Zygotene?!? What the Hell does that mean?!?
Written: Jul 26 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: MAVEN, MAVEN, MAVEN
Cons: None to speak of
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| Montepenny's Full Review: Scrabble for Windows |
Recently, I was playing against MAVEN, the computerized opponent for Hasbro's CD-Rom version of Scrabble, maintaining a 123-point lead with only a few scrabble pieces remaining on the virtual board. That's it, I thought. Piece of cake. I can't possibly lose now.
I had just gotten SQUINTY two turns ago, which had earned me a ton of points because the S in SQUINTY also had completed the word BLIGHT, making it BLIGHTS. MAVEN had gotten the word BLIGHT -- I knew it was a word, but I was unsure if it could be pluralized. (By the way, one definition of a BLIGHT is "anything that destroys or prevents growth".)
Well, my gamble worked. BLIGHT could be pluralized, and though it seemed strange, SQUINTY was a word, too. I felt triumphant. It is so rare to be able to get rid of all of your letters in one turn, getting that nice 50-point premium and securing a substantial lead over a computerized opponent. (Not to mention, getting rid of that dreaded 10-point Q tile was an added bonus!)
Then, it happened. MAVEN laid out all of its tiles to form ZYGOTENE. ZYGOTENE?!? What the Hell is that?!? (According to trusty ol' Webster, zygotene means "the synaptic stage of the first prophase in meiosis, during which longitudinal pairing of homologous chromosomes occurs.")
"How the Hell did MAVEN know that!" I exclaimed to an empty room. I looked back at the definition and wondered what the Hell "synaptic," "prophase," "meiosis," "longitudinal" and "homologous" meant. I refrained to look everything else up and just gave in to the fact that ZYGOTENE was not meant to be added to my own personal vocabulary.
This was quite unsettling, mind you, but I still maintained a slight lead and there were only a few tiles left. Normally, I don't stress quite so much about losing, but you see, Hasbro Interactive designed Scrabble to contain five different levels of artificial intelligence (NOVICE, INTERMEDIATE, ADVANCED, EXPERT or CHAMPION). In turn, each of those levels has an intelligence range from 1620-2100. I was currently playing at the EXPERT level at its highest setting (2100). I had already beaten the first three levels and I was working my way up, hoping to make it to the coveted CHAMPION level.
My confidence had been nearly obliterated, but I somehow managed to hang on to win 350-324! I had beaten the highest level of EXPERT and I felt truly invincible.
Sure, most people like to play against human opponents, and certainly, this version of Scrabble will let you play up to 3 other opponents (online even!), computerized and/or human. It also has nice visual effects, cool sound effects and a music list that plays a variety of classical music songs. All in all, it's quite an impressive package -- especially when I consider the fact that I bought it over three years ago! It is still a game I play frequently, though other games I have bought since have long been left to gather dust in the bottom corners of my CD-Rom rack.
(Note: This is actually a review for the previous version of Hasbro Interactive's Scrabble and not the recent one. The new one requires Windows 95/95, a Pentium 133 Mhz CPU, 16 MB Ram, a 4x CD-Rom drive, 60 MB available hard disk space, a mouse and a Windows 95/98 sound card. According to the website and other reviews I have read, Hasbro has improved on the graphics and sound quality of the game and added some extra features. Keep in mind, I am giving their older product 5 stars, so imagine how good the new one is.)
Anyway, the 1996 version (which I still see in stores) of Hasbro Interactive's Scrabble that I have can be played on either Macintosh or PC computers. For Macs, you need a 68000 or a Power PC Chip, 8 MB of Ram, System 7 or higher, 5 MB of available hard drive space, 640x480 monitor capabilities (with 256 colors) and a mouse.
PC's must be 486/66 or higher with 8 MB of Ram, Windows 3.1 or higher, 5 MB of hard drive space, 640x480 monitor capabilities (with 256 colors) and a mouse.
You must have the CD in your CD-Rom drive in order to play.
