Spell+caster Review

Written by: David Laprad Published: February 8, 2005 If you took a can of alphabet soup, any Harry Potter book and a computer programming manual, tossed them into a bubbling cauldron and uttered a brief incantation, you could very well produce Spell+caster. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to PopCap's Bookworm, a spelling game in which players link neighboring letters to create words, the new offering from Superluminal takes its cues from a familiar concept. What makes Spell+caster worth playing, even for long-time Bookworm players, are the delightful twists in the gameplay and beautiful visuals. In Spell+caster, you take the role of a sorcerer's apprentice who's learning to use magic to ward off evil. His mentor's particular brand of exorcism involves combining letters to form words. (Perhaps the developers wanted to make a subtle point about the positive power of learning.) Like Bookworm, you're given a random slate of letters and earn points by chaining them together to form words; when a word disappears, new letters fall into place at the top of the screen. Each turn consists of the formation of a single word; once you complete a specific number of turns, you level up. Leveling up in Spell+caster is great fun. You begin as an Apprentice, but after 30 minutes of intense word hunting, might find yourself elevated to the position of Conjurer. With every advancement, you're awarded a new spell that manifests itself in the form of a special rune that begins appearing on the board at random. Including a spell in a word chain invokes its power. Examples include a potion that shuffles nearby letters, shapeshifters that automatically fill in a missing letter (for example, if you click F+[shapeshifter]+N, the computer might spell “fun”), points multipliers and bats that allow you to jump to any letter on the board. The real fun begins when you link several spells into a single word. In my proudest moment, I used two bats, a potion, a points multiplier and the requisite letters to spell “achievement.” There were arrows and lines all over the board, and as I clicked the spell book to summon my powers, I knew I was in for an ethereal light show that would rival Pink Floyd. (The visual and audio feedback in Spell+caster are very satisfying.) Of course, there are spoilsports that can't bear to let a Harry Potter wannabe have his fun. A Skeleton starts appearing at the top of the board after you reach level three; as you progress, more devious creatures, such as the Death Knight, begin materializing. To make a Skeleton disappear, you have to link him into a four-letter word; the only way to rid yourself of a Death Knight is to include him in a five-letter word. These demons drop closer to the bottom of the board with each turn; if one reaches ground zero, your game is over. The difficulty curve is finely tuned, although if you're unlucky enough, as I was, to draw a Skeleton without any nearby vowels, you're out of luck. Thankfully, that happened only once in several play sessions. After playing Spell+caster for a couple hours, I downloaded Bookworm as a benchmark for comparison. Playing Bookworm revealed two minor problems with the interface of Spell+caster. First, after completing a word in Bookworm, you can double-click the last letter in the chain to submit it; in Spell+caster, you must move the cursor across the screen and tap a spell book to submit your word. Also, the letters in Bookworm are larger and easier to read, not only because PopCap chose a simple font but also because the letters use a dark-on-light contrast. While the letters in Spell+caster are by no means too small or indistinguishable, I found myself peering closer at the white letters and fancy font. It also was initially difficult to discern the difference between “U” and “V.” Otherwise, the interface in Spell+caster is well-designed; as you click letters, your word takes shape at the top of the screen; the points you'll earn are tallied there, too. The number of turns until you level up are shown as well. Welcome additions would be an index containing a list of what each new spell does and another that does likewise for the enemies. All is forgiven, though, when you soak up the graphics and audio, as Spell+caster drips with atmosphere. When you load the main menu, a castle shrouded in darkness greets you, setting up high expectations for Spell+caster's visual presentation. The playing screen is gorgeous, too, from the stony rune board where the letters reside, to the moonlit backdrop, to the bookcase filled with tomes, candles and magical knickknacks. The powerups are nicely drawn and animated, especially the Death Knight, whose grins evilly as he surveys the rune board and shoots a fire ball that eliminates a much-needed vowel. A variety of 3D effects, including real-time lighting, make the fireworks that launch when you level up special. If you're not into word games, Spell+caster is worth the download just to experience the visuals. Chain together the letters c-h-i-l-l-b-u-m-p-s while playing, and you'll spell out the effect the audio had on me. A hooting owl and soft medieval music lured me into the world of Spell+caster; the screams that emanated from my speakers when a Death Knight appeared provided a hair-raising contrast to the otherwise soothing audio. I also liked how hellstones sizzled and potions gurgled when I moved my cursor over them. From the zing of a well-cast spell to the haunting moans that reach for you when you misspell a word, the audio in Spell+caster is rich and complete. Since Spell+caster was designed to appeal to casual players, it automatically saves your game when you quit, allowing for brief play sessions. While this is handy, if you have more than one person playing, your progress will be lost if they start a new game. A profile system that allows multiple users to store their own progress would eliminate this issue. Another great addition would be a user defined dictionary. This quibble isn't solely directed at Spell+caster, as other games of this type, including Bookworm, could enable more user customizability, too. Spell+caster introduces so many cool features, it seems like the perfect vehicle for this kind of innovation. I've done what I can to convince you that Spell+caster is worth your time. Superluminal blends the word play with the theme of magic in such an inventive way, you might find yourself in fiery battles with other wizards-in-training for time at the computer. Now, don your pointy hat, place yourself in a world beyond imagination and start spelling!