You get a hand of letter cards, some single letters and some handy pairs like ER or CL, and your goal each round is to arrange your whole hand into words. You play, draw, and discard much like rummy until someone goes out, then everyone scores their words by the letter values. Each round deals one more card than the last, so the puzzle grows from a gentle three card warmup into a satisfying knot near the end. Bonuses reward the most words and the longest word, which keeps everyone reaching just a little further than is wise.

What I love is the gentle pressure. You are always weighing whether to go out fast with a couple of safe little words or hold on for a bigger, juicier play and risk getting caught with a hand full of points. It rewards a good vocabulary without ever feeling like a spelling test, and it plays just as well with kids as with word obsessed grown ups.

It is small, it travels anywhere, and a full game is over before anyone gets restless. For a warm, accessible word game that suits almost any group, Quiddler is a lovely thing to keep in a bag.

Are you a go out early player or a hold for the big word gambler? Tell me below, and tell me the best word you ever laid down.

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