VOCABULARY ENHANCER (Boggle)

Member Name: xelavie

Product:	Boggle
Date:	08/06/01 (375 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Enhances vocabulary

Disadvantages: Noisy because of the scrambling of the letters

Boggle comes in a 4x4 or 5x5 letter cubes. Using an agreed time limit of from 3 to 5 minutes, players form words by connecting the letters horizontally or vertically as they appear in the Boggle set after the initial scramble. Only adjacent letters are allowed.

For the 4x4 set, the minimum length of the words is 4 letters and for the 5x5 set, the minimum is 5 letters. But the minimum really depends on the players themselves. For lower levels, the 4x4 minimum can be 3 letters and for the higher level, the 5x5 can be set a minimum of 6 letters (that's how we play it).

Scoring. When the time limit expires, players, one at a time, recite all the words they have listed and if a word is duplicated in another players list then that word is stricken off, on all players' lists . Only words remaining in the list will gain a score of one point for the minimum length and another point for each extra letter. E.g. In a 4x4 set, WINDOW is not stricken off, it earns 6 points. Non-existent words claimed by a player gets a demerit or minus points.

Another good thing to take note off regarding word formation is the redundancy of the suffix "er" like printer, maker, etc. In a formal play, only common "er" words are accepted and colloquials or uncommon verb-words are discounted - such as yawner, eater, sleeper, etc. For ROOT words, the longer word remains. E.g. TAKEN strikes off TAKE or PLEASED strikes off PLEASE but not PLEA because plea is of a different word origin.

For good measure, always include penny bets to achieve seriousness and fun. The first player to get 10 points gets a penny from each of the other players. Try it now!

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