Boggle

  It's easy to overlook a simple game like Boggle. If you look closely at my picture, you'll see I got mine for 99 cents at Goodwill. I wonder if people get this as a gift and don't play it. The "3-minute word search game," as the box refers to it, doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but it's fun, educational, and hey, it only takes three minutes.
  We have a handicap system at my house. When my son was 7, he was allowed to use two-letter words, and I'd add 10 points to his score. But he's almost 9 now, and I think we need to scale back his advantage.
  The game includes a grid into which lettered cubes are randomly set. Players each write down the words they find. The letters must be touching, but can go straight, diagonal, in a circle, backward. When you add up your score, longer words count for more points, and any word that another person has on his list doesn't count. There always seem to be a few words that were staring me in the face, but I missed them.
  For ages 8 to adult, 2 or more players. Cost: About $14.

Our rating: 4 out of 5 stars