Pyramid Review
Play On Words
Published by Winning Moves Games
102 full-color letter cards, 10 full-color Challenge cards, plastic tray, instruction sheet; $11.00
With the rank profusion of letter and language-based games these days -- LetterHead, My Word!, AlphaBlitz -- it's a wonder there's enough intellectual ground left to keep more coming out. Winning Moves Games nevertheless throws its hat into the literary gaming ring with Play on Words, another card-based word-building game.
The object of the game is to score the greatest point total by the end of the game. Every round, players are given a hand of cards with which to build words. Each of the rounds is run according to a Challenge card that instructs players how to build words that round. The letter cards come in red, blue, and green, but some Challenge cards may require you to build "pure" words -- i.e., all of one color, though "wild" cards can be made to count for whatever the player wishes.
Players first have the opportunity to "meet the challenge," that is, to build words according to the instructions on that round's Challenge card. Everyone takes turns building their own words. Once you've built the requisite words, you aren't allowed to play any more words, which can be a problem because you only score points when you empty your hand of cards. Without the ability to pump cards into additional words, you have to alter the words already on the table.
This is an opportunity . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: April 11, 2003
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