Online Alternatives to EA Scrabble

I've blogged before (several times) about my experiences with the new EA Scrabble game on Facebook. I gave the new Scrabble game an honest try. I eagerly looked forward to a newer version of the game due in August since EA seemed to promise a choice of skins, including the look and feel of the old game. However, when that new version came, I was greatly disappointed. The new version simply offered a bland choice of board styles, as well as the option to disable some visual features. The Scrabble developers just completely missed the point of the criticisms and complaints.

And so, I gave up on the EA Scrabble game on Facebook. Instead, I'm playing a couple of alternatives, Lexulous and Words With Friends. Here are my observations of these games, either one of which is a good alternative to the new Scrabble.

Words With Friends

After playing with Words With Friends, I can see where EA got its inspiration for its new Scrabble game. For example, the design of the column at the left has been borrowed almost completely for the new Scrabble, even down to the contents of the boxes. In my previous review of new Scrabble, I complained about the fact that the "Their Move" box contains your last move. Even that came from WWF.

So if new Scrabble is a virtual clone of WWF, why do I play WWF? First, WWF works. Whenever I visit the Scrabble page on Facebook, I continue to read complaints about new Scrabble not working properly. On the other hand, so far, I've had no problems with WWF. Second, while new Scrabble has a hot color scheme, WWF uses cool blues and greens. This is much easier on the eyes.

WWF isn't perfect, though. First, there's no dictionary you can use to check words. Second, you can really only play with Facebook friends. Third, you must put up with an ad after every move. I always block insecure content so I never actually see the ads, but I still have to wait a few seconds before I can continue. Still, in my opinion, it's an acceptable alternative to EA's new Scrabble (if only because it's not as bad as new Scrabble).

Lexulous

Another alternative is Lexulous. This game started life as Scrabulous. However, legal action forced them to change the name of the game as well as make it less like the real Scrabble game. Visually, Lexulous has a simpler appearance than new Scrabble or WWF. But for true word game fans, this really isn't important. What matters is the play.

Lexulous has a number of advantages over the others. For example, for Scrabble purists, there's a "challenge" mode that better follows the official rules of Scrabble. That is, moves are not automatically spell-checked by the game. You can make any move, and it's up to your opponent to make a challenge if he thinks the word is not in the dictionary. Also, unlike WWF, there's a ratings system. And you can better choose opponents who match your own rating.

On the minus side, finding your way around the application can be a bit tricky. For example, it's not obvious how to see how many tiles are left in a game. (Move the mouse cursor over "Last Move".) And I've had trouble using the "force forfeit" feature on players who haven't made a move in weeks.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that there are alternatives to EA's new Facebook Scrabble game. For casual play, WWF is a good (but not great) choice. More serious word game players will probably enjoy Lexulous better. I regularly play both.

Cheers! Hans