Nintendo has released many games for the DS under a campaign to advertise to older or unfamiliar gamers called Touch Generations. Many games under that title have included the popular Brain Age series, True Swing Golf, and, most recently, Crosswords, a title that will be as familiar to most adults as picking up the Sunday newspaper.

Word nerds are going to be losing a lot of sleep, with this one. On top of featuring 1,000 crossword puzzles to choose from in varying difficulty, Crosswords gives players access to other popular word games, like Word Search and Anagrams. The game also features handwriting recognition, so unfamiliar players will have no problem figuring out the controls. While the recognition is only occasionally spotty, it will recognize both lower and capitalized letters which makes playing extremely intuitive. Nintendo has streamlined all the confusing menus, as well. So if you’re the kind of person scared to do a hard crossword puzzle in ink, don’t worry – there’s always the erase button!

The crossword puzzles start as simple as just a 4x4 box but can become as complex as any newspaper puzzle. Players can also get hints, too, in the form of alternative descriptions or even free letters. Of course, those hints don’t come without a cost. Using them subtracts from the score at the end, which is a letter-based rating. In Wordsearch, players can also pick puzzles from an extensive database of categories. This game also features an intuitive mechanic, allowing players to merely draw a line over the word and highlight the letters they find. Anagrams is also a fun mode for word nerds. Players can pick from varying difficulties and then assemble all the possible words out of the letters given. The interface for shuffling and moving letters is also very intuitive. All of the games are conveniently saved (although it will only save one game for each mode), which makes it easy, if you’re on the road, to shut down your DS and pick up later.

The downside of Crosswords is that the game is ultimately only a barebones package. While it does run at a bargain price of $20, many DS owners might get tired of it more quickly than they expected. If you love crossword puzzles, however, you won’t get bored, because there are 1,000 of them to keep you busy. Where Nintendo really missed the boat, however, is by not including competitive play in Crosswords. There is no multiplayer or wi-fi feature in Crosswords, so players don’t have to worry about “beating” any record or person. While I believe that this is a huge missed opportunity for Crosswords, I also understand that Nintendo wants to open doors to new players, and not scare them away with extra confusing menus. However, I believe the game could have incorporated a simple wireless multiplayer so Dads could compete with their daughters on a timed crossword or anagram – and have fun with it, not ruthless competition! There’s rarely ever a justified reason in cutting functionality. All in all, Crosswords is a very good game for the DS and it is priced just right. A sequel could use some multiplayer and possibly “create-a-puzzle” modes, however, to beef up what otherwise is a solid game.

Gameplay: 8.5
Writing in letters for crossword puzzles works incredibly well. Similarly, Wordsearch and Anagrams feature simple and intuitive controls.

Graphics: 6.0
A clean, minimal presentation without much going on.

Sound: 6.5
You don’t need epic sound-scapes for working crossword puzzles. Laid back, easy listening tunes will do the trick.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.5
The goal of this was simple and achieved magnificently. More games should follow suit.

Overall: 7.5
Nintendo had its market clearly defined with this offering, and while it’s an extremely barebones game, it does everything it sets out to do very well.