GENRE
	Puzzle
	DEVELOPER
	Telegames
	PUBLISHER
	Telegames
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1
	CONNECTIVITY
	Yes
	BUY NOW AT

The gaming gods are out there, my friends. They listen to your prayers with great attentiveness, fully intending to deliver hours of gaming goodness to your sweaty, little hands. Millions of people are guilty of killing free time via the intellectual pastime of puzzle solving. One might think an electronic incarnation of these age-old puzzles may prove to be an upgrade from their archaic counterparts. Regretfully, it seems as if prayers fell upon deaf ears when it came to what we have come to know as Ultimate Puzzle Games.

visuals

It’s easy to figure out that visuals wouldn’t play a large part in a game rooted strictly in a cross-word puzzle universe. As such, graphics can be described using a single word: bland. To make things even worse, one can even find the font entitled Comic Sans being used as in-game text--didn’t the game designers get the memo that Comic Sans simply isn’t cool?

Sadly, almost every game shares the same look, but that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, since every game included is more or less the same with different objectives. Colors are simple and non-obtrusive.

audio

Let’s start this with a rhetorical question: Do newspapers come with music and sound effects for their crossword puzzles? There’s a reason--if these puzzles did indeed come with music, chances are it would be ridiculously atrocious. Truth be told, nothing special is offered audio-wise, unless a tinny and obnoxious background theme was the objective.

gameplay

As simple as it may seem on paper, it’s safe to say that Ultimate Puzzle Games was made far more difficult by its clumsy navigation and lousy use of its electronic venue. Puzzles are solved by keying in letters with a clumsy on-screen keyboard. Each game features quite a few puzzles; often times dozens are available. Every game shares the same mechanics--fill in the blanks and hope the right choices were made.

The following is a list of games available:

• Crossword: Enter the classic crossword puzzle. Deduce and insert specific words into lines of empty boxes via clues supplied. In order to properly solve the puzzle, every word must fit perfectly in the spaces provided. Words must also interlock together without disrupting spelling.

• Kriss Kross: After choosing a puzzle that pertains to a specific topic, the object of this game is to place pre-selected words into a grid similar to that of a crossword puzzle, but with less spaces. Words must fit together flawlessly to complete the puzzle the way it was intended to be accomplished.

• Word Search: Enter another classic: the word search. Words are hidden among a mass of letters. These words must be found in their entirety by the use of the word bank.

• Code Breakers: Though aesthetically similar to Kriss Kross, Code Breakers is an entirely different experience. The purpose of this game is to match numbers with letters and eventually fill the grid with words.

• Back Words: The object of this game is to find the black squares which separate words on the grid. Clues are given to help identify the words but they are in random order.

• Cryptic: This game’s description is as enigmatic as the name itself. It appears to be similar to the Crossword.

• Diamonds: Yet another game in which words need to be found by solving clues.

• Easy Crossword: Hey, look! Yet another incarnation of a Crossword game!

• Number Jig: Instead of placing words in this Kriss Kross style game, numbers are to be placed instead.

• Micro WS: Yes, it’s a mini version of Word Search.

• Mini K: Yes, it’s a mini version of Kriss Kross.

• Mini WS: Yes, it’s a mini version of Word Search.

multiplayer

Ultimate Puzzle Games allows for the transfer of three puzzles to a linked GBA for independent play.

overall

Ack. Ultimate Puzzle Games has some serious flaws. One might think that a technologically advanced crossword puzzle might have some superior features, such as telling the player if they chose the correct word. Apparently that technology is still beyond us, since the game allows the player to input any word without any type of alert as to if it is correct or not. It seems that it might be logical to have some time of alert, either aesthetically or audibly, in regards to the correctness of a word.

One might also think that an American-released game would have Amerian-themed spelling. Let’s take a moment to peruse the game manual on this subject:

Puzzles are enjoyed worldwide. Although all the puzzles are based on English language, you may notice that some words are spelled differently from the way you are accustomed due to variances between ‘American’ English, ‘British’ English and ‘World’ English. For example, you might see ‘theater’ spelled ‘theatre’ or ‘organization’ spelled ‘organisation’, etc... These spelling variances are intentional.

No. That’s wrong. That’s lazy. The average gamer who is driven to buy Ultimate Puzzle Games might be generalized as being intelligent…or nerdy. Chances are the average American nerd doesn’t go around spelling “organization” with the letter 'S'.

Is this game for you? Why bother? Pick up a newspaper and flip to their crossword puzzle. You’ll end up with more money in your wallet and less frustration in the long run.

4.5/10