This year’s hottest word games will cast a spell on the entire family
By Ruth B. Roufberg
DURING a recent trip to a toy store, I overheard a woman say, “My granddaughter loves word games. I think I’ll give her Scrabble for Christmas.” Her companion laughed. “If Sally loves word games, you can be sure she already has Scrabble! Buy something else.”
I had my own scouting for word games to attend to, so I couldn’t linger to see the outcome. I headed to the local toy stores with this challenge: could I find appropriate word games for recipients ranging from youngsters to group players to those who prefer solo challenges?
I started at JaZams in Princeton (25 Palmer Square; 609-924-8697) to see the newly enlarged store, where there was a nice assortment of word games. When I asked co-owner Dean Smith what their best-selling games were, he unhesitatingly cited three: Bananagrams, Super Scrabble and Keesdrow.
According to John Sherman, owner of Learning Express in the Princeton Shopping Center (301 N. Harrison St., 609-921-9110), Zingo is the first choice at his store. (Actually, Zingo was commended in each of the stores I visited.)
At Pip, Squeak & Wilfred in MarketFair in West Windsor (3535 Route 1 South, 609-951-9270), Carla Cokinoa singled out Bananagrams, in addition to several word-themed card games.
Although you might not think immediately of going to Barnes & Noble on a quest for word games, I decided to look in before I left MarketFair. It turned out to be a good decision. As Ellen Heaney Mizer, the games buyer for Barnes & Noble, points out, “The category of word games is a natural for Barnes & Noble. As we expand our offerings or introduce new games we always see positive numbers.”
When asked about their best selling games, Ms. Mizer says, “Scrabble is our number one brand.” This didn’t surprise me because I saw 10 versions of Scrabble as I looked around. In addition, an exclusive glass Signature edition was released Nov. 17 in stores and online (bn.com). The configuration of the board is the same as the original game, but it is quite elegant in appearance, with a tempered glass playing surface, rotating game board and black tiles with white letters. An elegant gift for about $100.
For those addicted to crossword puzzles, B&N has dozens of books, some including Sunday puzzles from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. Many newspapers have daily puzzles that increase in difficulty each day, so there are also crossword puzzle books in series of Monday to Friday crosswords ranging from easy to cranium-crushing.
The following are descriptions of the best-liked word games, both by customers in local stores, and by national organizations and trade publications that give awards to games that meet their high criteria:
Zingo ($15.99) is a Bingo-like game designed for children ages 4 to 8. Each player’s card has nine squares, each showing a picture of a common object with its name printed below. Players try to fill their Zingo cards with matching tiles dispensed from the plastic Zingo Zinger. While children are playing, they are learning to recognize and spell words, and increasing their powers of concentration and memory. Rules can be adjusted to favor more or less competition among players, and to vary the length of time each game takes to play. Zingo has won accolades from 14 magazines and organizations.
Smart Mouth ($15) appeals to those who don’t want to spend time learning rules, but just want to start playing right away. Two or more players compete to be first to name a word of five or more letters that begins with the “start” letter and ends with the “end” letter randomly dispensed by the Letter Getter. The plastic letter cards include 36 orange first letters and 36 green last letters. Optional variations include winning for the longest word or the most words, or geographic or celebrity names. This is a good game for involving everyone at a party, or for when you have just a few minutes to play, because you can stop at any point. For ages 8 to adult, Smart Mouth has won awards from nine organizations.
Super Scrabble Deluxe Edition ($26.95) is an enlarged version of the standard Scrabble, for those who want to make more words and enjoy longer and more challenging games. There are 200 letter tiles (compared to 100 in the original), 440 spaces on the board (compared to 225), and 125 premium scoring spaces (compared to 61).
There is also a version of Super Scrabble Deluxe edition that has been modified for those with low vision. The rotating game board has a raised plastic grid to prevent tiles from sliding out of alignment, and the plastic letter tiles are bright white with letters printed in bold black ink, so the visually impaired can see them more clearly. (Available at amazon.com for $49.95.)
Bananagrams (about $15) is a fast and fun impromptu word game for ages 7 to adult that requires no pencil, paper or game board. All you need is a big enough table on which to place all 144 letter tiles face down. Depending on the number of players (from two to eight), each takes between 11 and 21 letters from the “bunch.” At a signal all players turn their own tiles face up and proceed to independently construct their own connecting and intersecting words, rearranging them as often as desired. The one who first succeeds in using all of his or her tiles to form a single connection of words is the winner. The letter tiles are zipped into a bright yellow banana bag. Bananagrams was in all the stores I visited and is the recipient of nine awards.
Keesdrow (“word seek” spelled backward) is a particularly challenging word game — one that you would give to the most accomplished word game player you know. Unlike other word games, all players have access at all times to the entire game board and to all the letters that fill up the board. Within a maze of letters, players compete for high score by connecting letters in sequence in any direction (up, down, left, right or diagonally) to form words. Letters are not removed from the board when they are used, but are worth extra points when later players incorporate those letters into their own words. The playing pieces are double-sided, 2-inch plastic tiles with four letters on each side. Since the tiles are randomly placed at the start of each game, every game is completely different. The game, for ages 8 and up, costs about $20 but a deluxe version with wood tiles — smaller in size but greater in number — sells for about $30. A video of the game play is on the Web site pywacketgames.com. Keesdrow has received awards from six organizations.
Word Sweep ($30) deals more with the meaning of words than their spelling. The object of the game is to guess three words that appear consecutively in any Merriam-Webster dictionary after hearing the definitions of the three words and their initial letter. Players can choose whether they want everyday words, intermediate words or challenging words. The three levels of difficulty make this an appropriate game for a family, although the starting age is 10. Word Sweep has won five awards.
AmuseAmaze (about $26) would delight the word game aficionado who relishes being among the first to own a new and unusual game. The game board is assembled from 15 to 18 maze boards (depending on the number of players), imprinted with letters, blank spaces and impenetrable hedges. To win, be first to form words that take you from the “Start” board to each “Target” board, and back to the “Start” board. Word length is irrelevant. What matters is whether the word brings you closer to your target. Use letters already on the board or cover any of those letters with a tile you received at the start of the game, or one you picked up on the path of a previous word you formed. The letter maze changes as you play. For ages 8 and up. Winner of seven awards.
I’ll always wonder what Sally’s grandmother bought: One of the games described above, or one of the many Scrabble variations?

