For some people, crossword puzzles are the best part of their daily newspaper. Not only does it add value to the paper’s newsstand price, it also provides some stimulus for the brain. Scruzzleword for the iPhone utilizes the classic crossword puzzle format, mixes in some Sudoku and adds a slight twist, but is that enough to warrant a purchase from the App Store?

The presentation of the game is similar to a classic crossword puzzle, however the main twist is that all of the squares are already filled with scrambled letters.  Your mission (if you choose to accept it) is to drag letters from all over the board and replace them to spell words up, down and across the playing field.  Once you correctly “lock” a letter in place, the space turns yellow and can be touched to offer clues on what the actual word is (both across and up/down), à la your standard crossword puzzle.  The game is easy to understand, and even simpler to jump into.  The two modes of play offered are Beginner and Challenge, with little difference between the two, other than a slight increase in difficulty.

The main flaw that I found was the ability to simply drag and drop squares all over the grid until you find one that correctly locks in.  Once it is locked in, you can’t move it, making the game easy to drag and drop all over the place until you almost complete each word.  It definitely takes away from the difficulty of figuring out the words from the provided clues.  A five year old could probably figure out each of the puzzles, given enough time.

If you are a fan of word puzzles, Scruzzleword is worth checking out, especially for $1.99.  The price of admission gets you 50 puzzles and enough brainteasers to occupy you while waiting in line at the grocery store, but the lack of leaderboards, or any iPhone 3.0 features (why can’t I listen to my own music while playing?!) really takes away from this becoming a title to suggest to everyone.  Word geeks apply only.