Appletters

Review by S. Gardner for Appletters
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Appletters is a fun letter game with a different challenge. We’ve been playing Bananagrams for a few months and wanted something new. Appletters is different in that you can only connect to the first or last letter of the words made. The little zipper pouch seems durable enough and the tiles are extremely durable (double the thickness of Bananagram tiles). I recommend keeping the tiles from this game in a resealable bag, then place in apple pouch. Bananagram tiles don’t fall out of the banana pouch as easily as these Appletter tiles do from the apple pouch. This does not detract from the game, just an observation.

Review by Lorna D. for Appletters
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I’m a huge Bananagrams fan. Understandably the Bananagrams company was hoping to repeat their much deserved success with Appleletters, but it’s not nearly as interesting or fun. As another reviewer mentioned, the apple is barely big enough to hold the letters without spilling when it’s unzipped.

Review by Elizabeth C. Inman for Appletters
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We have been playing Bananagrams since purchasing it July 2009 and love it so much that we couldn’t wait to get this game made by the people. It is so much fun, especially if you love spelling games. More fun than Scrabble and easier. Anyone can play, young and old. Very portable and durable! Appleletters has provided hours of fun for our family this winter!! I suggest both games!!

Review by M. Rustad for Appletters
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We loved Scrabble first and most, but Bananagrams became a favorite alternative. We decided to try Appletters this holiday, and it was enjoyed by all. Players must use different strategies than either Bananagrams or Scrabble, and the pace is slower than Bananagrams but faster than Scrabble. Fun for word game lovers.

Review by Evan Galatz for Appletters
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When I first read how you play appleletters I thought it sounded great. I love bananagrams so I thought I would give it a shot. The only problem with the same is the score keeping is very complicated, but the strategy and planning mindset is great. Also because of the way you keep score, its not good for Shabbat. Overall I look forward to playing it again though.

Review by Science guy for Bananagrams Jumbo
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We found out about bananagrams from a friend of ours. ever since that its been a big hit for our family. We bought the jumbo set, which is two bananas. When you combine the tiles it makes the pile bigger which creates a longer and more complex game. Its a little more challenging because you get twice the tiles and have to make a bigger crossword.

Review by Kefi for Bananagrams Jumbo
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This is an interesting, nicely short game that is portable and can be played anywhere in a few minutes. It’s a refreshing change for anyone who likes the concept of crossword puzzles and word games but doesn’t have time or the inclination to sit for hours to play a game. Bananagrams can be played quickly and it’s a great way to pass time. It doesn’t have a thick manual of complicated rules so you can get right in and play. I recommend it for any age, from children learning to read on up to adults. It’s educational and fun at the same time. The plastic tiles come in a sturdy cloth banana peel with a zipper.

Review by nsv for Bananagrams Jumbo
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Bananagrams is a blast. It’s similar to Scrabble, but everyone works their own board, so that no one is preparing to use all their tiles to make an amazing word just to have someone else come along and mess it up with “za”.

There is still plenty of competition, as everyone races to complete their own board before everyone else. There’s the moment of triumph as you’re the first one to finish and you yell “Bananas!”, and then the crushing moment when someone looks over your board and realizes you misspelled a word.

The standard game is a lot of fun, but with several people we find it easier to play the “Banana Smoothie” version. There’s also a version which allows for timed play and a solitaire version, and even a game to play in a restaurant while waiting for service. (It’s a very portable banana, and all you need is a flat surface.)

We picked up a double banana because now we’ve got too many people to play with just one banana. (Wait, that doesn’t sound quite right.) The double version has two sets of tiles, so you can take out one set if you’ve only got a few people. We’ve marked one of the two sets with nail polish so that when we play with both, we can split (no pun intended) them back up again when we’re done.

Review by M. OBarto for Bananagrams Jumbo
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This is a very fun game. My daughter first played at school in her English class. She liked it so much she asked for it for her birthday. Everyone in our family enjoyed it. It’s at least as much fun as Scrabble. We bought the double set so we can play either single or double. It will also be helpful if we play with the extended family.

Review by SallyC for Bananagrams Jumbo
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We liked the fact that although the rules of the game provide for a clear winner, the scoring is very simple and sensible. Playing rules are a little silly, but that’s part of the fun.

Only small problem is that since each player requires his own “board” space, it takes quite a bit of table space.