It is certainly ironic that a game promoting diverse vocabulary usage would become redundant. Unfortunately that is the case with Scrabble Slam. There are only so many words that can be constructed in the game. As a result, the gameplay tends to be slightly repetitive.
Overall Rating: 6/10
For a family game, I suppose that this serves its purpose. I recently played this with my niece’s family. Though it certainly killed a lot of time, I would not consider this the most thrilling game in the toy chest.
Gameplay: 4/10
Scrabble Slam is a very simple card game to understand. At first, a four-letter word is placed in the center of the table. Then, players must transform this word to another word by changing a single letter at a time. For example, if the starting word is “bear,” it can be changed to “boar,” by replacing the second letter with an “o”.
The only problem with Scrabble Slam’s concept is that it often results in redundant gameplay. After playing four or five games, you begin to realize a trend of the same words being used each time. This is due to the fact that our vocabularies are only so advanced. Essentially, the same thirty or forty words reappear very often, and the game becomes a recognizing game, not a puzzling game. Moreover, the four-letter limit prohibits the Scrabble Slam set from having many obscure letters such as “z” or “q.” The diversity in the words that can be made are seriously limited by this factor.
The final nail in the coffin comes from the limited amount of cards in the set. Unfortunately there are only 55 cards, and there are 26 letters in the English alphabet. With these numbers, it becomes difficult to imagine how many 4-lettered words that can be made.
If you really are looking for a game to improve your vocabulary, you should consider trying the original Scrabble title, not Scrabble Slam.
Appeal to Children: 7/10
While I might not find Scrabble Slam exciting, I found that my niece was exhilarated when she played. Thus, while the game might not be on par in terms of fun, I think it does succeed in exciting the children. After all, the purpose of toys is to give your child a good time. I’m sure that the younger generation won’t get tired as easily and will find more enjoyment in this title than adults.
Final Recommendation for Scrabble Slam:
The final verdict for Scrabble Slam is really conditional. I feel that the game itself is not inherently fun. It has to be wanted in the first place. So in simpler terms, if you want to have a game to play for the sheer fun of it, I would not recommend Scrabble Slam. However, if you are naturally excited for this Scrabble title or simply want to try new things, you should give it a shot.
Remember, my opinion on this game is just an opinion. It’s up to you if you want to give it a try or not.
