Rating: 
Summary: Let the buyer beware
Review: The only way that I was able to escape the "black screen of death" on my XP system was to disable the McAfee firewall. I'm not interested in playing online, so turning off the firewall isn't a security risk for me. Whenever I go online, I turn it back on.
This version (Scrabble Complete) works better than the red box version with XP. I was never able to get that one to work and (fortunately) was able to get Wal-Mart to take it back. They didn't know XP from INXS, but eventually by going up the chain of command, they refunded my money. I won't buy software there again because of the hassle. Anyway, Scrabble Complete works for me as long as my firewall is disabled.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Game!/XP Users - *Possible* black screen fix.... !!!
Review: This game just rocks; it is just too much fun.
Addictive? You don't know the half of it.
Not just beautiful, with soothing music,but quite educational too with multitudious guides (challenge, anyone?!) and Maven pointing out where you didn't, etc.
Your dusty brain will get a much-needed workout.
Now: Windows XP tribe, listen up! Here is one *possible* fix for the horrid "black screen" issue, particularly if you are getting the sad, most unfriendly "network engine failed to initialize" message in that grey box. Remember, the CD MUST be in the drive you installed from (yes, it can be a clone.)
***DO NOT*** reinstall or update squat on your pristine system, let alone quit any life-preserving processes, much less cry huge, letter-block tears. Instead, try this: As the program vainly struggles to load (give it 3 to 4 hard-drive-grindy seconds) you hit: Return. (Perhaps *once* more if you don't see results.)
-That's it.-
And that's all.
Cheesy startup screen animation should be the next thing you see.... :-)
Good luck and happy Scrabbling!
Rating: 
Summary: If you have Scrabble 2, then you alrady have this game
Review: This is a great Scrabble game but I was disappointed to find that this game is virtually the same as Scrabble 2 which has been out for a good while now. The graphics are the same and the skill levels of the computer player Maven are the same too. The optional music that plays during the game has been changed but I find it a distraction and turn that option off. It may have a new mini-game or two (mini-games are little exercises like finding all the 2 letter words that can be made from 7 randomly selected tiles) but they're more for practice than for fun.As far as I can tell the best thing about this game over Scrabble 2 is that it includes a free copy of Boggle, if that interests you. It also says it works with Windows XP. I don't know if Scrabble 2 would or not. If you have Windows XP, really like Boggle, or don't already have Scrabble 2, then this is a great game. If you already have Scrabble 2 then you won't find much new here.
Rating:
Summary: Great game that could be improved
Review: This is essentially the crystal box game (Scrabble 2) made compatible with Windows XP. It will not freeze up and works smoothly on my machine. (Some of the people below who have experienced freeze up under Windows XP are probably using Scrabble 2, not this version. They need to double-check.) There are no improvements, however, that I can see, and the claim on the package that it "Includes Merriam-Webster's Official SCRABBLE Player's Dictionary, 3rd Edition" is not quite correct since the program continues to disallow many words that are actually in that dictionary, including the frequently used "da." Use "da" in a play and Maven will dissolve it, spin your letters back into your rack, and take her turn! Of course this is a disappointment. Also disappointing is the new music, which is as bad as the old music. Fortunately it can be turned off. Maven's annoying chortles after scoring are gone, so I suppose there is some improvement! But basically infogames or Hasbro or whoever is responsible for the software missed an opportunity to make this into an outstanding program. Still it is a very good program and a lot of fun to play. It automatically saves all your games and under the Mini Games menu allows you to retrieve each one and have Professor Maven critique your play (and her play as well, actually). The four basic comments she makes are, "xxx is probably best," "xxxx is one of the best moves," "xxxx is a good move," and "xxxx was played." She follows the latter three comments with the question "Can you find a play at (e.g.) 8H"? or something similar. Well, I could find the better play now that you mention it, Maven, if the board displayed the coordinates! (Squares on the 15 x15 Scrabble board are identified by "A" through "O" across the top and 1 through 15 vertically. Thus 8H is the center square while 1A is the square in the upper left corner.) Plays that go across are identified as starting at the square beginning with the number, e.g., 8H while the beginning square of plays going down begin with the letter, e.g., H8. Anyway, you can click on "Next" and Maven will reveal what is probably a better play. And then she gives an analysis of that play, your play, and other plays comparing the points scored and the value of the letters left in your rack. This "value" is NOT how many points the letter is worth when played, but how valuable it is to have in your rank on an average basis. Thus playing "orang" is not as good as playing "along" as an opening word because, although they both score the