Game Review on AmuseAmaze

I was first introduced To AmuseAmaze last year when I was asked to write a curriculum guide for it.  Lucky for me, a fellow teacher friend was visiting me, so we enthusiastically set up the game to test it out.  Our girls played with us and by the end of our first trial run, we were hooked.

At first glance, players will be reminded of Scrabble, because players have to spell words using letter squares. However, AmuseAmaze offers more challenges, twists, and strategic thinking in order to win.

The object of the game is to race through the letter maze, spelling words along the way.  A player must collect three differently colored  "Target Cards" and battle roadblocks such as missing letter tiles and hedges that can't be crossed.

In AmuseAmaze,  spelling any word , regardless of its length, helps you because you have to move from one end of the board to another.  At   So, if you are stuck and can only spell a short word, it still benefits you.  Additionally, the letters are printed on the game board and can be reused in order to fit your movement. Players do not have to keep picking up tiles to use from their own collection, but can win extra letter tiles for help as they play.  This makes the game easy to modify for  younger players.  

For older players, the hedges add an element of difficulty in finding a path to the bottom of the game board. However, by strategically using a "Gardner"s" card, one can trim the hedges and pass right through them. 

What we noticed after a few minutes of play is that this game is challenging. This is what I really liked about the game:  All of us considered our command of vocabulary to be above average.  What we discovered was that this game thoroughly challenged us to really dive into our database of words to move along the board.  Finally, what we noticed most clearly was that our sixth and seventh graders really enjoyed finding words to benefit their play and that ultimately allowed them to win.

I highly recommend this game for use in middle grade classrooms (Grade 4-8).  I think it can serve as an enormous,  helpful resource for language arts scenarios, expecially in the areas of vocabulary building and reinforcement and even in second-language classrooms, where students can spell words in another language. The accompanying curriculum guide offers numerous lesson plans and suggestions on how to incorporate the game into the school arena.

At home I recommend starting the game when there is at least an hour to devote to play.  Arrange the board in an area where it can remain, because you may have to leave it and return to finish in a second session.

Remember that most of all, playing a game has to be fun, or else no one will want to play.  AmuseAmaze fulfills that role and is truly amusing.

Editor's Note: You can find AmuseAmaze in our GameFinder by clicking right here.