Bookworm took over my life

It's been exactly a week since my last blog entry. Where has the time gone? No, I'm not turning into Kari. I'd like to say that I've been busy this the first week of the new semester getting everything in place for the courses I’m teaching. But that would be a lie. The truth is that I've spent the last week playing Bookworm.

When it comes to video games, I have no patience whatsoever for the kind that involve role playing or blowing stuff up (or, incidently, hitting bystanders with a bicycle). I simply don't see the point. But I do love a good puzzle-type game.

I have had to cut myself off completely from Bejeweled 2 because I was spending more time playing than I thought was acceptable, and I think Bookworm is headed in the same direction.

Let me tell you a little about this game. It's kind of like an online version of Boggle, except the words you make must have adjoining letters. Once you make a word, those letters get eaten by the bookworm and new ones fall into the game. Sometimes letters that are on fire enter the playing area and if you don’t use them in a word before they hit the bottom, the library catches on fire and the game ends. The longer the word, the more points you get and the more likely you are to get a special, shiny letter, also worth extra points. (see image)

As you proceed through the levels, you receive a new title, ranging from Assistant Librarian to Bookwork Supreme. As far as I can tell, once you get to Bookworm Supreme, there's nowhere to go. You just get extra stars.

This past week I actually only played one game of Bookworm. In total I spent 11 hours and 32 minutes making it to Bookworm Supreme, 5-star. For those of you who play, that's 2 317 470 points (level 37). Somehow I just couldn't exit the game. I was driven to try to make longer and more obscure words. I was curious to see what new rank I’d get after passing the level. It was a mild addiction.

What a relief it was to see the library burn down Friday! I'm finally free!!