325 of 327 people found the following review helpful:
fast, portable fun for anyone who can spell
Do you like Scrabble but get hung up trying to use those special point squares, are bummed when someone "steals your spot", or dragged down by Debbie Dictionary ("just let me look up this one word") or Slow Joe (who takes 20 minutes for each turn)? Well you would love Bananagrams, because it solves those problems. There are no special squares (or squares at all), no...
34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
Or... you could use your Scrabble game
This product appears to simply be official packaging for a game we've been calling "Speed Scrabble" for years. Just ditch the Scrabble board and use the letters. Each time a player finishes using all the letters he's drawn, he yells "Draw 2!" and everyone takes two more tiles. The first person to use up all tiles wins. Scoring is negative: just add up the values of...
Do you like Scrabble but get hung up trying to use those special point squares, are bummed when someone "steals your spot", or dragged down by Debbie Dictionary ("just let me look up this one word") or Slow Joe (who takes 20 minutes for each turn)? Well you would love Bananagrams, because it solves those problems. There are no special squares (or squares at all), no points on the letters (all are worth the same) and no time to dawdle. You are instead rewarded for speed and flexibility in making your own crossword. You can completely pull apart your crossword and start from scratch if you need to or just swap out a letter here and there, but don't get caught with a bunch of spare letters when an opponent goes out!
It is exciting and challenging to play this game with adults, but it can be fun to include the kids. You can easily adapt the rules to suit yourself. We "handicap" the adults by drawing two tiles for every one the kids draw. You can play solitaire or have several players.
A similar game that I also love is Learning Resources' "Take Four". If you are the type who would prefer to have a grid to keep those tiles straight, or likes to have a few "jokers" thrown in, you might prefer this. But Banagrams is far more portable and much cheaper. I like both of these games so much (as well as the spelling card games Quiddler, My Word, and Tri-Virsity) that the old Scrabble board is gathering dust.
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This is a family favorite! There are a variety of ways you can play this game. We use three or four sets for our large "extended" family games. One of the best facets of this game is its portability--fits in a purse, backpack, or car glove box. We give bonus points at the end of each for the most creative word, longest word, etc.
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I played this game with a close family member and was in love with it at first sight. Unlike Scrabble, you play somewhat independently and are able to rearrange words constantly to make your letters fit and to create new words. You know that annoying friend or family who always takes your spot in scrabble??? They can't take the spot you wanted to use! You're truly working against the clock to be the first to say "Bananas!"
I've bought it for everyone I know as a gift since then. It's original, super fun and portable. A great game to travel with, play in hotel, at pool, on plane, keep kids busy at restaurant (or you and your friend/ spouse) while waiting for dinner! Lots of ways to use this portable, simple game.
I highly recommend and will continue to give this as a gift.
Only negative I can conceive...durability. Be careful of marking the letters somehow. We hope no one cheats, but if you scratch them on a black table...well then...try to clean it off.
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First purchased this game in Minneapolis. It's for all age groups over 5.
Before school the game was played by 3rd and [...] grandchildren. Just recently played it with 2 retired teachers, a lst grade teacher, and a librarian. We couldn't stop playing it. Later one of the friends called to say she had just ordered two of games; one for her home and the other for the granddaughters. Many ways to play. Exciting!
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I was shopping for a Christmas gift for my niece last December, and came across all of these rave reviews for Bananagrams. So I bought one for us 50/60-somethings instead (she'll get one this year.) It lives on the kitchen table and we play a few games almost every morning before we go to work. GREAT GAME!!!!! No waiting around for your turn, no angst trying to achieve the triple-word-value square, no getting stuck with hopeless letters turn after turn, no arguments, no dictionary - just pure love of and fun with words. It's complete flexible and you can easily change the rules, for example if you are playing with a novice or child, or just for a change (try playing into and building onto your opponent's pattern.) It definitely gets tossed into my travel bag from now on.
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I have nothing to add to all the exemplary praises of the other reviews, but did want to say that this game arrives in its zipped banana pouch carrier, with no bulky box or packaging. It's the size of a fat banana, and would fit neatly into a Christmas stocking.
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This product appears to simply be official packaging for a game we've been calling "Speed Scrabble" for years. Just ditch the Scrabble board and use the letters. Each time a player finishes using all the letters he's drawn, he yells "Draw 2!" and everyone takes two more tiles. The first person to use up all tiles wins. Scoring is negative: just add up the values of everyone's left-over tiles, like at the end of Scrabble.
For three or more people, it does help to have two sets of tiles, of course.
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We bought this for my oldest daughter's birthday (12 years old) and it has quickly become one of our family's favorite games. It's quick, you can change up the rules to make it work for young or old. We highly recommend it. It's so simple but so fun!
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This game is so much fun. A friend introduced it to me while we were on a roadtrip to the Pacific NW, where it seems to have caught on, but back in NYC, I haven't been able to find it in any toystores. It was described to me as "Scrabble meets Boggle," and that's about right, but more stimulating than either. I am addicted!
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