For a game with such simple instructions, Letrix is surprisingly difficult. Letrix is a word puzzle where you build words similar to Boggle or Scrabble using letters that drop down the screen like in Tetris. Once you’ve created a word, the tiles disappear. If your stack of letters gets too tall, then it’s game over.

Sounds easy, right? I’ve played a game or two of Scrabble in my day so I felt ready to take on the Letrix challenge. 

You can move tiles left or right as they slide down the screen. Once a tile lands in a stack, you can still move it up, down or side to side as long as it stays within it’s row. However, with a steady stream on falling tiles, I found it difficult to concentrate on creating words. 

There are just a few options for Letrix. Sound effects, basically the staccato clip of tiles falling into place, can be on or off. Disappointingly, you can’t listen to your own tunes while playing. There’s also a high score leaderboard, but I was never asked to enter my name. It seems to track scores only by date and level, not by name so you can’t compare your score to another player.

If you enjoy word games, then Letrix has the potential to be fun. (Heck for folks with a quicker response time it might already be fun!) But I would appreciate an update that makes it easier for new users to get started. I’d like a “cheat” — maybe shake to clear all the tiles or an unlimited play option that dissolves stacks instead of ending the game. I say this because I genuinely like playing Letrix, but getting up to speed is frustrating.

If you’re not sure if you’re ready for the Letrix challenge, you can start off with the free version. If you’re ready to man up, then get Letrix Classic and you’ll get two play modes.

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app category: Puzzle, Word, Worthwhile Apps