Latest News
June 28, 2011 - Version 2.1 hits the iTunes App Store. "Word Cross" is now a universal app, available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch!
May 23, 2011 - "Word Cross" earns a 4 out of 5 star rating! We thank everyone who helped make this happen.
May 16, 2011 - Version 2.0 of "Word Cross" is now available in the app store! This new version is a major upgrade from the previous, as it changes the core dynamics of the game. In previous versions, Word Cross generated its puzzles using random Bible books, chapters, and verses. While the randomness guarenteed new and unique puzzles, it often was difficult to solve because so many individual verses have little meaning when taken out of context. This setup also lacked a sense of progress and accomplishment.
Version 2.0 is different because it generates the crosses from random words picked from a single chapter of a specific book of the Bible. You can pick which book of the Bible you wish to quiz yourself on, and Word Cross will start at the beginning, allowing you to progess through the book chapter-by-chapter. This presents the verses in proper context, and it gives you a sense of progression as you work your way through each book to completion. This is, after all, the way the Bible was meant to be read.
Introduction
"Word Cross" is a Bible-based word puzzle game that's very similar to the much-loved crossword puzzle, but with a unique difference. Designed for those who love to read and study the Word of God, Word Cross takes words from the Word (the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs) and generates "crosses" for you to solve. This makes it a little more challenging that the typical crossword puzzle, since only one letter intersects for every two words. Christians who enjoy word puzzles should really love this app - you get to learn scriptures while having fun!
How To Play
Interacting with Word Cross is extremely easy. The top half of the screen is where the crosses are formed, and the bottom half shows the current book and chapter of the Bible that you are to solve, with various words throughout the text being replaced by blanks that correspond to the crosses above. You can tap either the blank in the text or the segment of the cross you wish to solve, which activates both the blank and cross, as well as the pop-up keyboard. Fill in the blanks until all the crosses are complete, and then you can tap the "Check" button to see if you answers are correct. If so, you'll proceed to the next chapter.
If you don't like the puzzle you are given (perhaps you want more crosses to solve), then you can generate a new, random puzzle by pressing the "Shuffle" button. This also adds to the replay value of "Word Cross"; once you finish a book of the Bible, you can play it again with entirely different word combinations! (Note - you can also shake your iPhone / iPod to shuffle up the puzzles.)
If you get stuck on a word, use the "Hint" button (iPad) or the space bar (iPhone). This gives you the next correct letter for the blank you are trying to solve. Be careful, because if you have started entering in the wrong word, the letter you're given will not be the next blank, but the next letter after your last correct letter.
If you want to know which crosses go with which blanks in the text without tapping each blank, you can use the "Highlight" button to toggle color highlighting. When on, the colors of the cross segments will match the colors of the blanks they go with. This is can be easily toggled off again to improve readability.
Not sure which button is which? Just tap the (i) button in the upper-right corner for instant info!
Speaking of readability, there are various "Word Cross" settings in the main settings app (find the icon with the gears), including settings that allows you to change the font and parchment background, making "Word Cross" easier to use by the vision impaired.
Translations
"Word Cross" allows you to easily switch back and forth between the King James Version and the World English Bible. KJV and WEB are both in the public domain. We also have permission to use the New English Translation (NET), which will likely be added in an upcoming version. Other modern translations are under strict copyright and we currently do not have permission to include them in Word Cross.
We are looking into making Word Cross available in other languages, starting with Spanish. Please let us know if you would like to see us pursue this further.
Where To Buy
"Word Cross" is available on the Apple App store. To see our current pricing and to download the program onto your iOS device, visit our iTunes page or just search for 'word cross bible game' in your iPad's, iPhone's, or iPod Touch's Apps Store. Remember, once you've purchased "Word Cross", you'll receive all upgrades free-of-charge!
Currently "Word Cross" is only available on the iPad.."Word Cross" is now a universal app, so it works on the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, and the iPad. If you own more than one of these devices, you only need to purchase the app once - you will be able to put it on up to 5 devices if they are under the same iTunes account! We may someday port "Word Cross" to the Mac and perhaps even Android platforms. If you'd like to see us pursue one of these other platforms, send us an email.
Follow Us On Facebook
"Word Cross" has its own Facebook Page, and we highly recommend you follow us on Facebook if you have an account (just click "Like"). If you don't have a Facebook account, don't worry, you can still see the page, you just can't interact with it. What are the benefits of following us on Facebook? Here are a few:
- Learn of updates as they happen - We'll keep you posted regarding what updates we're working on, what new features those updates will include, and when those updates are available for you to download on your device.
- See the latest screen shots - When working on an update, we often will take screenshots of new features as we complete them and upload those screen shots to our Facebook page. This is also a great way to get a better look at Word Cross if you are currently undecided if you want to purchase the program.
- Ask questions, provide feedback, and request features - Our goal is to make Word Cross a program you'll enjoy for a long time to come, and one of the best ways for us to do this is to listen to user feedback. We may not be able to add every requested feature right away, but we definitely will do our best as our upgrade schedule allows!
- Meet fellow Christians and word game fans - If you like Word Cross, then odds are have something in common with others who like the program as well, and you are welcome to interact with other users on our wall.
- Spread the word about Word Cross - By "liking" our Facebook page, you automatically help spread the word about Word Cross (pun intended). The more successful this program is, the more resources we'll be able to invest in future updates and new features.
Attribution
All "Word Cross" program code is written and maintained by software developer Michael Surran. While some graphic elements have been designed in-house, we are grateful for artists, musicians, and photographers who share their work with others using the Creative Commons license.
Background photos are used with permission and are attributed to the photographer on the photo itself. These photos were obtained through Flickr. Sound effects are used with permission and were supplied by The Freesound Project. Sound authors include: soundbyter.com, JustinBW, Junggle, chrisw92, sandyrb, FreqMan, and ERH. Four of our icons came from Darran Morris's set of 64 free tab bar icons.
Feedback And Support
If you are experiencing problems or have a suggestion, please feel free to email us at support@surratech.com. We also encourage you to rate "Word Cross" and perhaps even write a review for Apple's App Store if you really enjoy the program.
Copyright 2010, All Rights Reserved