A SPECTACULAR NEW WORD GAME: LIBRETTO

After 40 years of tournament Scrabble play, winning three National Championships and co-authoring the book on the game, Everything Scrabble, I never thought I’d encounter an equal or better word game. Sure, there are dozens of good word games available, but none held a fascination for me like Scrabble. Until now.

Libretto, the free downloadable electronic game created by Michael Wilk and his Dragonfly Games, demands attention. It is easy to learn, but the strategy is complex enough to take a lifetime to master. I would go so far as to say it will be a terrific club and tournament game once Wilk creates a life-size board and tiles that can travel. Currently, the game is available for iOS and Android devices. Look for it in the app stores or at www.libretto.com.

The app contains an interactive tutorial that will teach you Libretto in just a few minutes. Here are the rules:

In this two-person game, each player draws from their own virtual tile pouch of 100 tiles,