I wouldn’t say that I’m a wordsmith, but I tend to play a lot of word-based games: Scrabble, Words With Friends, Crosswords Plus, and so on. My current favorite is Say What?, the first title from the new social gaming startup Harth Labs.

Say What? is a free game that combines the mastery of the English language with a keen eye for detail. In a refreshing take on the classic Hangman, players create words from a random assortment of letters for their opponents who then have to guess which word you created.

When guessing, Say What provides players with color-coded hints. For example, a letter in a blue box means the right letter is in the right place. If a letter is in a yellow box, then the right letter is in the wrong place. Finally, if a letter is in a red box, it’s the wrong letter altogether.

But while there’s no hangman, Say What? isn’t without pressure. Your opponent, the person who created the word, can watch all of your guesses. This means he or she will be able to see how many attempts it took for you to correctly guess their word. Talk about pressure! For this reason, I recommend brushing up on your deduction skills!

The app itself is quite simple. It features bright colors and a clean UI, which makes it easy to navigate and to learn the rules of the game. My only complaint is that I’m limited to inviting and playing against Facebook friends. I’ve done a few random matches, but with two games pending, I’m unable to be matched up again. It’s unclear if there’s a limit, or if there aren’t enough people playing. I recommend inviting a few of your Facebook friends if you’re eager to try.

[iTunes]