Words & Cards Review

Combining the addictive powers of word gaming and card gaming comes the aptly named Words & Cards. It's a fun multiplayer focused game all about, well, creating words and making poker hands.

Each game of Words & Cards involves five turns per player. The first half of a turn involves creating a word from a series of letters. Each letter is given a different numeric value with letters such as Z and X scoring the highest if used. Once a word has been created, the player gains points from it then moves onto creating poker hands. They're given another set of cards and it's down to them to create the best from what they have.

It's as simple as that and really doesn't take long to learn. There are boosts to use that either help the player or hinder their opponent, but it's still quite simple stuff. Coins are earned for winning a game, which can then be used to buy more boosts.

It's a fun mix of two popular game types, requiring good word skills as well as an understanding of poker. Matches can be quite quickly resolved depending on who the opponent is. Players can hook up with Facebook friends or with random opponents, with the promise of an AI mode coming soon. That would certainly help longevity as sometimes I found myself wanting to play a few more bouts but being restricted to waiting for others to play their turn. There's also no way to communicate with opponents, which feels like a missed opportunity for trash talk or simply complimenting them on a good turn.

Still, gather up some virtual friends and Words & Cards makes a refreshing change from the usual word-centric games out there.