Quiddler Card Game (ages 8+)

The rules are brutal, but the rewards are worth it in this card game that works a bit like Scrabble. Quiddler draws on one's ability to combine letters into words. Players must combine their entire hand into words trying to use the highest point value letters. Points are given for the most words in a game, the longest word in a game, etc. Although there is a solitary version of the game for one player, as many as eight players can play at once. This card game is a MENSA award winner and a 1999 Parents' Choice Silver Award winner. Quite compact, it can also be taken on trips to pass the time. The only downside is that the included instructions are very unclear. Check online for easy instructions for Quiddler.