Word Trick: Take your Facebook word game to the next level with bonus point tiles

Fans of word games like Scrabble or crosswords have a new option to dive into on Facebook via the launch of Word Trick from recently formed social game developer Outplay Entertainment. In Word Trick, you start out with a setup incredibly similar to Scrabble, giving you a chance to play against others by forming words either horizontally or vertically using individual letter tiles. However, the "trick" or catch to the game comes with special green Trick Tiles, that gives you bonus points when used in bulk in the same word.

You'll need to match three or more green Trick Tiles to earn a bonus score, but the more tiles you use, the higher your score multiplier (for that word) climbs. Gameplay is turn-based, with the traditional Double / Triple Letter and Double / Triple Word score spots being scattered throughout the game board, and you'll only have a selection of seven letters with which to create a word on each turn.

There doesn't seem to be a lack of green Trick Tiles in the game, but this is due to the fact that the tiles turn back to yellow (the standard color) after each turn, meaning that you can't use your opponents' letters to create an even bigger score for yourself. That is, if your opponent played the word "Friend," you couldn't simply add an "S' to the end to create "Friends" for a massive bonus. You could still play that S, but you won't gain the Trick Tile bonus.

On top of simply playing with random opponents, you can also start games with your Facebook friends by inviting them from a list (or being invited, if that friend is already playing the game). You can have multiple games running at once (up to 21), which allows you to always have something to do, and you can even invite more than one person to join in a single game (for a total of four players, including yourself).

There's a chat system available, so players can talk without Facebook's own chat system getting in the way (especially helpful if you just want to make casual conversation with the stranger you're playing against), and you'll have the option of sharing your most impressive words on your wall for friends to see, or to email opponents reminders that it's their turn.

Gallery: Word Trick Facebook


Unfortunately, while the game's Trick Tiles do add a bit of a unique flair to Word Trick, the game is still incredibly similar to Words with Friends or even the original Scrabble itself. Still, with a future release on iOS, and the possibility of cross-platform play (whether or not that will be available has yet to be announced by Outplay), along with the ability for four-player games, there is a definite draw to Word Trick. It's not just about creating the "smartest" words anymore, and just because you place that Q on the Triple Letter square doesn't mean you're guaranteed a victory. You'll need to use those Trick Tiles to your advantage, allowing even the humblest of plays to launch you to the top.

If you'd like to try your hand at Word Trick against strangers or friends, head on over to the game's page on Facebook.

Play Word Trick on Facebook -->

Have you tried Word Trick on Facebook? What do you think of this twist on the classic Scrabble formula?

Booty Quest offers match-three gameplay in 90-second bursts on Facebook

While there isn't a shortage of match-three games on Facebook, or even those games that time you in short bursts (normally 60 seconds), Outplay Entertainment hopes to give the genre a "kick in the booty" via its pirate-themed Booty Quest, which is now live on Facebook.

Booty Quest challenges players to earn the highest score possible in 90-second increments by matching three or more jewels on a grid. By matching four or more jewels in a single move, power-up gems are created. For instance, a match of four creates the Bomb Gem which can be used to remove a square of nine gems from the board at once, while matches of five give you a Storm Gem that blows much larger sections of gems away. You can even activate Blaze Mode for creating matches in rapid succession.

While all of this sounds incredibly similar to the standard - Bejeweled Blitz - and it in fact is incredibly similar, there are some differences, aside from being given 90 seconds instead of 60. For one, the Blaze Mode allows you to clear entire rows of columns of gems while activated, simply by making that kind of a match (horizontal or vertical, respectively). In addition, your score multiplier increases over time, as you make more and more matches, rather than requiring you to destroy special multiplier gems. Of course, the quicker you make matches, the quicker your multiplier sores. These differences would seem to make the game easier for those who aren't as good at manipulating the board to create matches where they need to be (for those multiplier gems). Finally, the in-game level system gives you a bigger boost to your scores as you play more and more.

Unfortunately, you'll limited to playing just give games at once, with your "Lives," or individual games recharging over time as a sort of energy system. You can purchase additional games instantly for premium currency, or can ask your friends to send you those Lives for free (of course, that requires you to have friends that also play the game, which might be difficult in this early stage).

Gallery: Booty Quest Facebook


Speaking of social features, you'll be able to compare your scores to those of your friends, and climb an overall leaderboard for a weekly tournament. However, there doesn't seem to be a real incentive to make your way to the top of this leaderboard, except for basic bragging rights (not that those aren't fun in their own right).

Add to all of this a series of achievements that reward you for tasks like activating Blaze Mode or reaching a certain multiplier level and you have a system that's as addictive as the other match-three games on Facebook. It's just unfortunate that there are so many of them out there already, which will likely hurt Booty Quest over the long haul. Still, if you've already made your way to the top of your friends leaderboard in Bejeweled Blitz, or are simply looking for a new game to sink your time into, Booty Quest is worth a look.

Play Booty Quest on Facebook -->

Have you tried Booty Quest on Facebook? Do you need another match-three game to play on Facebook? Which of these kinds of games is your favorite