So I finally got around to getting xword to run on my N900. I am by no means proficient enough to devise a "proper" installation (i.e., .deb package, click-to-open icon, etc). But, I did manage to get it running via xterm. Here are the steps I took:

1. Go to the garage page for xword (https://garage.maemo.org/frs/?group_id=620)

2. Download the latest tar file and extract. I extracted it on my PC, and moved the "trunk" folder onto my N900

3. Go into the "trunk" folder in xterm and enter the command "python xword"

It works reasonably well for the most part. You do have to be careful to manually close the puzzle you are working on from the menu and exit the program from the menu, or the program will crash if you try running it again. However, if you do the manual puzzle close and program exit, the program does run again and your work-in-progress puzzle will be there when you load it again.



(Edit to add: I'm assuming that I ended up with the proper python dependencies as a natural artifact of my 2+ years of N900 usage)