The simple written word can hold a surprising amount of power, but who would have thought stringing together chains of letters could harness enough mojo to best a mighty serpent beast or an undead kung-fu warrior? Casual gaming powerhouse PopCap Games brilliantly melded wordsmithery and light-hearted RPG combat in 2007's Bookworm Adventures. With another round of literary combat freshly queued up, the second volume is every bit as quirky and obsession-forming as the original.
Sim City is an obvious choice, but what other games can be used to teach youngsters - and oldsters - useful skills and interesting facts?
GameGuru writes: "Lex, the adorable green worm with typically nerdy glasses and a bow tie is back! To once again battle it out one-on-one with amusing rivals backed by the mantra; The pen is mightier than the sword. But our charming hero Lex goes through this whole expedition with a secret motive of saving someone from the claws of death."
Bookworm Adventures: Volume 2 is great for kids but fun enough to cross the age gap. Its simple game play is immediately learnable and infinitely enjoyable. As someone who is terrible at Boggle and outright hates Scrabble, it's something of a miracle that I enjoy the game so, and also a testament that Popcap's creation is one that all but the most self-conscious gamers will love.
