Boggle (Jewel Case)

by Atari

Product Features

• Race against the clock to create high-scoring words from a jumble of letter cubes
• Offers Classic Play as well as 4 new games
• Experience out-of-this-world action in Space Boggle, test tactical skills in Battle Boggle, face In Your Face Boggle and go 3-D in Breakaway Boggle
• Slick graphics, fast 3-D action, and more explosive sound effects will keep you coming back for more
• System Requirements: Windows 95

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004VX47
• Product Dimensions: 4.9 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches ; 3.2 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,899 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

GameSpot Review

Boggle CD-ROM is a faithfully computerized and expanded version of the board (cube?) game, enhanced with new variations on the basic theme of spelling words from a random assortment of cubes with different letters on each face and expanded to allow multiple players to battle each other across networks.

Boggle 101: You and one or more of your literate friends stare at a 4x4 or 5x5 matrix of letter cubes. You all spend the next two minutes ferreting out and writing down what long and hopefully hard-to-find words can be spelled legally from the letters in the grid. To spell a word legally, you must by able to place a mental finger on its first letter and move your finger through the grid, traversing the letters that make up the word in order, and always moving from one letter to another that is adjacent to it, either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. After a couple of minutes of spelling words, all players stop and compare their lists, crossing out any words that appear on more than one player's list. Then, scores are tallied; longer words score more points. Winners are determined, and fortunes are made and lost.

On the computer, Boggle changes a bit. Hasbro has provided word gamers with the classic Boggle game, as well as five variations. Since a computer has but one keyboard, two or more human players cannot play seriously on the same computer. (The CD-ROM does allow multiple players to use the keyboard sequentially and play a game that way, but so much of the pace of the game is lost this way that I cannot recommend it at all.) Those who will enjoy this game will enjoy playing against a computer opponent, bettering their own high scores, and competing with players connected to the Internet.

Boggle across the Internet is great. Of the five different games one can play off the CD, three can be played on Microsoft's Internet Gaming Zone (http://www.zone.com), and they've all got their merits. While I think I have to claim Classic Boggle, with the simple 4x4 or 5x5 letter grid, as my favorite, I had some tense matches online playing a more head-to-head variation called Battle Boggle. In this variation, you and your opponent take turns placing letters from your letter stashes on a small grid and spelling as many words as you can from the letters there before letting the other put another letter down. Since the game starts with only one letter on the grid, the first few rounds are mostly spent analyzing your own and your opponent's letters, but after a few more letter cubes have been placed, one player or the other will always burst through with an exciting flurry of words. You both play on separate three-minute timers that only tick while you are on your turn, so you can conserve time and have a lot to play with when the words in the grid are more plentiful. Of course, you never can tell when there's a nine-letter bibliographic behemoth lurking amidst the J's, G's, K's, and Z's; that's what makes the game so tense.

At the end of any of the game variations, you and your opponents (human or computer) have your scores tallied and your word lists displayed onscreen, often spurring a bit of self-reflection as you spy obvious and familiar words on your opponents' lists and curse yourself for your own intellectual shortcomings and sometimes calling up perhaps a moue of incredulity on your lips as you notice something on someone's list that you've never, ever heard of before, and which quite possibly looks like a misspelling of "syzygy" or worse. Here's where a nice touch by Hasbro pays off - every word on every list is clickable and will call up a dictionary-style definition for it, with pronunciation, usage, and multiple definitions. No more arguments!

Solitary word-gamers will enjoy the CD, but most will treat their solo forays into the game as practice for online competition. Computer opponents provide some motivation, but as we all know by now, there's no substitute for the kind of inspiration that can be provided by a sneaky, nerdy 15-year-old bookworm who's kicking your butt from Aardvark to Zygote. If you're going to have fun with this game, you've gotta get online. Whether you do it with a modem, on your local LAN, across the Internet head-to-head, or through Internet Gaming Zone, head-to-head play against human opponents is where Boggle shines. --Lawrence R Edelstein
--Copyright ©1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

Product Description

Boggle Your Brain with 5 Different GamesProduct InformationBoggle one of the world's most popular word games is brought to lifein this exciting new CD-ROM version from Hasbro Interactive. Boggle CD-ROMhas five distinct game play variations that take advantage of all the excitingcapabilities of multi-media and raise the game of Boggle to whole new levelsof fun.  Classic Boggle - Create words while theclock ticks down!Breakaway Boggle - The multi-dimensional game ofword play!Battle Boggle - A two player war of words againstthe clock!Space Boggle - an intergalactic Boggle battle!In Your Face Boggle - Look deep into the well ofletters - see what words you can find! Product Features  Network PlayChat FeatureCustomize each game variant View the high scoresAdjust the graphicsConsult the dictionary Minimum RequirementsWindows 95/98/Me/XPDouble speed CD-ROM drive12MB RAM11MB free hard disk spaceDX2 66MHz processor1MB SVGA cardSoundBlaster or 100% compatibleRecommended RequirmentsWindows 95/98/Me/XPQuad speed CD-ROM drive12MB RAMPentium 75 processor2MB SVGA card56K baud or higher modemSoundBlaster AWE32 or 100% compatible  

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Word Game!, August 19, 2000

By 

Linda P (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boggle (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

I have had this CD for about a year and still never tire of it. It has enhanced my vocabulary immeasurably! I really only play the "Master Boggle" instead of the reagular 3-letter Boggle. Some of the other options are very interesting to play. I like it so much, I'm ordering another to keep at the office (shhh, don't tell my boss!) Well worth the minimal cost for some brain-working fun!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great way to enjoy a favorite game!, December 4, 2000

By 

SnailLady (Minnesota, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boggle (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

As a fan of Boggle, I was overjoyed to find this computer version so I could play against the computer. I like being able to use the Master Boggle board (25 cubes) for an added challenge. You can set the level of difficulty by choosing the ability level of your opponent.

I have three criticisms about the program: 1. The list of allowable words has some words that no one in their right mind would know. The program provides definitions for most words, but not for these obscure words...and the words you need definitions for are the obscure ones! 2. Mr. Boggle (the computer expert) comes up with all the obscure words; and 3. If you make two computer opponents with the same skill level, they list all the same words and therefore cancel each other out. It's an easy way to win, but it seems like an oversight on the part of the manufacturer.

I don't enjoy the 4 variations quite as much as the original, but they are interesting to try.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A real shame, January 6, 2002

By 

Ben Flynn (La Jolla, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boggle (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

It is my belief that some years ago a number of Hasbro executives met in a room and decided to cash in on their highly recognized board game titles by computerizing them. This could have led to definitive, high quality software versions of games like Boggle. Instead we have a game with ridiculous and chintzy graphic effects that do nothing for gameplay, an array of absurd "sub-games," and, most importantly, a software product that does not seem to get updated/patched.

The game is playable (at least on some versions of Windows), and playing opponents on the internet is perhaps its strongest selling point. However, the release of this product also brought a wave of legal action against existing rogue Boggle-like sites ...The result, unfortunately, probably did more to hurt the Boggle community than help, as most rogue sites, in addition to being free and platform independent, were also responsive to user requests and are now largely shut down.

Hasbro is depending on market-share and market-reach to sell this game. I recommend holding them to a higher standard and not buying the computer version of it.