So what's the solution? Play QUIDDLER!! Our family loves this game - you can complete a whole game in an hour or less (or you could stop half-way through and finish the game the next evening). In Quiddler, you create words, but unlike Scrabble, it's not always the one with the best vocabulary who gets the most points. You try to make words out of all your letters - there might be a long word which gets lots of points, but it might be little brother over there who is able to make several short words who gets the "most words" bonus and jumps ahead of everyone else!

We played this game last night and were surprised how fast things change - someone who is way ahead after the 3rd round can be behind after the 4th. Just one round can dramatically change things!

Pick a dictionary and let that be your judge on whether or not something is a word. Be sure to find the dictionary BEFORE you start playing because you'll need it!

We've played this game with 4, 5, and 6 people. Anywhere from 1 to 8 people can play - now that's a versatile game!

This is one game where a child isn't necessarily at a disadvantage when playing with adults.

The cards are beautiful - be sure to take time during your fun family evening to notice them!

After loving this game, I bought Set for Christmas and we're going to play this one tonight! ... .

121 of 123 found the following review helpful:

simple to learn, easy to play .....a fun spelling game?  Aug 27, 2000
By B. Battaglia "hockey legend"
this game is very easy to pick up and play right out of the box. A total of eight hands are dealt which makes the game short and sweet. We play without a dictionary which is more fun. The players vote on whether we think a word is valid and majority rules. The game really bogs down with players constantly looking up words. The first person to be able to play their whole hand, with one card as a discard, goes out and the rest of the players have one turn to put down as many words as possible. Points are scored based on letter value and some cards have more than one letter such as "qu" or "cl". You lose points for letters that can't be played. You cant play your cards on another players word. Highest score after 8 hands is the winner. Spelling and game usually don't go well together but this is a fun game for any age. I personally like Five crowns better.

113 of 115 found the following review helpful:

The most creative and versatile word game I have played  Jul 26, 1999

Everyone at our house is looking for the dictionary to help find the best word to use the cards we have been dealt or have drawn. Because it is always challenging (and to avoid disputes) we would recommend the Scrabble Dictionary or a good pocket dictionary as a traveling companion to Quiddler.

The progressive play of the cards (from 3 to 10 cards) changes the dynamics as you begin each round of play and creates new challenges each turn. Perhaps our family is not as competitive as some but we enjoy helping each player optimize the letters (cards) s/he is caught with after the first player goes down. We can all join in finding the best combinaton of words from each players hand to give him/her the best score with the available cards. It is interesting how many options can be found with the same set of letters... very educational and a lot of fun.

I like the solitaire version also... if I have no-one else to play with.

66 of 67 found the following review helpful:

Educational game that can be enjoyed anywhere by almost one  Oct 05, 1999

"Quiddler," not exactly a household word, but guaranteed, five years from now it will roll off tongues as easily as "Scrabble." Like Scrabble, Quiddler is a word game where points are scored by letters used in spelling words; unlike Scrabble, it's played with cards in a sequence of eight hands, which makes it a quicker game. The deck is portable, great to throw in the suitcase for a trip. Playing in the car or on a plane is no problem. A couple of hands of Quiddler while your child waits to see a doctor or dentist provide a distraction as well as entertain. Quiddler challenges every age group from age 8 and can be played by just adults, just kids, or a mixture without losing its appeal. I could go on about Quiddler's educational value, vocabulary building, but the bottom line in playing games is the question, "Will I have Fun?" For Quiddler, the answer a simple "Indeed."

44 of 44 found the following review helpful:

Wonderful game!  Oct 29, 1999

My family started out playing Five Crowns (by the same company) but now Quiddler is our favorite game. Making words is much more challenging than compiling runs or sequences of numbers, and sometimes you come up with some hilarious combinations of words in a single hand. Fast paced and challenging, without being too complicated, Quiddler is one of the best games I have ever played (and I'm not much of a game player!)

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