Scattergories --- A Hasbro Game of Word Association for the Whole Family
Written: Jan 25 '06 (Updated Jan 25 '06)
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Pros: fun game, makes you think quickly, everyone can play, relies on common knowledge
Cons: could become redundant if over-played
The Bottom Line: Scattergories is one of those games that everyone can enjoy playing, and even a beginning player could become a champion quickly. It is based on word association.
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| three_ster's Full Review: Scattergories |
Scattergories is a game that is all about thinking quickly, and being able to come up with unique answers that none of your competitors would be able to think of. It is an easy to learn game that can be fun for anyone, no matter what their age. That lends it to being very fun in groups or as a family, and it doesn't require a high level of intelligence to play. Sure, when you break down the strategies it could be helpful to be smarter than your opponent, but that doesn't guarantee anything in this game.
Scattergories is a word association game, where 2 to 4 opponents have to come up with words that correlate to a specific letter. The game comes with 12 Scattergorie cards that each have a list of 12 categories listed on them. In addition, you will have a 20-sided die that has a different letter of the alphabet on each side (the non-common letters like Q and Z are removed). Every player is given a folder to put their answers in, an answer pad to write down those answers, and one of the pencils. The timer is started and the players are off.
On the answer pads are 12 lines, which correlate to the 12 categories which are listed on the category cards. When a letter is rolled, all of the players then have to come up with a word for each category that starts with that specific letter. For example, if the letter 'R' is rolled, and one of the categories happens to be something like a sport you could use Racing. If it is a food, you could say Rolls. You come up with an answer for each of the 12 categories before the time runs out, and then those answers are compared to the ones that everyone else was able to come up with.
The trick to the game, is that you want to come up with the most unique answers for each of the categories. When you are comparing answers, you go down the list and each person reads of the specific category in turn. If there is a duplicate answer, that one is thrown out. This means that you want to come up with answers that you think nobody else will list on their cards. The more original your answer, the higher potential you have to gain points for that round. After all of the answers have been compared, you total how many points you have for that round at the bottom, and play the 2nd of 3 rounds. For the game, you do it all on the same card, but you roll the die to come up with a new starting letter.
With only 12 cards to play from, it may be in your best interest to come up with new cards for yourself. There is no limit to how many you come up with, and all you need to do is come up with 12 original categories that people could guess words from. Doing that could make the game seem more fresh and interesting for a family that plays it a lot. It is also cool though, if you are using categories you have come up with, to change the house rules slightly, or to even work in teams to come up with exciting ways to play Scattergories.
Some rules nuances that I should point out, are things that you might not think about while in starting the game, but which could come up later. When you are answering you can't use the same word twice on a round or game. That means that you can't use words that have two meaning in different ways. The best example I have heard is that if you need a girl's name and a flower, you can't say Violet as your answer for both of them. Also, if you are listing something, make sure that you can back up your answer if someone decides to challenge it. The timer does last for 2 1/2 minutes so there is time to skip through your answers, and come back to a category you might have trouble dealing with. Remember it is all about totals, and you don't necessarily need an answer for every line.
Scattergories is the type of game that everyone in a family can enjoy. As you can see by the way it is set up, anyone can learn how to play it quickly, and anyone can be good at it on the first attempt. It is easy to score, and if you come up with your own homemade categories it can be very exciting for guests who come over to play games. It does have the potential to seem redundant after playing it for a while, but if you edit your house rules to fit what your family thinks is fun, then it can be exciting all over again. I highly recommend this as a very family-friendly game, and you can normally pick it up for less than $20.00 anywhere games are sold.
Game Contents:
12 Scattergory category cards
4 'Scattergories' folders
4 Answer pads
4 mini pencils
A Scattergories 20 sided letter die
The Scattergories timer
The Scattergories rules
A die-rolling board
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 15.99
Type of Toy: Game
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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