Game Review: Buzzword!

post by Jonathan

We've been in a gaming mood more often these days! Part of it has to do with the fact that our 2-year-old is just beginning to be able to appreciate board games... although, as of yet, any actual method and order of gameplay continues to elude him.

Candyland currently poses a challenge to him, similar to what I might face trying to compete at, say, Trivial Pursuit: Country Music Edition. But we're learning! (Well, at least he is. I don't ever expect to get anywhere when it comes to country music.) In the meantime, his joyful cries of "Take turns! Take turns!" usually just mean that all the pieces are going to end up on the floor unless there is immediate intervention...

But, our game for the day is for a rather more mature audience -- that is, about third grade and up! Buzzword is a great party game, right along the lines of Taboo, but with even more group action.

Players divide into two teams and take turns reading clues for their teammates to guess words. Each round consists of a "Buzzword", which is a word fragment like "hand", and a set of ten clues and answers, where each answer includes the word "hand" in it. For example:

• The telephone receiver (handset)


• Balancing on your palms, with your feet in the air (handstand)


• Food and clothing for the needy (handout)


• Living only on the bare essentials (hand-to-mouth)


• Penmanship (handwriting)

...

You get the idea. Some of them are pretty quick and easy -- others, not so much! And any clues in the round that the reader can't get his teammates to guess, are made available to the opposing team to score their own points from.

As with most games like this, the more players, the better. (Although it could be played with 4 people, it would definitely not have quite the collaborative team spirit.) Half a dozen players is a good starting point, and you could go all the way to 10 or 12 with no trouble.

To sum up -- if you like fast-paced group games of the intellectual sort, Buzzword would be a popular choice! Five stars from our household. (Except for the little guy, who's now playing cowboys and indians with Lord Licorice and King Kandy...)