We can't for the life of us figure out how there is even a legal case to be made that lets us do this App Showdown. Making words with tiles is so generic a concept that Scrabble can't have a beef with Banagrams, but Words With Friends is so completely similar to Scrabble in every particular that it boggles our minds. Nevertheless, which is the better game?  

Scrabble ($2.99/iPhone & iPod)

Scrabble for iPad ($9.99/iPad)

This classic has its origins in 1938 as an unsuccessful board game called Criss-Crosswords, and the story has as many twists and turns as a really great play of the game. Game maker Hasbro currently owns the property and it was their smart decision to turn over the creation of the iOS version of the game to video gaming giant, Electronic Arts.

Currently spotting four versions of the game in the App Store, Electronic Arts has taken the simplicity of the game and carried that over to the digital realm -- for the most part. While there is an iPhone and an iPad version of the game, they are not universal apps and buying both versions will set you back almost as much as the board game itself in the real world.

Drag and drop, that's all there is to it

Our only real complaint with the game is the log-in process necessary. In earlier versions, you could simply log in to Facebook and you were good. Now you are required to create (yet) another new account, this on EA's Origins network. Once this is done, you can begin playing with your friends, although there are also options to play against the computer, to play against a random opponent, or to play against others by passing your device around or on a local network.

We liked the old single sign in better

But for most users of the app, the primary draw is Facebook, a fact EA surely knows. Tap the gear icon in the lower left hand corner to be taken to the settings page. There you can create you Origins account, you can log in or out of your Facebook account (provided you've already logged in to your Origins account), do away with sound effects, see your gaming statistics and completed games, and set a playlist of music.

Get your fancy music on while you play. It's the Mozart...ahem...Bach effect

But the real question is how is the game? We are pleased to tell you that Scrabble, in both iPhone and iPad versions, is solid, fun, and stocked with a few special features you won't find in the box in your game closet at home. For basics, you tap a tile and drag it across the screen to drop it where you like, slowly spelling out your choices. Don't like your tile order, tap Shuffle to rearrange them or drag them around yourself. Don't like how you've placed your tiles, tap Recall to bring them all back. Double tap somewhere on the board to zoom in, then do it again to zoom back out.

But what about those extra special features we were talking about? Well, for starters, just for simplicity, the game adds up your points as you set out your tiles. This is helpful if you play like us and put down a word only to pick it up and put the letters elsewhere.

Get your cheat on with the dictionary

Another great feature is a built in dictionary -- two, in fact. Both apps sport Meriam-Webster as well as the official Tournament Word List (TWL). Sure, this does away with challenges, but it also gives more evil players a chance to check their words out and randomly throw letters together in desperate combinations.  

However, our favorite feature is the Teacher option. Play your word, sit back and gloat at your mad skills, but before you get a little too salty, give the Teacher a try. First it'll walk you through your choice and show you the point-by-point break down. Then it'll show you other things you could have done with your letters. We first started using this when it showed us the 38 point play we thought was pretty hot stuff could have been a 95 point play.

We have to admit we love this view of the game

Play your word, then close the app to go do something else, and When it's your turn again, push notifications will drop you a line. Any play you make while signed in to Facebook on a desktop will be there waiting for you when you fire up the app. 

(And as a bonus, the iPad version includes a way to play in conjunction with your iPods or iPhones. Simply download the Scrabble Tile Rack app to those devices, turn your iPad to Party Mode, and your tablet becomes the board while your pocket device becomes your means of playing. It's a pretty slick implementation -- when it works and stays connected.)

Words with Friends ($1.99/iPhone & iPod)

Words With Friends HD ($2.99/iPad)

Like Scrabulous before it, we were sure Zynga's Words With Friends, whether as an iPhone or iPad version couldn't possibly be around long. For starters, it was just too much like Scrabble to be left out there on the market. Lettered tiles with point values, arranged horizontally and vertically on a board with double and triple scores for letters or for words depending on placement? How did that describe anything at all but Scrabble?

Looks a lot like Scrabble to us

Apparently, though, it does. To look at the game without any insignia or labels, you'd think you were playing Scrabble. The board is familiarly set up, your tiles run across the screen, just like its more famous sibling, but the first thing you need to do is to sign into the account to get to that part. Sign in with Facebook then tap on the green + in the upper right corner to send out challenges to Facebook players, people from your contact list, or random opponents. You can invite people to play or choose Pass and Play as though you had a board game in front of you.

Who ya gonna challenge for a wordy smackdown?

Words With Friends keeps a list of games, but don't take too long getting back into things or you'll automatically lose the game if more than 48 hours passes between moves. Once on the board, tap the Pass button if you're dealt a handful of junk, Shuffle to resort your tiles, Swap to exchange a bad letter for a chance at something better, and Resign if you just give up. You can also chat with your friends by tapping the bubble button in the upper right corner of the game screen. Double tap the screen to zoom in and repeat the move to zoom back out.

All I did was forget to play for a week

Game play is managed in the same fashion as in Scrabble. Drag a tile to the board to place it (or tap Recall to bring it back), move them around to make the best possible score. Unlike Scrabble, Words won't tally up your score as you go along, so that's all on you to guess the right amounts. We thought several times we had it added up right, only to be pleasantly surprised at a much higher word score. 

We'd like some landscape action here, Zynga

There's also no built-in dictionary, though Words will prompt you if you try posting a word it doesn't recognize. We found on many occasions that some terms that Scrabble found acceptable were not in Words with Friends and vice versa. A dictionary that not only let us test out words, but also gave us a list of two letter words was indeed helpful, but we're not sure how fair some people would call these additions.

BINGO!

There's little competing with EA and their history and their deep pockets though if anyone can it's Zynga. While Words With Friends makes a valiant effort and has some cache as being cooler than Scrabble, the official version of the classic game is our pick. The Teacher function has improved our game immeasurably, showing us new ways to look at the board, while the dictionary is indispensible in a pinch (even if some call it cheating). While the iPad version brought some fancier layouts, though no real new tools, the much cheaper iPhone version, doubled up, should be sufficient for game play. We have to admit to loving Scrabble's landscape view on the tablet, another thing Words With Friends HD version leaves out.