Dabble an Android App Version of the Addictive Word Game Board!
by Paul Wilks
Dec 16, 2011 9:45 AM –
Install
Dabble is a superb word game based on the award winning board pursuit. The game is both simple to understand and incredibly challenging. The graphics and sound work perfectly with gameplay, creating a fun and interesting word game for Android devices.
Price: $1.00
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Great concept based off the board game!
- Challenging gameplay!
- Smooth graphics and good sound!
Cons
- Occasional freezing and screen becomes unresponsive.
Features:
Dabble is a smart and refreshing word-finding game which is fun to play and challenging to become good at. The simple concept is this: starting with 5 racks and 20 letters you have to create a 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 letter word to complete the game. The racks are set in a pyramid shape and you have 5 minutes to solve them!
Points are awarded for creating longer words with the trickier letters, so fitting an ‘X’ into a 6 letter word will give you a higher score than if you just include it in a 2 or 3 letter word. You also get points of you finish the puzzle in a quick time, the faster you finish the more points. You are awarded badges if you achieve a certain number of points; 600, 700, 800 and 900 points. You also get stars for the length of streak (accumulative game wins) and awards for the faster times; completing a level in 38 seconds was my proudest moment. 
Playing the game is a lot of fun and very challenging, you never know what letters you are going to end up with and the game can get very difficult. Often you need to substitute really strong words for simpler ones in order to utilize certain letters elsewhere; for the board to be finished. There’s a real strategy element to this, no matter how good you might at finding high-scoring words, they might not always be the best option.
One flaw I found with the game was the screen itself. This often became unresponsive and I had to try and navigate away for it to right itself. This workaround was successful most of the time, but sometimes I found you had to use the phone’s power button to prompt response. You can still enjoy the game for long stretches, but this did occur a few times and is a little annoying if you are in the middle of a good board.
Watch on Mobile
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Dabble – Mid-game view (1)
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Dabble – Mid-game view (2)
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Dabble – Mid-game view (3)
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Dabble – Completed rack
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Dabble – End of game score
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Dabble – High scores
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Dabble – Different users can be added
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Dabble – Badges
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Dabble – Menu
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Dabble – Options
Fun Factor:
Dabble is loads of fun and I’ve found myself playing it regularly since it became one of Amazon’s Free Apps of the Day. There’s a lot of hype of the app (and equivalent board game) that it is great for kids. However, it’s good for kids in the same way that Scrabble is good for kids; great to help them learn how to form words from random letters, but just as suitable for adults to play.
Addictive:
Dabble features all kinds of scoring badges, awards and trophies. I found this is one of the elements that keeps you coming back for more. Each game is only 5 minutes each, so it’s a very casual game to play and very immersive. You keep going back to beat your previous scores and collect all the awards. Great stuff if you’re a fan of word games!
Graphics:
The graphics are remarkably smart, fluid and rich. There’s better graphics out there sure, but this is still highly polished and looks very good.
Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:
The sound is a twee orchestral ditty featuring clarinets and violins. All pretty friendly and I think it suits the game well.