Some educational games can be an oxymoron, meaning that they are so educational they are not a game, or that they are so much of a game that there is little to no educational value. But Wordigo fits that narrow classification of being a genuine educational game.

Winner of many awards, Wordigo looks similar to other word-board games, but differs greatly in how it is played. Typically word-board games are an utter bore to fellow players as they painfully wait their turns. But with Wordigo, everyone plays at the same time.

Everyone gets their own set of tiles and their own playing board. There are 4 game boards from which to choose with as few as 8 or as many as 17 words on the board. If players of different abilities are playing together, it is easy to level the playing field through the use of different boards. Play is simultaneous so no one has to wait for other players to complete their turns.

Start with 8 tiles. Turn the sand timer over and form a word on Path 1 before moving on to Path 2. Finish all the paths before the time is up to gain completion points. Be the first one to finish to gain bonus points. Dictionary use is allowed but looking something up in a dictionary while the time is ticking away would give me an ulcer. So our family encourages dictionary use only when the child is playing alone without a timer, one of the many options to this very versatile game. Wordigo is a game of strategy and builds not only spelling skills, but also math and critical thinking skills. It is a great game that no family will ever outgrow. Wordigo comes with four sets of letter tiles with pouches, four sets of four different game boards, a sand timer and a score pad.

Players race against the clock and each other to form words along designated paths. High scores are achieved by the strategic placement of uniquely marked vowels.