Reviewed: June 17, 2010
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Electronic Arts

Developer
Electronic Arts

Released: May 27, 2010
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1-4

7
8
4
6
6.8

Game Info:

  • 16.2 MB Download

    App Store Price: $4.99

    		•  Scrabble is still one of the best, if not the best, board game translations to the iPad since its launch, so I was understandably excited when I heard that EA was bringing Boggle to the iPad as well. It wasn't until I got some actual hands-on time with this "word-finder" that I realized these are two very different games and Boggle might not be as infectious as its predecessor.

    By design, Boggle is a fantastic multiplayer game in the real world, but in the digital realm things get a bit more awkward. In the real world you shake up the clear box with 16 cubes to create a 4x4 grid of random letters then try to find as many words as you can within the time limit. It’s a great concept that tests your vocabulary as well as your observational skills.

    Boggle on the iPad replaces that clear box with the iPad but it also kills the multiplayer experience by forcing everyone to take turns typing in their list of words before passing the iPad along to the next player in the room. The game supports up to four players, and I’m not really sure why they didn’t make use of the same iPhone/iPad Touch integration that was used on Scrabble so everyone could play at once.

    Boggle on the iPad is quite beautiful with bold colors and a fun design. Aside from the opening “shake the iPad to stir the cubes” animation the rest of the game is a fairly static experience. The timer ticks away relentlessly as you tap on the white cubes to create words and variations of those words. There are some cool single-player variations that alter the time limit or even jumble the letters in the middle of a game, but sadly, none of these made their way into the pass-the-pad multiplayer. The built-in music is a bit too campy for my taste and gets annoying real fast. You can substitute your own music but I found that silence works best.

    Boggle is a great game in theory, but on the iPad it comes off as more of a personal training experience, a great way to hone your skills when you play the real game at some future party. There is virtually no effort put into the multiplayer aspect of this game and that kills any hope of giving this game enough legs to last as long as Scrabble or any other quality party game. I'd recommend picking up during a sale but Boggle is a risky venture at $5.