Days, hours, months of fun!
I have been having a GREAT time with this game - it has seemingly endless amounts of puzzles! The crossword puzzles recognize my handwriting a lot better than My Word Coach, solving is pretty easy and fun. So far I've only tried Easy and Medium settings, they're just barely hard enough to tickle your brain and very satisfying to try and beat your best puzzle-solving times. MUCH easier and less frustrating than the New York Times Crossword game. Word searches are a little harder, but fun too. Your eyes could go crazy staring at all those little letters after doing a few in a row but it's great to have the variety.

The only reason I give it a 4-star instead of 5 is that the anagrams seem to want you to figure out EVERY SINGLE possibility before moving on. I'd prefer if you could try and beat your highest number of words each time, leave it a little more open-ended. Still, this isn't that big a deal - the challenge will just make me even more of a Boggle champion in the long run.

I love the variety of having different sorts of puzzles available, and the fact that there are SO MANY to do makes this an amazingly great deal at only $20. I've been plugging away at it nearly every day for a week and have barely scratched the surface! If you like games like Brain Age and My Word Coach you'll really have fun with this.

Now I just wish Nintendo would make a Sudoku game with this many puzzles for such a good price!

Such a surprise!!
I must say, I never would've bought this game if I hadn't played a demo downloaded from our Wii from the new Nintendo Channel. I hate playing crosswords in the newspaper because I always get to the end just to discover that I had a word wrong. Not so with this game! There is an option that you can turn on or off that will let you know if the letter you enter is correct. The touch screen is used very well is this game. As you can tell by the picture on the game, you hold the DS sideways like a book. You write the letters on the touch screen. Not only are there a thousand crossword puzzles to solve, there are word searches and anagrams too! I must admit some of the easy puzzles are literally so easy that it will take you seconds to complete. I haven't hit the hard crosswords yet, but I know when I do, it will be a challenge. Even if you don't like crossword puzzles, give this game a go. The $19.99 price tag makes it even more sweet.

It's decent, a worthwile buy
I just got this game a day ago so I will limit my review to areas that I have played. The game is played with the DS lite held vertical (think Brain Age) It works nicely for this game too. The graphics a very nice and easy to look at ... Bright but not overly colorful. The music in the game is nothing special and quite repetitive. I think you would end up turning off anyhow since this is a word game.

Now onto actual game play... The game has 3 sections Anagrams, Word Search and Crosswords. The game allows you to have 4 or 5 profiles so it works great for a household of players. The crosswords section looks pretty extensive.Many puzzles are open straight away with plenty more waiting to be unlocked.I have only gone through 20 of the easy puzzles and they are quite easy. I would say on the level of the EASY and Fun crossword magazines you can purchase at candy stores.They are also quite small. I have solved most in under 5:00 minutes. There is a timer and hints available to you. However using hints cost some penalties As each puzzles is solved it's stamped completed. You can do them over if you desire but it erases your previous solve. The grid layouts vary and the controls work nicely. You can zoom in a write your answer in the box. If you have written the correct letter it shows up black if you have written the wrong letter it shows up red ! You can erase a wrong answer with a tap of the eraser or simply write over your previous answer. Hand writing recognition is EXCELLENT on this game and pretty quick too ! My minor quibble is hard to explain but I will try.... When you are are filling in a "down" answer , after you write it in it jumps to the box to the right ... you then have to tap the box that you actually wanted... minor and takes seconds and perhaps it's me (only had game a day) but I want to mention it anyway. The crossword section is nice for quickie games and relaxation... I have not done the harder puzzles so perhaps they get larger and more detailed later.

I explored the Anagram and Word Section very lightly.The Anagram section allows you to pick your word length. My first quibble with the Anagram section lies in the fact that when you save a game , the next time you go to the Anagram section it tells you it has found a saved game. If you don't want to play that saved game it erases it. My second quibble is that when you select "give Up" it gives you no score or credit for that game regardless if there was only one word left to discover. The Word Search section is basic and predictable.

In closing I recommend this game. It's pretty easy and relaxing and great for short bursts of time. Quite addicting too. I like that the Crosswords are not too hard...That might put off some buyers . However,I think there will be many more that will enjoy the simpler puzzles.

Mind Your Own Words
With the success Nintendo has really captured with getting older gamers focused in on playing video games, they've really scored a whole new appreciation with what great games are really like. That was shown well with the launch of the Wii, and games like Wii Sports and Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree. However, it all also started well with the surprises from the DS and mental cleaning mind bogglers of Brain Age and Flash Focus. Nevertheless, Nintendo really has known what it has done with making great mind games come alive, and it has taken another twist into getting older gamers hooked onto the DS. Something you get from your local newspaper, the crossword puzzle.

Crosswords DS for the Nintendo DS brings in the mind-boggling challenges we've seen and played in the newspapers, to a whole new challenge. The game gives you not just crosswords to challenge on, you also get the excitement of playing traditional word searches, where you have to find the hidden words based on a themed-puzzle like fruits & vegetables, and anagrams where you have to make four, five and six-lettered words based on a series of letters you're given. The graphics are very simple and the control is mainly relied on the touch screen, as was the case with Brain Age, while the gameplay is surprisingly addictive and just simple for old and new gamers alike.

All in all, if you've enjoyed all those mind teasers for the Nintendo DS, than Crosswords DS is a pleasure to play for leasure, and to test your might of mind. It is a delightful game that is sure to knock your socks off. While there have been so many knockoff mind games, it is nice to see that the classic twists never go out of style.

Graphics: B

Sound: B

Control: B+

Fun & Enjoyment: B-

Overall: B 1/2-