Fun Factor:
I think the replay value of this game is quite high. It is easy to learn and tough to master – which is great for this kind of game. It is challenging and fun.
Overall Conclusions:
This is a fun and challenging game to add to your collection. For the price – I would certainly recommend this as a worthy addition to those games that keep you from doing your work!
Final Grade: A-
Pros: Easy to learn – tough to master
Cons: limited options
You can buy Word Monaco from www.smartboxdesign.com for $14.95
Written by Gary