BidALetter_600Word  connoisseurs will love this game with its twists and turns around evolving letter grids. Add to the intrigue that each round begins with players bidding a letter for a chance to be the first to start or add to a word, in one of the four Word Chains. I won the first turn with “C” because it preceded my opponent’s “D” in the alphabet. From there we built our Word Chains of “cured,” “roped,” “calypso” and “teary,” one letter per turn, declaring the word we were forming. Here’s where it gets fun–you can create a new word, expand on an existing one, or change an existing word as it lengthens. T was on the grid when I added E and declared my intended word to be “tennis.” My opponent added A for “tea,” only to be changed again to “tear,” with my addition of R. After several rounds, my opponent said, “I like it!. It’s the Readers Digest of Scrabble. Complete words aren’t there taking up real estate!” Since only 4 Word Chains are allowed to be expanding at one time, players eventually get stumped when they can’t play their letter. They are penalized by removing the longest Word Chain and adding half the letters to their stash. The letter grid changes as well, providing a change in the game board, so to speak. With the abundance and simplicity of most word games, this game differs with some extra rules which seem complex at first, but are easily mastered as you enjoy the unique personality of the game. Stretching your mind to create, expand, and change existing words builds reading skills, expands vocabulary and strengthens problem solving as players race to be the first to use all their letters.

Available at SimplyFun. Click here