The latest addition to Xbox Live's cavalcade of downloadable titles is none other than a port of the iPhone word puzzle/strategy smash hit – Quarrel. With additional multiplayer modes and some non-touch screen based controls, Quarrel is on the Xbox Live Arcade to stay, so how does the transfer from iOS to Xbox stack up? And is the game worth the price of admission? Let's find out...

For the uninitiated, Quarrel might best be described as a combination of two popular board games: Scrabble and Risk. As a match begins, the playing area is broken up into multiple segments which are distributed evenly amongst players. Subsequently each zone is given a certain number of defenders (or quarrels). To win, players must completely take over every area on the board, which ultimately requires invading other players land and besting them in a word puzzle mini-game.

The word puzzle game play is quite fun. As with Scrabble, each letter tile is assigned a point value and the goal is to form the highest scoring word possible within a short timeframe. The game will give both players the same eight letters to work with and the player who makes the best word wins. In games featuring more than two players, those on the sidelines are also given the same eight letters and time limit and given the opportunity to form a high scoring word of their own for bonus points.

An element of strategy comes into the game play as the players involved in the 'word war' can only form words with an amount of letters that is equivalent to their number of defenders. So taking the fight to another player who has two defenders, whilst you have a greater number of attackers is the best bet. Attacking an opponent with a superior number of defenders is not a good idea, but there is a reward if successful as players will not only eliminate their opponent's defenders, they will also capture the difference to use for their own purposes as defenders themselves.

There is a swathe of content to wade through in quarrel, with several modes to help get your word IQ reaching for the stars. Domination is the meat and veg of the experience and features a set of increasingly difficult matches featuring two to four players. Showdown is a series of one-on-one matches against each of the AI characters in the game and Challenge mode has players take on one of four challenges designed to exploit the games mechanics to the best of your ability. The game also features online play for up to four players, unlike its iPhone counterpart, which adds an element of unpredictability to proceedings.

The most irritating thing about the whole game is the time limit imposed during the word battles. Due to the countdown, unless you are a master wordsmith who can solve anagrams in the blink of an eye, complex words are just left by the wayside as players struggle to get a legible word out in time. To add to the frustration, many of the AI opponents can pump out tricky words for massive points very quickly, so even solving the anagram within the time limit is no sure victory. Finally, the dictionary in game is not exhaustive, with some words not registering and additionally the game will not allow players to score with naughty words, so leave your potty mouth at home as it will be of no use to you here!

Quarrel features bright coloured environments, cartoony characters (aliens, vikings and ninjas to name but a few) and whimsical music that is reminiscent of the loony tunes cartoons of many a childhood. The colourful presentation and comical appearance give the game an endearing quality that almost makes it as enjoyable to look at as it is to play.

Quarrel is a great deal of fun and its hybridisation of strategy and word puzzle game play is one that works exceptionally well. With several modes of solo play, challenge maps and multiplayer, Quarrel contains more content than the majority of 1200 Microsoft point arcade games can muster for a third of the price (400 Microsoft points). If you are even the slightest bit interested in competitive word games or like a little strategy on the side, Quarrel is definitely a title worth checking out.