Word Has It! Family Game Review for University Games

Word Has It! is a game for 2 to 4 players aged 7+. The aim of the game is to build a longer word than your opponents during the time limit of only 40 seconds. Your word has to start with a given letter and be on the theme shown on the card. It's fast, it's fun, but it's quite tricky!

Packaging is brilliant, with barely any plastic, only 2 bags to hold the letter pieces in transit. Everything stores inside the box afterwards with no dismantling.

Inside the box we have the spinner, letters, cards and instructions. The letters are in the form of 36 specially shaped plastic pieces which slot together very cleverly to make a really quick and sturdy tower with your word along the side. Each plastic piece has 3 sides with 3 different letters and each piece is different.

The spinner is really easy to use and has a stand on each arm for the 4 players to build their tower. In the middle is the spinner to select the starting letter for all players for each round. It also has the button to start the timer.

The spinner actually doesn't spin well, but it does the job. The unit is also battery-operated and gives an audible countdown timer so that you know when your 40 seconds is up and you need to stop building your word.

The cards are shuffled and the top card picked to select the next subject. The aim of the game is to use the letter pieces to build a tower with the longest word. You must use the starting letter shown on the spinner and it must fit the subject on the card.

If you are stumped you have 2 bonus cards that you can play once at any time throughout a match. My boys loved the X-tra Time cards and played them as often as possible. The Any Letter card allows you to start your word using any letter. The bonus cards apply to all players, whoever played them.

This is not a game that has a level playing field whatever your age. It's definitely easier to think of suitable words if you are an adult. Spotting the letters is much easier for older children, and they are quicker at picking them up than older adults. There are a few variables...

Our 7 year old couldn't keep up, our 8 year old just about held his own, my 23 year old was at a small advantage to both. Tragically I won each time I played - I do have a lot of practise with words though! This is a game which is thankfully easy to adapt - simply by letting the younger players have a head start it made it much more even.

Word Has It! is an obvious alternative to Scrabble, but the fast pace really makes it very different. We all enjoyed playing, although my 7 year old was frustrated at times. It's not ideal for multi-generational play until your children are around 10+, unless younger players are given that extra time they'll need for a fair start, but it is great fun.

Word Has It! is excellent for expanding vocabulary, practising spelling and speeding up letter recognition. This is a good game for encouraging reluctant readers and a great one for keeping anyone's brain active.

Word Has It! is distributed by University Games and available now from all good games stockists including Argos. Suitable for 2-4 players aged around 7+, rrp £14.99.

We were sent our copy of Word Has It! for review.