Review: Scrabble Flash

Written on Nov 20, 2010 by RuthJS and filed under Hasbro, Reviews

Hasbro has done it again! We got a sneak peak at Scrabble Flash at Toy Fair 2010, and liked it then. Now, after playing with it a bit, we like it even more! The all new Scrabble Flash was a big hit among our many reviewers from a broad age range. From 8-year-olds that spent at least an hour testing the number of words they could spell, to adults that enjoyed the 5 word only challenge, this game had something for everyone.

Out of the Box

In Scrabble Flash you receive 5 electronic tiles, a storage box, and some excellent instructions with pictures and descriptions (as a writer, the instructions matter to me; as a user, they matter even more). Each of the tiles has a button on the top and sensors on the sides. The top button turns the tile on and allows you to select the game you wish to play. When you make a word, the side sensors touch and record your score.

Hasbro has included three games with Scrabble Flash: “Five Letter,” “Five Letter Flash,” and “Pass Flash,” and the games can be played by one or several people at a time. The tiles already have a single 3.0 v button cell battery included, but, rest assured, when the batteries need to be replaced, the instructions are clear and easy to follow (did I mention that I’m a writer? .

Let’s Play!

To get started, use the silver button below the display on each tile to turn it on. When the “1, 2, 3″ menu appears, simply make your selection, and start shifting tiles! Make sure that the sides of the tiles touch when you have created a word so that you get credit for your brilliance!

The games are as follows:

1. Five Letter — Intended for one player or more players, the object is to find as many 3, 4, and 5 letter words as you can in 75 seconds. The tiles keep track of the number of valid words you create. At the end of the allotted time, the tiles show your score and then the maximum number of words that could have been created with the letters provided. It amazed all of our reviewers how many words they had missed out of the possible arrangements (like 6 out of 24 for the middle school language arts teacher)! “Five Letter” is fast-paced and fun!
2. Five Letter Flash — Our more experienced testers liked this game which required them to use all five letters given on the tiles to make as many words as they could in the allowed time. Again, the tiles kept track of the valid words created and scored each player against the number of possible words.
3. Pass Flash — For group play, this game allows several players to take turns making 5 letter words. Each player has a set amount of time to make a word using all  5 tiles. If successful, the tiles will display “Next” which is your cue to pass the tiles to the next person. The next person presses any button on any tile and receives 5 new letters and the same amount of time to create a word. If the player is unsuccessful in creating a word in the given time, the tiles flash “Out,” eliminating the player who then passes the tiles to the next person. Play continues like this until only one player is left. The winner then receives a crown, an ice cream sundae, and is referred to as “The Victor” for the rest of the day . . . oh wait, maybe that last part is just a rule in my house. Regardless of your celebration style, this game is action-packed, and our review group shared a lot of laughs as well as Scrabble words.

I should also mention that for the Scrabble pros out there (like my mother-in-law), Scrabble Flash also offers the option to play each game using only 4 tiles. Times are adjusted to accommodate this additional challenge.

In a Nutshell

With an approximate retail value of $29.99, I can already see this game as a big hit this holiday season. At least 4 of the reviewers (ages 8 to 61) have added Scrabble Flash to their holiday lists of wants.

We give Hasbro’s Scrabble Flash:

5 out of 5 stars

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