I am comparing the Scrabble game by Hasbro Gaming in a bright red box with white "SCRABBLE" on front and pictures of lots of letter tiles that I purchased on July 13, 2019 ..... AND
a Scrabble game I purchased over 40 years ago that came in what I consider a purple box, some may call it dark burgundy or dark wine. My old game has gold lettering on the box, no pictures, and the box is kind of a textured cardboard, not smooth and glossy.
COMPARISON:
For anyone who just wants the main two differences without reading everything:
1. The new game has a larger board, but the actual playing area of the board is almost the same.
The new board has a wider strip down one side to say "SCRABBLE" and to tell you how many of each letter there are. It tells you this on both sides of the border, facing the player who sits on either side.
2. The new game has lightweight red plastic racks to hold your letters. My old game has heavy duty wooden racks. Both WORK fine, but I prefer wood personally.
If you want more exact specs and differences, as well as what HASN'T changed, read on:
Old Board measures a tad over 14 1/4 x 14. The actual playing area is 12 1/4 x 11.
New Board measures just shy of 15 1/2 x 14. The actual playing area is 12 1/2 x 11 1/4.
Both boards fold in half. Mine is still in great condition. Hopefully new board will hold up as well.
The backside of the old board is purple (or wine?). The back side of the new board is black.
The instructions are printed inside the lid on the old game; on a nice brochure in the new game.
The box for the old game measures 14 1/2 x 7 1/2 and is kind of textured heavy duty cardboard.
The new game box measures 15 3/4 x 7 1/2 and is a lighter weight standard cardboard game box.
The old game tells you only on one end of the board how many of each letter, so it is upside down
and hard to see for the person sitting on the opposite side. The new board has it printed on both ends of the wide border, facing in the direction of the person sitting on either side, so it's easy to read for both.
The Double Letter, Double Word, Triple Word colored squares on the board are the same on both.
The letter tiles are the same size in both and definitely look and feel like wood to me, in both. There are 98 letters and 2 blanks in both games, and the same number of each letter in both games. (There are more of commonly used letters such as vowels, especially E and A, and N's and R's. And only one of letters like J, Q, X and Z, but the same number of each letter in both games.)
The really big difference: the nice wooden racks in the old game vs. the cheap red plastic racks in the new game. Although I greatly prefer the wooden ones, I did not deduct a star for three reasons: 1, people who have never used the old game with wooden racks would probably think nothing of the plastic ones since most games these days have everything plastic everything. (Had the letter tiles been plastic, I WOULD have deducted a star!) 2, the plastic racks get the job done, no problem. 3, the price of this game, $11.99 when I bought it, is very reasonable for what you get, so it wouldn't be fair to expect the same quality of a game you pay considerably more for.
The letters look to me like they are printed in slightly larger, thicker type on the new tiles, which is a GOOD thing. Still black letters, against very light wood tiles, which is best.
The new game came with a black drawstring back, plenty large enough to hold all the letters with ease. My old game did not come with a bag, but I am fine with keeping them on the bottom of the box under the board.
I consider this game a good value for the money and I would definitely recommend it, although I would point out to anyone I recommended it to that it has plastic racks, so they aren't disappointed.
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From the manufacturer
Corporate Social Responsibility
Hasbro is committed to being an ethical and responsible company and is a recognized toy industry leader in the areas of product safety, environmental sustainability, ethical sourcing and philanthropy.
Scrabble
Scrabble, the classic crossword game, is full-on fun for friends and family. You can feel the excitement begin as soon as you rack up your letters, choose a great word, and hope to land on a triple-word score. Play the popular Scrabble game the classic way as you take on opponents head-to-head, for a challenging and fun time whether you're a beginner or an expert.
- High-quality letter tiles and board
- Popular word game
- Classic family favorite
- Many ways to play
- Challenging and fun
- Ages 8 and up
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Every Letter CountsScrabble is the ultimate crossword game in which every letter counts. Grab your friends and take turns forming words on the board. After playing your turn, count the value of all the letters in every new word that you formed. Don't forget the bonus points for placing letters on premium squares. Double letter. Triple word. It's all about playing words on the high-scoring hotspots to get ahead. Played a Q on a triple-letter score? Your score just got a lot bigger. Use all your 7 tiles in one turn, and score a whopping 50 points in addition to your word score. Knowing the rules and a few tricks will help you to score more points and improve your chances of winning. At the end of the game, the player with the highest score wins. |
Many Ways to PlayWhether you love to play board games one-on-one, or have a more social streak, Scrabble is the game for you. You can choose to play solo and rely on your own strategy and smarts, or turn up the excitement and play in teams to brainstorm high-scoring words. Or play finish-line Scrabble so mixed-level players can join in the fun by competing for a score that you decide on – beginners can win by scoring fewer points than experts. Will calculated strategy prevail, or could the luck of the draw win you the game? You never know, but any way you play, this popular word game keeps the challenges fresh and fun. |
Classic Crossword Game for Friends and FamilyThe Scrabble game is a perfect way to spend time with friends and family, whether it's a quiet night at home or a party at a friend's house. This competitive word game can make any event more interactive, fun and interesting. |
Includes
Gameboard, 100 letter tiles, 4 tile racks, 1 drawstring letter bag, and game guide.
Hasbro Gaming and all related logos, properties and characters are trademarks of Hasbro. Scrabble is a trademark of Hasbro in the US and Canada only.
Customer Questions & Answers
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2019
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Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2018
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Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2014
1. The board is fairly sturdy. It's a thick one, not just cheap like I guessed when looking at the box.
2. All 4 tile racks are made of unfinished pine and feel like they need to be sanded once more.
3. All 100 tiles were present in their correct amounts per letter. The tiles are made of smooth and finished wood.
4. Mine came with a cloth tile bag and a game guide.
This isn't an expensive version of Scrabble, but if you don't mind playing with wooden pieces instead of the old heavy plastic, it's great. Definitely worth what you pay for it.
Verified Purchase
Sturdy wooden set and worth the price
By Isabelle on November 24, 2014
This is exactly what it says it is. There isn't a good description on the Amazon page, so here:By Isabelle on November 24, 2014
1. The board is fairly sturdy. It's a thick one, not just cheap like I guessed when looking at the box.
2. All 4 tile racks are made of unfinished pine and feel like they need to be sanded once more.
3. All 100 tiles were present in their correct amounts per letter. The tiles are made of smooth and finished wood.
4. Mine came with a cloth tile bag and a game guide.
This isn't an expensive version of Scrabble, but if you don't mind playing with wooden pieces instead of the old heavy plastic, it's great. Definitely worth what you pay for it.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2018
Verified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
FamilyGuy
Lots of fun, again
Reviewed in Canada on December 23, 2019Verified Purchase
Ryan F
Not as good as I remember
Reviewed in Canada on September 10, 2018Verified Purchase
Ahmed
Exactly what you expect. Happy purchase here.
Reviewed in Canada on March 23, 2021Verified Purchase
Sihan Ma
Love it! Enjoyed playing it with my 10 year old
Reviewed in Canada on April 22, 2019Verified Purchase
Pooklet
Wonderful!
Reviewed in Canada on December 15, 2017Verified Purchase
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