NG: The Word Search

NG: The Word Search splits the screen in two. On one side is a list of words. The rest is a grid of jumbled letters, and every word on the list is hidden somewhere inside it. Your job is to find each one and mark it.

The words do not all run the same way. According to the instructions, they can read upwards, downwards and diagonally, and some are spelled backwards, so a word might appear right to left or bottom to top. Searching only along the rows from left to right will miss any word that runs another way.

The vocabulary is English. The developer pitches the game as a tough one with a chaotic grid, aimed at people who already know word searches well. A puzzle is done once every listed word has been found. No controls are listed for marking words.

Read the word list on one side of the screen. Then search the letter grid for each word, checking every direction: up, down, diagonal and reversed. When you find one, mark it in the grid so it counts as found. Work steadily through the list, and carry on until no listed word is left to find.

The developer does not list the controls for this game. It runs inside the frame above, so a click or a tap on the game is the place to start.

Because words can run backwards, look for a word's final letter as well as its first, then follow every direction out from it. Diagonal and reversed words do not read naturally, so scan for them on purpose rather than waiting to notice them. Crossing found words off the list in your head keeps the search narrow.

A classic-format word search in English, in a landscape frame. Words hide in several orientations, including diagonals and reversed spellings. The developer does not list any controls, and no level count or timer is mentioned.

Word Match 3D also has you hunt for letters, picking them out of a 3D pile against the clock to spell a target word. Unite Words sorts words into groups of four related ones.