It Truly Boggles the Mind

There are a select few games out there that will forever hold a special place in people's hearts. You've got the real estate trading of Monopoly, the doodling of Pictionary, and then there is the frantic word-finding frenzy known only as Boggle. There are Boggle tournaments held around the world, pitting literati against one another in a race against the clock, trying to put those letter blocks together into useful, meaningful words. Now you can take that incredible experience onto your computer, though a much more clear and easy-to-use interface.

No longer do you have to mentally rotate the blocks that are facing the wrong way: they're all aligned in an easy-to-read way. No longer will you need to concern yourself over broken pencils and graphite-streaked palms. At the same time, the core gameplay has remained completely unchanged, so the challenge is still there. And so is the thrill of victory!

Quick Fingers and a Vast Lexicon

In case you are new to Boggle, here's a quick run-down of how the game works. There is a five-by-five grid of random letters -- so there are 25 letters in all -- and it is up to you to link together as many of these letters as possible, forming a long list of words. Each individual letter block can only be used once per word, but it can be used for as many words as you can form. Moreover, the blocks can be linked in a zig-zag fashion, going horizontally, vertically and even diagonally. The standard time limit is three minutes, and you must make more words than your opponent. Points are distributed based on the number of original words (all duplicates between yourself and your opponent are ignored) and the length of these words. In my experience, words that are four letters or less get one point, whereas words that are more than five letters are two points. There might even be three point words, but I've never created anything quite that long anyways.

There are two ways that you can play the computer version of Boggle. The slower way is to click on each of the individual blocks using your mouse, and then clicking on the submit button. This can be long, tedious, and ultimately ineffective against more difficult opponents. The better way to play is to simply type out the word on your keyboard and then hit the enter key to submit. If you've got a secretary's fingers and can rifle through the keyboard quickly, you're already well on your way to victory. Of course, you'll also need a keen eye and a broad lexicon.

Choose Your Opponent

Unlike other casual games, Boggle actually gives you quite a few choices when it comes to choosing your opponent. You can play against a computer-controlled player of varying difficulty, as you can with most other titles. This is a good place to start so that you can practice against different levels of players. When you're ready, this version of Boggle actually lets you play online against other players all across the world! This is no extra charge for this service and it's a great way to challenge international Boggle masters. They will be matched against you based on a rating system, judged by your win-loss record and so forth. Finally, if you've got a friend or family member physically next to you, it is possible to play on the same computer. In fact, this offering supports up to four players!

Boggle is a timeless classic and the computer version stays true to this tradition. Find those words, type them in, and you too can be a Boggle champion.