As they did with Five Crowns, SET Enterprises have successfully created a new game based on some very well established predecessors. Quiddler aims to test and extend the vocabulary and word knowledge of the players. The deck is made up of 118 cards. Most of the cards display 1 letter and a numerical value, but some offer a letter blend such as CL, TH, ER, IN or QU and a numerical value. Like Five Crowns, each hand has a set number of cards dealt to each player. The first hand requires 3 cards to be dealt to each player and one additional card is added for each subsequent hand. The game lasts for a total of 8 hands, so in the final hand all players are dealt 11 cards. Once the hands are dealt, a card is turned over. Each player can then draw a card from this pile or from the deck. Once a card is drawn the player must discard a pile to the face-up stack and if they can use all their cards to create one or more words then they are safe. All other players get one more turn to use all their cards. If they cannot finish then they are allowed to lay down any words they have completed. All cards not used will score bad points (the numerical value on the card) and these are subtracted from their score. The player with the highest score at the end of the eighth hand is declared the winner. Quiddler also throws a couple of added targets into the mix to keep the play fresh. At the end of each hand 2 bonuses can also be awarded. The player that creates the most words will earn an additional 10 points and the person who creates the longest word also gets 10 points. If 2 or more players tie for one of these bonuses then the bonus is not awarded.

Quiddler is a very simple game and the theme has been seen in many different formats over the years. But this should not be seen as a negative as this is a classic case of a genre that needs little tampering as Quiddler is very successful in achieving what it set out to do. It offers families a very neat educational game that can help children and adults build their vocabulary and make word play a fun activity. The card format also has many benefits over board-based alternatives like Scrabble as it is far more portable. Going on a family holiday? Quiddler will fit in the kids backpack, Scrabble will not. The inclusion of the letter blend cards (TH, CL etc) are also very supportive for younger minds as they act as 'jump starters' for young children that struggle with spelling. The final tick of approval for Quiddler is that it is very easy to modify the play. If the playgroup has a medium to high-level vocabulary then the players can agree that only words of a certain length can be created. The number of cards per hand can be increased also as players develop their skills. This means that Quiddler can be played by the family for years and the complexity can be raised to extend the players as they develop. The two bonus scoring rules are also excellent as it gives the players a number of goals each hand and may see players change their hand with each new card drawn. All in all Quiddler has plenty to offer.