Boggle- the game (Boggle)

Member Name: joannabelle88

Product:	Boggle
Date:	06/07/09 (8 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: quick to play, no limit on players, encourages creativity

Disadvantages: repetitive, can cause arguments

Boggle is possibly my favourite game, and the one I will always pick if I get the chance. The reason for this is mainly it's flexibility. Each round only takes 3 minutes, so you can play just a couple if you're short of time, or go for a real marathon if you are looking for something longer. It also can be played by any number of people, although the more people you have, the lower your chances of scoring highly.

So what is Boggle? 16 cubes, with a letter on each side are shaken between the lid and the base at the beginning of each round. These are then turned out on to the base so that each cube lies flat, with one letter facing upwards. The lid is then removed, and the 3 minute egg timer turned over. Players must then write down as many words as they can find on the grid, the rules being that each word must be 3 or more letters, plurals aren't allowed, and each of the letters must be connected to each of the ones previous to and after it, this can be diagonal. Also, each letter cube can only be used once per word.

After the 3 minutes are up, players take turns reading out their words, crossing off any that another player has got. Their final score is the number of words that they alone got.

To do well in this game you need to be creative with you words, and have an excellent vocabulary of 3 letter words, as these are the ones that occur most often, however anyone can play, and enjoy, this game. It is also worth noting that words such as tar can also be scored as rat and so on.

The good points: Boggle is accessible to everyone of any age, although it is definitely a game that you improve at the more you play it. It is flexible, and can be fitted into almost any timescale. It has no limit of players, and brings people closer together.

The bad points: It can get repetitive after awhile, arguments can break out over whether a word exists or not.

Overall, a great game, but worth playing with people of a similar language ability to yourself for the first few times.

Summary: good to play with people similarly matched to yourself, or as a family game after dinner