Minnesota, USA March 17, 2011- The number of free games for the Kindle is limited; although, one of the games on the list, Every Word, is addicting to play. It debuted in early January, which makes it the newest of the free word games; another free word game, referred to as Shuffled Row, has a similar goal except letters appear and disappear as time goes by.
For those who are avid learners, Every Word is a great way to recall all the vocabulary you know as you create words from a list of 6 or 7 letters as well as discover other words that you may not have used before. The ultimate goal is to discover the longest word in the list and come up with as many other words as possible. Points are totaled according to how long the words are. It is your choice to choose from a timed or the untimed game known as 'relaxed game'. I prefer the relaxed game as it gives me the time to discover all the words before I move to the next level.
Interestingly, Amazon warns that some of the words in the lists may not be appropriate for children. From my experience, the only somewhat inappropriate word was 'ale'. The upside of this game is that someone needs to know the word in order to display it in the list. If the longest word is discovered and not all of the words are found, you need to see the list before passing on to the next level. It is true that children may see an inappropriate word; however, it can give parents the chance to discuss the word with young children. I have not come across any level where the longest word could be considered a 'dirty' word. Ultimately, it is up to the parents if children are allowed to play this game.
If the Kindle continues to release knowledge-focused games, I believe that they will truly hit its target. We are knowledge-driven whether it is through reading or playing a game. Below I include a list of reasons you may or may not want to play Every Word. Let the gaming begin!