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Game essentials: Words with Friends 2
Words With Friends 2 Word Game
Multiplayer Puzzle Board Games
Sometimes a game developer nails an idea at the first attempt. But that presents a problem when it comes to making a sequel – because you’ve not left yourself much room for improvement.
So this follow-up to the classic Words With Friends has chosen refinement: it offers all the modes and features you could wish for, with the odd cosmetic nip and tuck for good measure.
Its slick interface looks great, especially now you have tile styles to bring a bit of personal flair to the board. Will you go for pumpkin orange or teal argyle?
Making the best word you can with those seven tiles is easier than before, thanks to a vastly expanded dictionary. It includes definitions, too: just tap on unfamiliar words and you can find out what they mean – a good way to expand your vocabulary.
You can play with friends, as the title suggests, but it’s just as easy to match up with a random player online: choose a Match of the Day, and the game will suggest a player of similar skill level to pit your wits against. A practise mode, meanwhile, puts you against a computer opponent who takes two minutes to play their turn, giving you a bit of thinking time without making you wait too long.
Daily goals and events mix up the way you play. You might be asked to put down certain words to earn prizes, or find a way to play three words in a single move: it sounds tricky, but there are ways and means, especially if you’ve got a few obscure two-letter words in your locker.
There are power-ups, too. Hindsight, as we all know, is a wonderful thing: here, it shows you a word you could have played to maximise your score, while Swap+ lets you trade in a few unwanted letters without having to pass.
One of the very best additions is the Quick-fire mode: a new five-a-side game type where you must quickly play a word (a high-scoring one, ideally) and you’ll move onto the next board. The first team to 750 points wins the game. It’s a really smart idea, forcing you to balance the time it takes to consider a high-scoring word or just placing a solid 20-pointer in a hurry.
You’ll find a ton of fascinating stats in the game, too – like the total distance of all the tiles you’ve played, the number of unique words you’ve placed and how many times you’ve managed to use up all seven tiles.
Words With Friends 2 remains an essential social multiplayer experience – it’s a great way to keep up with old pals when you’re otherwise too busy. A raft of intelligent improvements over the first game make this the complete package.