Original Idea

has grown out of my fondness for words. It combines two steps: the deciphering of words associated with solving word jumbles, and formulating words from a set of letters as in games such as Scrabble or Boggle.

The link between these two steps is that the words used in the decipher phase establish the set of letters used to complete the formulate phase. Thus players employ not a randomly selected set of letters but a set of letters from actual words.

Educational Context

The underlying goal of is exercising the mind and improving vocabulary. It starts with the word strips that have sets of three words used to start the decipher phase. Each word has a hint or short definition to help out as needed. It continues with the formulate phase, where players come up with words they know using the same set of letters.

The game is fun to play, but at the same time it helps strengthen problem-solving and conceptualization skills. The problem to be solved involves identifying words hidden in scrambled letters on a game board. The conceptualization skill involves finding these words through manipulation of the letters by moving them around on the game board.

It is recommended that a dictionary be kept handy to determine if the words deciphered and formulated are actual words and are spelled correctly.

Flexibility

The beauty of lies in the framework that links the two phases, using actual words to establish the letters that will be used in each round. There is an inherent flexibility that allows players to vary the level of difficulty and thus adapt the game to different age groups and skill levels.

• At the start of the decipher phase of a round, players are directed to choose a set of three words (from one of the word strips) to begin. Each set has a 4-letter, 5-letter and 6-letter word.
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  However, to make it easier players can decide to use three of the 4-letter words. To make it more difficult, use three of the 6-letter words. Or, come up with original sets of words (matched to a book used in a reading class, for example).
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• In the formulate phase, vary the level of difficulty by deciding the minimum number of letters needed for a word being created. The official rule suggests a minimum of two letters, but this could be three or four letters to accommodate more skillful players.

The flexibility does not stop here. Players are encouraged to come up with their own variations of the game.

Freshness

An important characteristic of   is that each time it is played, it is different. It offers new challenges, not the same predictable outcomes.

In the word strips are just the start. They provide 192 sets of three words with which to start each round of play. But even when a set is used again, the way the letters are scrambled at the start and what words a player formulates will not be the same. Then there are another 80 sets of three words (without hints) provided. Finally, players can come up with their own sets of words.

Providing hints is an important aspect of the decipher phase. When a player has difficulty deciphering a scrambled word, a hint is given. For example for the scrambled word “p u s p r e” the hint could be dinner. The point is not to stump or frustrate a player, but to help each other discover the words.

Important Premise

From the outset was intended to be a board game rather than a computer game, which is a solitary endeavor. A board game with multiple players fosters social interaction and this was an important underlying goal. This could be kids playing together or adults playing together. It could be inter-generational: parents and children, adults with their parents, or grandparents and their grandchildren.

To date has been played by kids and adults in:

• After school programs
• Middle/High School classrooms
• College classrooms
• Coffee shops
• Home schooling
• Nursing homes/independent living
• Living rooms and family rooms

Scoring and Timing

The game comes with scoring guidelines as well as a sand timer, but in field testing neither was an important consideration. The overriding feedback was that the satisfaction was in discovering the words within the letters, not in keeping score. So use these or don’t as feels most comfortable.