People who love to play Scrabble will love gifts that improve their Scrabble game. They will, also, love gifts that make their Scrabble game more fun and challenging. When deciding on a gift, consider how the person plays Scrabble. Does he or she play Scrabble among family and friends, or does he or she play Scrabble at Scrabble clubs and official Scrabble tournaments?
Scrabble Dictionary and Word Lists
The Official Scrabble Player’s Dictionary (OSPD) makes an ideal gift for the Scrabble player who plays Scrabble at home among family and friends. Although this Scrabble dictionary does not contain all of the words that can be played in official Scrabble tournaments, millions of Americans use this family friendly dictionary to settle disputes and challenges when playing Scrabble in their homes.
For the Scrabble player who is interested in tournament play, a homemade CD-RW with the Official Tournament and Club Word List, or the Tournament Word List (TWL), would make a perfect gift. The TWL is a modified version of the OSPD that is the official word list used in Scrabble tournaments in North America. For registered Scrabulous members, the TWL word list is free upon e-mail request (Registration for this online Scrabble site is easy and free).
Word lists divided by category can be added to the CD-RW as well:
2 and 3 letter acceptable words
Words containing Q, J, Z and X
Words starting with “out,” “un,” or “re”
Words ending in “-ing”
All vowel words
All consonant words
A quick Google search should help you find these lists on the Internet. Copy and paste these words into separate Word documents, and add it to the CD-RW. The gift recipient can add more word lists at his or her leisure.
If the Scrabble player has not heard of Scrabulous, you can include a hyperlink to this online Scrabble site on the CD-RW as well.
Digital Game Timer
In Scrabble tournaments, digital game timers are used. With a dual timer, you can play like the pros do. For example, you can set the timer for 20 minutes. There is a time displayed for each player. After each person makes a play, he or she depresses a button to stop the time. Each player can take as long as he or she wants to make a move, but he or she must complete all of his or her moves within 20 minutes. You can make the game more or less challenging by adding or decreasing the minutes allotted, or you can add a handicap by allowing less minutes for yourself than your opponent.
Scrabble Calendar
The Scrabble Page a Day Calendar makes a great gift and learning tool for the serious Scrabble player. Each page of the calendar challenges the person’s mind with different Scrabble puzzles and plays. For example, one day of the calendar may have a list of four words, and you have to guess which one is not allowed in Scrabble play.
Books
Books that improve the Scrabble player’s game will be greatly appreciated by the Scrabble lover. An excellent book that falls into this category is Everything Scrabble by Joe Edley. This book is a must have for all Scrabble players who want to improve their game. Everything Scrabble is an invaluable tool for both entry-level Scrabble players and Scrabble players who are interested in tournament level play.
Although this is not a how-to book, Scrabble lovers will, also, love Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players by Stefan Fatsis. This book gives the reader an intriguing look into the world of Scrabble, its players and tournament play. This is an absorbing and interesting read that any Scrabble player would enjoy.
Video
Word Wars is a documentary that follows the lives of four of the game’s highest ranked players in Scrabble. Word Wars is similar to the book Word Freak, and Scrabble lovers will love the intriguing look into the lives of these tournament players. In this documentary, the viewer gets to follow the always interesting and surprising lives of four Scrabble players before, during and after a National Scrabble tournament.
Scrabble Travel Edition
The Scrabble Game Folio makes a great gift for the Scrabble player on the go. The Scrabble board is small and compact, and the tiles snap into the board. It can be played in a car, plane or bus without the fear of any tiles being lost. The board can be stored easily in its soft-sided zippered case without disturbing a game in progress.
Scrabble Board Upgrade
Scrabble Deluxe makes a delightful gift for any avid Scrabble player. The Scrabble board can rotate 360 degrees, and the spaces on the board for tiles are depressed making it impossible for tiles to slide off the board. The attractive game board and four tile racks are made of plastic, and the wooden tiles are darkly stained with gold lettering on it. A velvet bag holds the tiles, and a timer, score pad, and rules booklet come with the set.
PC Scrabble
The Scrabble CD-ROM Crossword Game by Infogrames makes it possible to play Scrabble whenever you want. With this Windows 96/98/Me compatible game, the Scrabble lover can play against one to four other people or against the computer itself at six different skill levels. Serious Scrabble players will love the customizable dictionary and the option to view all the possible word combinations that can be created with the tiles on one’s rack. This makes a great gift and learning tool for any Scrabble lover.
Super Scrabble
Super Scrabble is like the classic Scrabble board game on steroids. Scrabble lovers will love this beefed up version of Scrabble as a gift. It has double the tiles, almost two times more spaces, and quadruple word scores. Scrabble players will enjoy its new challenges and the longer game play.
Scrabble Apparel and Accessories
For a laugh, you can give your gift recipient a cute Scrabble themed t-shirt from Café Press. You can choose from printed t-shirts bearing the words, “I suq at Scrabble,” “Stop looking at my rack,” and many others. Scrabble themed tote bags, journals and mugs are available as well.
Reference:
- Request a TWL word list at www.scrabulous.com. ; Search for Scrabble related products at www.amazon.com. Search for Scrabble themed apparel and accessories at www.cafepress.com. ;