same, if you play "along" you keep the "r" which is considered more valuable than the "l." It would help if the program displayed these average values, but it doesn't. Incidentally, when Maven gives a play in her analysis she gives a complete identity to the play. For example, "LIMITED (5E,20,O)." The characters in the parens stand for where the word started and which direction it went (5E: across), how many points were scored (20), and which letters were left in the rack after the play (an O). Another nice feature is that Maven gives you a National Association Scrabble rating for your play in the last ten games. Go to Mini Games menu and click on Professor Maven, and there it is. This is not the same as your rating against Maven, which is displayed on what the program calls your "Player Card" as you set up a game along with your best single play, your highest scoring game, and the number of games you have won. Maven will keep these stats for your spouse and kids as well. Of course these stats can be fudged by quitting games you are losing before they are completed, which will keep your rating higher than it would otherwise be. A couple more points: You have to have the CD inserted in order to the play the game. Bad! Also the game works only as a full-screen game. This is also bad, but you can actually get to some other computer task while keeping the game by hitting the flying Windows key on your keyboard. Scrabble Complete will then be a minimized icon at the bottom of your screen which you can click to resume play. One more point: you can make Maven go first by passing. Sometimes however she will just exchange some letters and you might have to pass again, which would be VERY dangerous, since after Maven exchanges letters she is increasingly likely to score a BINGO! which is very annoying. Best strategy in my opinion is to play what you can on the first play, being careful to arrange your play so that Maven cannot get a double-word score by adding an "s" (or "r" or "d," etc.) to your play. If you have an "s" you don't use it of course (unless you are going BINGO! yourself or otherwise scoring a monster). Instead you save it and align your opening play so that you can use your "s" to advantage--that is, if Maven doesn't get there first! Your having an "s" cuts down on her changes somewhat. By the way, Scrabble Complete includes a Boggle CD-ROM game that I haven't had a chance to look at.
Rating:
Summary: Scrabble3 Rocks!
Review: THis is the best game in the world for scrabble fans. If you were to buy one game this summer make it be counter-strike but if you are going to buy two make the second one scrable 3. THis game rocks :):):):):):)!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Usefulness of Game Marred by Security Choices
Review: This would be a really nifty game to take on the road, except for one very serious problem: it cannot be run without the CD. (This appears to be a deliberate choice of the manufacturer. The main game seems to install entirely on the hard drive, and, after one quick check to ensure the CD is in place, appears never to reference the CD again.) In the present environment, the manufacturer cannot be faulted, perhaps, for taking such an inelegant and Procrustean measure to prevent illegal distribution. I believe, however, that, having made that choice, the manufacturer is remiss in failing to spell out clearly on the box and in all advertsing that this product is a CD-ROM game.
Rating:
Summary: Works fine for me
Review: Unlike others who've reported problems, it works just fine for me on my Windows ME Athlon-based system. I had the older Hasbro Interactive version of Scrabble, and wanted to upgrade because that one forced me to change the display to 256 colors in order to play it. This one works fine in high color, and I have experienced none of the problems others have reported.
Rating:
Summary: Vocabulary Builder
Review: Using the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary has been very helpful with the first game I purchased. However, I have recently ordered two more and as of this date, the dictionaries have not arrived.
Rating:
Summary: Scrabble Complete works with firewall
Review: Using ZoneAlarm Pro v4.5 (patched) on Windows XP Pro SP1.
In ZoneAlarm Pro, Program Control, Programs Tab, add the ScrabbleComplete.exe program (if not present).
Modify Access and Server fields to "Allow".
Then modify the ZoneAlarm Pro options for the program...
In Security Tab: Must check 'This program uses other programs to access the Internet'.
In Expert Rules Tab: Protocol TCP-UDP port 2234 (Required by MS Direct Play) allowed.
The program then works well for me... I cannot guarantee it will work for you or be responsible for any problems this recommended configuration may cause.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best electronic versions of Scrabble I've seen
Review: While it does nothing spectacular, Scrabble Complete is the best Scrabble computer game I've played. The multiplayer is a neat concept, but you'll need to install the included Gamespy software. It's not difficult to install, but there are privacy concerns since you need to register with the Gamespy folks to get up and running. I am very disapointed that there are so few people playing online. If you're looking for random matchups on the Internet, you may not easily find yourself a pickup match. Infogrames needs to sell more copies!!
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