Scrabble with wooden letters - 2 games in 1

Everyone has one of them at the table: the aunt who spends the whole evening deciding whether a Q on a triple word score is valid, or the grandfather who plays words that no one is sure actually exist. For decades, Scrabble has been the word game that brings families together while also tearing them apart a little. This edition does something clever with that. On one side of the double-sided board, you play the classic game as you know it, hunting for double and triple score spaces. Flip the board over, and you play Scrabble Together: a shorter, cooperative variant in which you work as a team to complete mission cards instead of competing against each other for points.

It is precisely that second side that makes this board game so great for families with younger players or people who find the classic point-scoring a bit too stressful. No one is left with a rack full of vowels while the rest triumph, because you search together for the word that fits. It includes mission cards for beginners and advanced players, plus a few hint cards for when you get stuck. This way, the word game grows with you, from a first game using an eight-year-old's vocabulary to a competitive Sunday night match.

And then there is the material, which you can feel right away. The letter tiles and racks are made of wood, and they come in a cloth bag that you reach into without being able to cheat. It clicks, it ticks, and it feels the way a board game should feel: something to keep for a long time and take out often.