Cost: $10.00 + ~$3.00 s&h (money orders only, no personal
checks)
From: Chieftain Products, 265 Champagne Drive, Downsview,
Ontario M3J 2C6
Players: 1-4
Playing Time: 45-120 minutes
Type of game: Word
Complexity: 2 Skill level: 7
Chance Level: 7 Overall: 8
Reviewed by: Peter Sarrett, Issue 1.1, June 1992
'Swoggle has been called "Scrabble without any tiles." The game board is a crossword-like grid on which players take turns placing words to score points. Players may use any letters they wish (writing them directly on the board with the included dry-erase marker), but must roll a die to determine the number of letters they must play. As in Scrabble, you play your letters in any one row or column to form exactly one word in that direction (and possibly more words perpendicular to that direction). Rather than certain letters being worth more than others, each space has a point value attached to it. The score for each word is the total point value of all spaces used in that word, and you score for all words formed by your play of letters. The value of some spaces is not fixed, but is instead determined by rolling the die 1-3 times whenever they are part of a scoring word. Thus, unlike Scrabble, you can score these premium spaces even if you weren't the player to fill them with a letter. The first player to reach 300 points is the winner. You may wish to lower the goal to 200 in a four player game, since 300 might take a while. Although luck plays a large role in this game-- rolling the right number of letters for that great play you're thinking of is often crucial-- creativity and skill in choosing words are equally important. Be wary of playing simple nouns and verbs, for example, lest your opponent come along later and append an S to add the score from your word to his own. I also recommend enforcing a strict time limit on moves. When you've got the whole alphabet at your disposal, it is often difficult to make a quick decision about what to play where. 'Swoggle is an engaging word game, a delight for people who always seem to get stuck with a Scrabble rack full of vowels, or the Q without a U. It's a steal at twice the price.