June 2, 2004
Creative media company
Silver Oaks has released its first online game, Chatterblox Deluxe. Unlike
other popular word games which force players to create words from linked
letters, Chatterblox allows the freedom to build words of any length from
any tile on the screen.
The result is a fast-paced word game with hundreds of exciting levels.
Players are challenged at three different skill settings to help Rex the
dinosaur free the Icelings trapped in the ice by building words from the
letter blocks. Both strategy and speed are tested against the timer, the
rate of new letters falling, heavy rocks, bonus blocks, plus extra points
for number of words built and longest word. High scores are tallied locally
and can be submitted online to the Chatterblox Hall of Fame.
Silver Oaks developed the game entirely in house, from game design and
programming to original artwork, characters and music. The development team
worked towards fast-paced game play, quality graphics, and the elusive
"addictive" nature of other successful online games. "We knew when people
couldn't stop playing the game, we had what we wanted," said Julie Wine
Johnston, project manager.
Chatterblox debuted earlier this year, but was released on Big Fish Games
in April, and Tucows just added it to their product listings in May with
the coveted "5 Cow Ranking". In addition, over four dozen shareware and
game sites are also selling the game as affiliates.
On many of these sites, Chatterblox has received 5-star rankings as well as
recommendations from educational sites and independent reviewers. Software
Brat Inc. recommends the game, stating "Chatterblox Deluxe is a splendid word
game that quickly brings mere word-smiths to their doom. ... Chatterblox
Deluxe is as much a visual game as it is a word game ... Either way it is tops."
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