Kalimat Review – A Fun Alternative To Scrabble

Kalimat Icon
[rating: 3.5/5]

Word games are a genre that’s been around for longer than most. With board games like Scrabble being popular for decades and their digital counterparts experiencing someone of a resurgence of late it’s a category in which it’s difficult for a new app to differentiate itself. Kalimat for iPhone not only manages to stand out in the crowd but also succeeds in building on the platform created by competitors such as Words with Friends.

The aim of the game is simple, create words using tiles by placing them onto a game-board littered with word and letter score multipliers. The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins.

If this all sounds familiar, that’s because it us. Kalimat builds on top of the existing Scrabble framework by adding new game modes (Remix Mode adds a move timer, for example) and a whole new Ali Baba square. Building a word over this square gets you an instant 50 point bonus – another example that Kalimat’s developers haven’t just created another Scrabble clone.

Of course word games are no fun if you’re playing by yourself, but thankfully Kalimat comes complete with Openfeint integration for matchmaking and score tracking. Friends lists are also managed here too, with Game Center support also thrown in to the pot for good measure.

One negative that can be levelled at Kalimat is its modified dictionary which doesn’t include some of the more odd-ball words many Scrabble fiends like to use. We’re not sure what the reason for that decision was, but the side-affect is that words often used toward the end of a game when letters are at a premium just aren’t legal in Kalimat. The much-loved ‘QI’ for example, is missing.

Overall we like Kalimat. The app’s Open Feint integration for online gaming works well, and it’s nice to see Game Center support in there too. If you’re growing tired of the Scrabble, Words with Friends or any of the other word game contenders we recommend you give Kalimat a shot. At $2.99, it certainly won’t break the bank.

Pros:

  • An interesting take on the Scrabble formula
  • Open Feint integration for asynchronous multiplayer

Cons:

  • Modified dictionary could cause confusion

$2.99
Category: Games
Updated: Apr 21, 2011
Current Version: 1.3.3
1.3.3
Size: 21.5 MB
Languages: English, Arabic
Seller: AppsArabia FZ-LLC
© 2011 AppsArabia FZ-LLC
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later

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