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PUZZLE
The Scholar Review: An Anagram Game That Made Me Dust Off My ZX Spectrum Next (Somehow)
I never thought I'd boot up my Spectrum Next for a word puzzle game in 2025, but here we are. The Scholar is exactly what it says on the tin: timed anagrams with retro charm, and I'm annoyed that I actually enjoyed it.
Paul
January 19, 2026
6.3
Overall Score
"The Scholar is a competent anagram puzzle game wrapped in genuine retro charm, and I'm reluctantly admitting I enjoyed my time with it despite its narrow scope."
First Impressions (Or: Why I Plugged In My Old Hardware)
Look, I own a ZX Spectrum Next because I'm exactly that kind of person who gets nostalgic about rubber keys and loading bars. But even I raised an eyebrow when I saw The Scholar was an anagram puzzle game. In 2025. For vintage hardware. The premise is straightforward: you're a freshman at Oxbridge, solving themed anagrams against the clock to prove you're not a complete idiot. Eight rounds, three anagrams each, difficulty based on which college you pick. It's the kind of game my aunt would have played on a CD-ROM in 1998, except this one actually requires a mouse and runs on hardware most people forgot existed. The fact that it genuinely works and kept me playing for longer than I'd admit publicly is both surprising and mildly irritating.
Gameplay: Rearranging Letters Like It's a Revolutionary Concept
The core loop is embarrassingly simple. You get three related anagrams per round—Carry On Films, types of cheese, whatever—and you drag letters around with your mouse to solve them before time runs out. Study aids are available if you're willing to admit you need help, which I absolutely refused to do until Round 6 when I got stuck on obscure British sitcoms I'd apparently blocked from memory. The timed element adds genuine pressure, which I respect. The category variety keeps things from becoming completely monotonous, though after you've played through once, you've essentially seen what the game offers. The difficulty scaling via college selection is a nice touch, giving you reason to challenge yourself beyond the base difficulty. It's word puzzles with a timer. That's it. I kept playing anyway, which says something about execution over innovation.
Visuals and Audio: Actually Good Retro Instead of Lazy Retro
Here's where The Scholar surprised me. Instead of being another indie game slapping 'retro' on generic pixel art, this actually looks and feels like authentic Spectrum Next software. The interface is clean, the menus are functional, and everything has that proper vintage computing aesthetic without feeling like a lazy nostalgia grab. There's clearly effort put into making this feel period-appropriate rather than just throwing up some chunky fonts and calling it a day. The audio—well, it's a Spectrum Next, so don't expect orchestral arrangements. What's there works fine and doesn't grate on your nerves during timed puzzles, which is honestly all I ask. The mouse controls are responsive, though requiring a mouse for a Spectrum game feels slightly heretical. The fact that joystick support exists is appreciated, even if I didn't use it.
What Needs Work (And Apparently Is Getting It)
The developer acknowledged some errors in the game, which is refreshingly honest but also means I definitely encountered a few during my playthrough. Nothing game-breaking, but enough to notice when you're racing against a clock and suddenly questioning whether your solution is wrong or the game is. The promised fixes coming with KS3 are good news, but it's worth knowing you might hit some rough edges in the current build. My bigger issue is replayability. Once you've gone through the anagram sets, there's limited reason to return unless you're chasing different difficulty levels or proving something to yourself. The timed challenge adds some replay value, but fundamentally you're solving the same puzzles. Random generation would have helped enormously here, though I understand that's a tall order for themed anagram sets.
The Verdict on Educational Gaming in Vintage Drag
The Scholar does exactly one thing—timed anagram puzzles—and does it competently enough that I kept playing despite my initial skepticism. For a name-your-own-price word puzzle game on niche vintage hardware, it's far better than it has any right to be. The authentic retro presentation shows actual care rather than aesthetic laziness. The difficulty options and category variety prevent it from becoming immediately stale. But let's be clear: this is not reinventing anything. It's anagrams with a timer and a university theme. If you own a Spectrum Next and enjoy word puzzles, you'll probably have a decent time with this for an evening. If you don't own the hardware or hate word games, nothing here will convert you. The acknowledged bugs and limited replayability keep it from greatness, but for the price and platform, it's a surprisingly solid effort that respects both your intelligence and your time.
Rating Breakdown
Quality
6.5
Surprisingly solid for a Spectrum Next game, though some acknowledged errors keep it from perfection.
Innovation
4
It's literally just anagrams with a university theme—I solved these in newspapers back in 1987.
Value
8
Name your own price for a genuinely playable puzzle game means I can't complain about value even if I wanted to.
Gameplay
6.5
Timed anagrams kept me engaged longer than I expected, though study aids feel like admitting defeat.
Audio/Visual
7
Retro aesthetic is authentic and charming instead of lazy pixel art slapped together in a weekend.
Replayability
5.5
Once you've solved the anagram sets, there's not much pulling you back unless you're a completionist about difficulty levels.
What Didn't Annoy Me
Authentic retro aesthetic that feels genuine instead of lazy
Name-your-own-price means the value proposition is essentially perfect
Timed gameplay adds legitimate pressure to standard word puzzles
Multiple difficulty levels via college selection give you reason to challenge yourself
Clean interface and responsive mouse controls make it actually playable
Developer acknowledging issues and planning fixes shows care
What Made Me Sigh
Limited replayability once you've seen the anagram sets
Requires specific vintage hardware that most people don't own
Acknowledged bugs in current build might frustrate timed attempts
Innovation score: zero—it's just anagrams with a theme
Study aids feel like giving up, which is probably the point but still
Final Verdict
The Scholar is a competent anagram puzzle game wrapped in genuine retro charm, and I'm reluctantly admitting I enjoyed my time with it despite its narrow scope. For Spectrum Next owners who appreciate word puzzles, this is an easy recommendation at name-your-own-price. For everyone else, it's a curiosity at best. The execution is solid enough to overcome the complete lack of innovation, and the authentic vintage presentation shows real care. Once the acknowledged bugs get fixed, this will be even easier to recommend to its very specific target audience. I played an anagram game on purpose in 2025 and didn't hate it. That's worth something.
The Scholar (ZX Spectrum Next)
Tags
word-puzzle
retro
zx-spectrum
anagram
timed-challenge
educational
vintage
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