If you’re a Scrabble fan, Word Winder is definitely worth adding to your board game collection. The game challenges you to find words on a grid, much like in a pen and paper word search puzzle. You win by creating a continuous unbroken line of words from one end of the board to the other.
I like that the cards have letters on both sides and can be combined in a bunch of different ways so that the game board is always new. This makes Word Winder a good choice if you are looking for a board game with a lot of replay value.
There are three different colors of chips in the Word Winder set. This works out well for my family of three, but you will need to form teams if you have a bigger group that wants to play.
My son is almost eight, so he’s realistically a little young for word games. He understood the basic concept of this game, but had trouble being able to spell some of the words he wanted to make. I do think it was easier for him to play than Scrabble, however, because there wasn’t the concern about adding up points and getting double or triple letter scores.
For me, the hardest part of the game was getting used to spelling words diagonally. In Word Winder, words may be spelled in any direction as long as the square of each letter in the word is touching the square of the word’s next letter. You can even switch directions in the middle of the word, although this is likely to confuse younger children.
Overall, I’d say Word Winder is a worthy addition to your collection of family-friendly games even if you need to modify the game somewhat for to make it easier for younger players.
You can learn more about Word Winder by visiting the game’s website.
Disclaimer: A sample Word Winder game was provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of preparing this review.
Photo credit: Word Winder
