Classic Words (solo word game)

There are multiple times (I have screen shots) where the computer claims to have only certain letters left (e.g., G, R, U) when in fact it must also have a higher letter (e.g., Z) but it does not subtract the higher letters from its score or even include them as “left on rack” on the screen. This happens on every level of difficulty and it happens both when the player wins or loses. You can confirm this by electing to “show board” following the end of the game. The most egregious cheat I’ve caught was when the computer had played neither Z nor J and lost without subtracting 18 points out even showing the letters on its “left on rack”. Perhaps I’m better off submitting a bug report with screenshots. The game is fun to play because I prefer to play solo but the “brand name” app doesn’t have this particular glitch. Another glitch is when the computer claims to have finished (used all its tiles) even tho this is mathematically impossible. For example there are 4 letters “left in bag” when the computer plays a last move and decides it has finished. In that case, what happened to the four letters left in the bag that should have gone to its rack? Finally, there are times when I swap to another window and letters from my rack disappear—requiring me to quit the game in order to be able to play with the full seven letters. Like most free apps, you get what you pay for, and overall it’s decent just slightly annoying.

After the official Scrabble app was discontinued and replaced by a nightmarish ADHD playground, I had to settle for playing on a handful of Scrabble-like word game apps, each of which left a lot to be desired. Then my son found Classic Words, which is the closest thing yet to an authentic Scrabble experience. Clean interface, decent dictionaries (I’ll say more about that in a moment), quick AI response, and no game-pausing ads or silly “rewards.” Just good ol’ Scrabble. Almost. There are two main downsides to the app, though neither is bad enough to drive me away. First, as someone who would like to play in tournaments someday, I’d much prefer that they used the current, official tournament word list rather than dictionaries “inspired by” outdated official lists. Second, and much more noticeable, the drawing of tiles is anything but random. The app hands out 7-letter words like candy, and I’m almost never stuck with a truly bad rack. When tile selection is truly random, you’re going to end up with the occasional garbage hand like GKMTTUW or AIIIOOP. But with Classic Words, nearly every rack I draw has a favorable consonant-vowel ratio and gives me a decent play. I shouldn’t be scoring 500+ points this consistently…I’m not *that* good. Despite its shortcomings, Classic Words is the best app currently available for classic Scrabble enthusiasts.

I enjoy Classic Words for many reasons, but mostly because the turns are NOT interrupted by ads. With other similar free word games, ads play after every few turns. With this app, unobtrusive ad banners appear near the top, and ads only play after each game ends. Another feature I like is the ability to highlight a word that been played and see the definition. I also like how the computer player does not make incredibly obscure words, at least not at the Normal level, and makes its words quickly, so you don’t get bored waiting for the computer’s turn. With other word games, the computer makes words most people have never heard of, or plays very slowly, which is no fun to play against. Another great feature is the ability to easily shuffle your tray of letters with the touch of one button, or you can rearrange the tiles manually. The app keeps track of a few statistics for you, such as win/loss and best word. Classic Words is challenging and fun to play, and as someone with a degree in English, I can recommended this app to anyone who likes playing word games.