Crosscheck

Crosscheck from 1986 is a rarity: a computer adaptation of a board game by TSR, the company the world knows mainly for Dungeons & Dragons. Do not expect dragons here, though — Crosscheck is a word game, a cross between a crossword puzzle and Scrabble.

Up to four players can take part, and the computer fills any empty seats. On your turn you roll a die, and the number tells you how many letters you may place on the board. You do not invent words freely: the game gives you a crossword-style clue and you guess which word of the given length hides behind it. Solved words connect to those already placed, and the goal is to build an unbroken chain of words reaching your home base on the edge of the board before your opponents manage the same.

It is an idea that makes sense on a computer: no scorekeeping, no rules policing, no arguing over disputed words, and thanks to computer opponents it can even be played alone. The presentation, however, is strictly utilitarian — DOS in 1986 meant austere graphics and beeps, so all the fun stands or falls with the concept itself.

So who is Crosscheck for? Lovers of word games curious about what the genre looked like long before digital Scrabble. Fair warning: the clues and words are in English, so the game doubles as a vocabulary test — depending on your level that is either a pleasant challenge or a source of frustration. And like most quiz-style games it is noticeably livelier with several people around one keyboard than in solo play.

If it tempts you, it runs on oldgame.cz straight in the browser, no installation required.