KerFilp! proved to be the perfect balance of fun for the novice word-game player and the “devout word nerd.” Simple enough to get started on a round, but challenging enough to stretch your word forming skills, KerFlip! was fast paced and fun. Each player draws the required number of tiles and flips them over to the ivory-side up. The race begins as players search for the longest possible word in the shortest time, hoping to be the first to call out their word–there’s a reward for that! Each player starts their timer when they identify a word. Once the players have called out their words or the timer expires, the round’s scoring begins, in the order of words called out. The first player to identify a word gets 10 points per letter. Flip the used letters over to their orange side, and start to score the second word called out. Orange letters (those previously used) are now only worth 5 points. The scoring continues in order, so that later participants get a smaller score. Popular letters, like vowels and common consonants get used first and the associated value declines for the subsequent players. My devout word-game devotee loved KerFlip!’s unique focus on rewarding quick action on longer words and the nicely designed playing surface with easy clean-up. After a round you sweep the used letter tiles into a chute that funnels them into a cup container, ready for the next game. As a language expert, I also appreciate that KerFlip! forces you to “think big”and try to assemble longer words for a higher score. Players have to think in common letter combinations and sequences of sounds used in longer words. Bigger words mean more challenging vocabulary so everyone is learning from each other.
Available at KerFlip!. Click here
Bob Artemenko contributed to this review. We won’t tell who is the word game novice and who is the devotee:)
