After Plants vs. Zombies, PopCap had me pretty much signed on for life. Since then, I've spent a considerable amount of time paddling around in their backcatalogue, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I find the majority of their casual titles immensely enjoyable.

Fellow addicts will be pleased to hear that PopCap has just announced the next game in the Bookworm Adventures series. Bookworm Adventures Vol. 2 will be released on July 30th for PC  (exclusively on PopCap.com) and retail for $19.95. The new game offers three new books (ten chapters each, six minigames, and achievements. Not that I need that features list, mind you, because they had me at "new PopCap game". Gonna pick this one up?

PopCap Prepping Second Edition of Bookworm™ Adventures

Bookworm Adventures 2 Arrives in One Month, Takes Players on All-New Literary Escapades; Adds New Monsters, New Tile Types, Book-Based “Companions” and More

SEATTLE, Washington – July 15, 2009 — PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual games, today announced that Bookworm™ Adventures 2 will launch on the Web for PC one month from today. The sequel to the 2007 original takes players into three new literary landscapes and adds reams of new features and fun touches to the most popular digital word game franchise of all time. Available beginning July 30 exclusively on PopCap.com, BWA 2 will carry a list price of US$19.95.

“Bookworm Adventures Volume 2 exceeds its predecessor both in wordy fun and goofy puns,” said Tysen Henderson, Executive Producer at PopCap.  “From the crazy book themes and  brand-new game play to the powerful new ‘companions’ who join Lex on his adventure, Bookworm Adventures Vol. 2 takes the original word-game-with-light-role-playing-game play and runs in some exciting, funny new directions.”

In the Bookworm Adventures series, players take on the role of Lex the bookworm, leading him through a series of well-known books and fictional characters which Lex must overcome by forming words from an ever-changing set of letter tiles. Making longer and more complex words gives Lex greater fighting prowess, while special “gem” letter tiles offer a range of power-up effects of their own. Various potions and treasures give Lex added power, defense, health, and dozens of other persistent or one-time abilities. In the new sequel, wild card “rainbow” tiles, 20 new treasures and zany literary “companions” –  fictional animal allies including Mother Goose and the Cheshire Cat – all provide players with even more ways to spell S-U-C-C-E-S-S. Three new mini-games augment those from the original BWA, offering a total of six different “side quest” activities to earn additional potions and power-ups.

New Features in Bookworm Adventures 2 include:

    * 3 all-new books of ten chapters each: “Fractured Fairytales,” “The Monkey King” and “Astounding Planets”!
    * All-new infinite Replay mode! Pick a book, fight foes and score big points!
    * 6 mini-games, including all-new “Mutant Words,” “Golden Coins” and “Word Up”!
    * Battle more than 130 ferocious new foes while wielding over 20 terrific new treasures!
    * Companions! Literary figures join Lex and battle by his side!
    * Rainbow Tiles! New potent wild card tiles allow you to build the gigantic words of your dreams!
    * Arena mode! Spell quickly to defeat your toughest enemies!
    * Achievements – earn trophies, points and badges!

About PopCap

PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of “casual games” — fun, easy-to-learn, captivating computer games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 220 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, and Shanghai. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 25 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played on the Web, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox and DS), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only casual games developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including Web portals, retail stores, mobile phones and MP3 players, and game device manufacturers.