On a recent trip from California to Alabama, my wife and I purchased a Scrabble key chain travel game at the airport gift shop. A small travel game is a good way to pass the time on a long flight or car trip, and a good way to keep children occupied.
The Scrabble key chain travel game consists of a compact Scrabble game board in collapsible plastic case. The plastic case snaps open to reveal a magnetic Scrabble game board approximately two inches by two inches. The plastic case also includes a carabiner-style plastic clip to attach the Scrabble travel game to a travel back or a backpack. The carabiner clip means that you can carry the Scrabble travel game through a busy airport without having to worry about losing it.
The Scrabble game board it magnetic, and the Scrabble tiles consist of small magnetic squares, each of which is printed with a Scrabble letter and a point value. The Scrabble travel game has fewer letter tiles than a full-sized Scrabble game, so you cannot play a full game of Scrabble using the Scrabble travel game; only a shorter game with fewer tiles. The magnetic letter tiles ensure that you can play a game of Scrabble during a bumpy car ride or a turbulent airline flight without having to worry about your Scrabble tiles being displaced mid-game. These magnetic Scrabble tiles are stored in a pull-out plastic drawer built into the plastic case containing the Scrabble game board. The plastic drawer snaps shut and stays closed well enough to prevent the Scrabble tiles from accidentally falling out of the case.
Other than the smaller quantity of Scrabble tiles, the only negative to the Scrabble travel game is how small and unwieldy the magnetic Scrabble tiles are. The small size of the magnetic Scrabble tiles makes the letters somewhat unreadable. Moreover, the small magnetic Scrabble tiles are easy to drop or lose while fumbling with them to place them in the desired spots on the Scrabble game board. The small tiles are certainly easier for child-sized fingers to grasp, but my clumsier adult-sized fingers frankly have a difficult time manipulating the Scrabble tiles without dropping them on the floor or misplacing them on the Scrabble board.
In conclusion, the Scrabble travel game is an excellent way to pass the time on a lengthy airplane or car ride. The magnetic Scrabble board is collapsible into a small plastic case with a carabiner clip for easy access during travel. The Scrabble tiles are magnetic, but they are small and difficult to read and manipulate. But if you enjoy board games in general, and Scrabble in particular, then the Scrabble travel game is a good way to make your next trip go more swiftly.
