Get Away From the Everyday
Bonnie inherited her grandfather's bookstore some time back and while business is doing reasonably well, her day-to-day routine is starting to get a little boring. One night after closing down, Bonnie ventured into the back of the store and started cleaning a few things up when she discovered some of her grandfather's old artwork. Seeing this, she felt inspired to start writing some children's books of her own to accompany this artwork, sitting down to piece together just the right words to create the perfect fairy tales! And this is where you step into the picture of Bonnie's Bookstore.
The core gameplay presents you with a staggered honeycomb-like grid of letter tiles. You must connect a series of adjacent tiles to form words that are at least three letters long. When you create a word that is at least five letters long, you will be rewarded with bonus tiles, such as those that are "wild cards", able to be used as any letter. Each tile that you use turns green and the ultimate goal is to make the entire field green. Sound easy? Well, the idea is straight forward, but the challenge quickly grows.
Not Exactly Child's Play
Everything would be very easy if there were no obstacles in the way. This is exactly how the game starts, easing you into the way that this game is played. As you progress through each of the 50+ levels, however, you'll start to encounter a few extra challenges that make the game more difficult (and ultimately, more fun). For example, when you make too many three-letter words, you will get hit with a "writer's block." These take up the spots that would otherwise be occupied by letters, so they make it harder for you to form words. There are also tiles that are initially "locked", only becoming available for play after you form a word using adjacent tiles. While they make the game more challenging, these little additions are exactly what make this game more enjoyable and satisfying too! It's not exactly child's play, but it's not overly frustrating either.
Each level is called a "chapter", because at the conclusion of each stage, you see Bonnie sit down and write out a chapter in one of her books. Each book consists of several chapters, so it is wholly rewarding to see your hard work come to fruition as Bonnie puts pen to paper and creates a series of epic tales. Hear the story of the Frog Prince. Delve into the tale of the Prince and the Pauper. There's even Hey Diddle Diddle!
Slow and Steady or...
If you're the type of player that prefers a more strategic approach, methodically planning out each step of the way, then the Classic game mode is definitely more of what you're looking for. Here, you are not bound by a time limit, so you can take as long as you'd like to plan out your next word formation. That said, you will have a limited number of turns, so you will have to choose your lexicon entries carefully.
Alternatively, if you like heart-racing action that'll put your word-forming skills to the test, then you should definitely check out the Action mode. Here, you can make as many words as you like, but you must race against the clock to make the entire field green. When time runs out, the game is over. Are you up to the task?
Luckily, when you get stuck, you can make use of the Scramble feature that will randomize the letters in the grid. The price you pay is lost time (in Action) or a lost turn (in Classic), as well as a Writer's Block to get in your way. Use Scramble carefully.
A Word is Worth a Thousand Smiles
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but with Bonnie's Bookstore, you'll find that each word you form is easily worth a thousand smiles. This game is fun, through and through, and will surely draw on all sorts of skills and abilities. Literati will love this.
