Scrabble

This game doesn't need much introduction. The world's favorite word game (it's sold in 121 countries and 29 language editions), Scrabble has been around in one form or other since 1948, and is just now reaching its heyday.

Still, there's a lot more to it than placing letter tiles on a board to form words and score points.

That may accurately describe play, but true gamers (or logicians) understand that Scrabble involves one of the most delicate and rewarding balancing acts in the history of board games.

Diehards know that a strong vocabulary and basic math skills are required. Simply playing as many letters as possible isn't always the best strategy, even if you play on a "triple word score" square. Sometimes playing two letters judiciously will get you more points and improve your prospects on the rest of the board. Such situations show up regularly, and it takes a keen eye and rapid analysis to know where to play and when.

Maybe it's not chess. But then, maybe chess is no more than weird movements with archaic pieces, and Scrabble actually expands your word-horde while sharpening your ability to collate facts and statistics. Or maybe Scrabble is just a fun game that lets you score points for playing letter tiles and forming words.

Anyway, this is one of the best-selling games of all time, and it isn't losing ground.

• 2-4 Players
• 60 Minutes
• Ages 10+

Review by C. Hollis Crossman C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.