I have played this CD-Rom game on both formats, and it performs flawlessly with each. I am not sure how it works on older computers, but it isn't exactly a Graphic Hog, so I imagine most people won't have too much trouble with it.
Last I checked, the older version I have can be bought in most stores for somewhere between $10 and $20. I have seen it in a package with two other computerized word games (Boggle and Jumble) for $10 total. (I believe it was Wal-Mart.) I have seen a newer "Deluxe" version run from $25 to $30. I probably will buy it some day, but for now, I am content with my older version. Whichever version you buy, the game is well worth it. I have probably played hundreds of games with this CD alone and it is one of the few games in my collection that I absolutely, positively have gotten my money's worth from.
What makes this computer game so cool is all of its special features that enhance game play considerably. You can view how many points your move will be. If you don't like it, just click on a button and all of the tiles go back to your tray. If you don't like the way your letters are arranged, just click a button and it shuffles the order in which they appear. Sometimes a new perspective helps make all of the difference.
Other features include: online play, game recap (which, if you save a game, will give you a play by play recap of some of your favorite matches), definitions and a word lister feature which gives you anagrams and rack anagrams.
The word lister feature is an evil option that allows for players to type in their tiles so they will be given options as to what words those tiles form. In addition, you can type in the letter on the board that you want to work from and it will also formulate all of your possibilities. Personally, I feel this is cheating, and I don't even use this option. Why play if you just want the computer to come up with words for you?
However, the built-in definitions are a nifty idea. During the game I mentioned at the beginning of this review I typed in some of the words I had trouble with and here were the definitions the game gave to me:
ZYGOTENE: a stage in meiosis.
BLIGHT: to cause decay.
OK, the definitions aren't exactly detailed, but they give you a general idea of the meaning of the word. Besides, I liked the Scrabble definition of ZYGOTENE much better than the one I found in my trusty ol' Webster.
The game also has several other features that allow you to customize the game to fit your specific needs. For example, if you are playing against MAVEN, you can program the settings to let you go again if you lay down the tiles and your word is challenged. (You can also have it so you lose your turn if you attempt to play a word that MAVEN doesn't recognize.)
Though, I must say, by far the best feature of the game is MAVEN. If you are bored because you keep winning, you just raise the intelligence level of him. If you are getting schooled every game, just decrease the intelligence. You can always play a highly competitive game. Or, if you hate losing, you can put MAVEN at a level where you will always beat him. Either way, you are enjoying yourself.
I highly recommend this product to anybody who loves word games. Scrabble is still the king and this electronic version is ideally suited for playing one-on-one against the machine. I still prefer the board game for multiple players (a table is much more comfortable than everybody gathering around the keyboard). Since most people I know don't like to play with me, however, (I guess I am too competitive and serious about the whole thing), I often have to play the computer version of Scrabble.
This game is also a perfect gift for all Scrabble board game lovers since they may find themselves in the mood to play when nobody is around to play them (except maybe the cat, but there are only so many M-E-O-W tiles you can use).
At the very least, you can always play with somebody who is at your playing level.
End Note: Feeling quite confident with myself for beating MAVEN at the highest EXPERT level, I played another game right afterward and I set it for the highest CHAMPION level (2100), which happens to be the highest level you can play, period. I thought I stood a chance, but I met humility quite personally and abruptly when I was outscored 427-222. Ouch! (I suppose MAVEN proved to be my own personal BLIGHT.) MAVEN got rid of his seven tiles A LOT, playing such obtuse words as: BITUMEN, ACETATES, XANTHIC and GRITH. (Is this English?) My ego may be deflated now, but at least my vocabulary is building itself up quite copiously.
End Note #2: In case you were wondering, MEIOSIS means, according to Webster: "the process of two consecutive nuclear divisions in the formation of germ cells in animals and of spores in most plants, by which the number of chromosomes ordinarily is reduced from the diploid, or double, number found in gametes and in spores." (Oh, that really helped.) According to Scrabble, MEIOSIS means: "a type of cell division."
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Montepenny
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Member: Chris Pollay
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Reviews written: 163
Trusted by: 264 members
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