Word Search + Challenge

ZX ComputingZX Computing Globert

Overall Good

AZED SOftware £?.?? I have long been meaning to type in one of these programs from a magazine listing, but somehow I never got around to it. AZED have saved me the trouble. There are two programs on this tape as the title implies: Wordsearch is based on the type of puzzle beloved of many and Challenge is based on "Target", a word puzzle published in a well known daily paper. Wordsearch provides the normal function of a square of jumbled letters in which some words are hidden and you have to find them. There are four options which act as difficulty levels. An extra function, which I personally found useful, allows you to create your own wordsearch from your own list of words. These wordsearches can be printed on either a ZX type printer or an Epsom type via the ZX Interlace 1 RS232. As the program is in BASIC (no disadvantage) I was able to modify it easily to run on my Centronics system. The only thing missing is an option to enter a wordsearch and word list and let the computer solve it, perhaps AZED would like to work on it! Challenge is a brain teaser of a program in which you play against a pre-programmed list of words in the computer. This was surprisingly irritating and slightly addictive, although there are a lot of words which the machine does not know (Bunting, Bingo, Newt), which means that you can win without matching those programmed, and not merely draw. The displays are well thought out and the inputs are easy to use with plenty of clear prompts. A fair bit of error trapping has been included and the only way I could crash it was either very deliberately or by extreme stupidity. All in all a very reasonable product which is a must for all cerebral linguists.