Palm Pre App Catalog. 30 Apps in 30 Days. Day 28: Word Ace

Gear Diary is independently owned and operated. We receive compensation through advertising and from the companies whose products we review, usually in the form of the reviewed product. We test the products supplied to us, and the opinions expressed are our own.

Gear Diary is also reader-supported. When you buy through links posted on our site, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. You can learn more by clicking here.

wordace_2009-30-08_001512

Let’s just get this out of the way quickly.  Word Ace is my new favorite game, and is the best game currently available for the Palm Pre.  OK…I know saying that any game is better than other games on the Palm Pre may not be much of a compliment…but this really is a fantastic game.

wordace_2009-30-08_002031

Word Ace is a combination of Texas Hold’Em and Scrabble.  Like Texas Hold ‘Em, you will be dealt two cards, followed by five shared community cards.  Your job is to use those seven cards to make the best possible hand.  The twist here is that the cards are not numerically based.  Instead, each card bears a letter.  Like Scrabble, different letters are worth points.  Most are worth a single point, but some letters (such as X or J) will score a whopping 8 points.  Your job is to create a word of up to seven letters which will maximize the number of points you are awarded.  Score the most points and you will win the hand.  Be sure to go for those bigger words, not only will they score more points, but you will also score a bonus for making words of 5, 6, or 7 letters.

wordace_2009-30-08_002042

As you might expect, each hand consists of several distinct betting rounds.  During each round of betting, you can call by matching another player’s bet, fold out of the hand, or raise the bet.  I will say, though, that I was not impressed by the betting system in place in this game.  Like Apple’s Texas Hold’Em for the iPhone, it uses a dial, which you spin to set the amount of your bet.  This is a terribly imprecise method of setting your bet, and frequently resulted in bets along the lines of $107 instead of an even $100.

wordace_2009-30-08_002253

Once all of the betting has concluded and the final cards have been dealt, it is time to assemble your word.  You only have a limited amount of time in which to lock in your word.  At the end of that time, the highest scoring word will win the hand.

wordace_2009-30-08_003012

Be careful, though.  If your word is not in the computer’s fairly extensive dictionary, then you will be revealed as a failure and lose the hand.

wordace_2009-30-08_002329

Another cool thing you can do is connect with other people online, to create a community of Word Ace “friends”.  Once you have connected with other people, you can create your own invitation-only tables, ensuring that only your friends are able to take your Word Ace “money”.  Of course, if you prefer not to play live online, you can always select practice mode and play against computerized opponents. This is a great way to brush up on your skills, without laying your Internet account on the line.

This game is absolutely fantastic, and a real creative twist on one of the most popular games around these days.   Plus, as a former English major, I loved the vocabulary building aspect of this game.  Like I said, by far this is the best game available for the Pre today.  I any of you are playing, keep an eye out for me (username: lawyerboy) and make sure to hit me up with a friend request.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support!

About the Author

Gear Diary Staff
Gear Diary was founded on September 30, 2006, with the goal to create a website that would not easily be labeled. Everyone who is part of Gear Diary is a professional who uses technology in their work and daily lives. On this site, we share our enthusiasm while exploring the gear we use — the equipment that makes our lives easier, more entertaining, more productive, and more manageable. Our hope is that Gear Diary visitors find this site to be a welcoming, friendly, and accessible place to learn about and discuss interesting topics — and not only those that are tech-related! Gear Diary is a place to discover and explore all kinds of new gear, including smartphones, computers, kitchen gadgets, Toys, EDC, camping gear, or even your next new car! You can follow us on Twitter @GearDiarySite.