Enhanced word game method

The present invention is a game which merges two previous game formats into a unique and novel game comprising a game board and playing pieces for each player to mark the movement of the players as the players advance around the game board. During each turn, the player must answer a question and construct a list of words based upon the letters in the correct answer. The player accumulating a predetermined number of points is declared the winner.

I. BACKGROUND AND FIELD OF THE INVENTION
 There have been numerous board games developed and played through the ages,
 including such games as chess, checkers, Parcheesi and Monopoly. These
 games have been limited to the movement of playing pieces within a fixed
 playing framework controlled either by the rules of the game. Such a game
 is chess where the game is played on an 8.times.8 playing matrix, but each
 pieces can only move within this matrix based upon rules of movement
 assigned to each piece. A second type of game is where the playing field
 is a series of fixed locations on the game board, such as Monopoly. In
 Monopoly, the playing field is a set of locations located only along the
 periphery of the game board. Each playing piece is allowed to occupy any
 space on the board. The actual location is controlled only by the number
 of spaces that each piece advances along the periphery of the game board,
 from the start position. The number of spaces that the player advances is
 controlled by a random number generator such as the throw of dice.
 There has also been developed a separate and distinct line games which are
 based upon words and letters of the English language. Generally, these
 games are based upon either forming words from a collection of letters,
 such as Scrabble or Boggle, or deducing a whole word or phrase when some
 portion of the letters making up the word or phrase are known, such the
 popular Wheel of Fortune. There has been no game developed which combines
 together these two popular game formats.
 II. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The game is played by assigning a token or marker to each player and
 placing the marker on the start square of the game board. The game board
 consists of a series of squares located around the periphery of the board.
 Each square contains the name of a subject which corresponds to a series
 of questions cards pertaining to that subject. As the player advances his
 marker around the board based upon the number showing from the throw of a
 die. On each turn, a question card is taken from the stack of cards that
 correspond to the subject indicated on space on the game board on which
 the player landed. The question contained on that card is presented to the
 current player by one of the other persons playing the game. If the
 current player answers the question correctly, then that player has an
 additional 60 seconds to construct as many other words as possible using
 the letters that made up the correct answer. Each newly constructed word
 must contain at least 3 letters. The current player receives a fixed
 number of points for answering the question correctly and a fixed number
 of points for each valid newly constructed word that the player made.

IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 The preferred game board is shown in FIG. 1. The board consists of a series
 of squares located along the periphery of the rectangular game board. Each
 player chooses a token or marker. At the start of the game all the markers
 are placed on the START square. This square, shown in the lower left comer
 of FIG. 1, serves two purposes. Initially, all of the players' markers are
 placed on the START portion of the square. As the pieces advance and move
 around the board, if a marker lands on this square during play, the marker
 is placed on the MISH MASH portion of the square.
 As shown, the squares are located along the periphery of the game board.
 However any number of alternative placements of the squares is possible.
 In this embodiment, the game utilizes three subject categories: History,
 Presidents and Mish Mash which is a miscellaneous category. However, it is
 clearly within the scope of the invention, to have subject categories
 encompassing a wide variety of topics and to have subject specific
 embodiments that address specific topics such as entertainment, sports,
 current events, science, the arts and the like. In the center of the game
 board are shown three rectangles where the subject cards are placed during
 the game. Each category of subject cards are distinctly colored to aid
 identification. The cards are kept face down on the rectangle
 corresponding to the subject category of the cards. The person sitting to
 the right of the current player will handle the presentation of the
 question. The presenter will pick up the subject card corresponding to the
 subject of the square on which the current player has landed. The
 presenter will read the question, determine if the current player has
 given a correct answer in the allotted time. If a correct answer is given,
 then the presenter begins timing a 60 second period during which the
 current player must construct a list of words comprised of the letters
 that make up the correct answer. Blank paper and pencil are provided for
 the current player to use to create this written list of words. No letter
 may be used more than the number of times that the letter appears in the
 answer. The presenter will call a 10 second warning before the end of the
 60 second period. At the end of 60-sec period, the presenter will evaluate
 the word list and credit the current player with 10 points for a correct
 answer and a variable number of points for each validated word in the
 constructed word list. Generally all players, at the start of the game,
 shall agree to use some common reference book as the authoritative source
 of validating words. For example, they might chose a standard dictionary
 that is available. Each validated word shall receive a point value equal
 to the number of letters in the validated word. Thus a three letter word
 would receive 3 points and a four letter word would receive four point and
 so on. Total points are tallied and added to any points that the player
 has earned during previous rounds of play. Play then passes to the left.
 The previous current player will then function as the question presenter
 for the new current player.
 Such administrative matters, which are handled by one of the players in the
 above described embodiment could be handled by a single person acting full
 time as a question presenter or Master of Ceremonies. Such would be the
 case if the game were broadcast on television as a game show. Further, if
 the game were incorporated into a computer program, the program itself
 would handle such tasks as presenting the question, validating correct
 answers, validating the constructed word list and tallying total points.
 Minor variations in such items as the number of players, the number of
 subject categories, time allotted to answer the question, time allotted to
 prepare the word list, specifics as to points allocated per each correct
 word and total number of points needed to the winner, can be made without
 departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
 Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in the
 foregoing description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it
 will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments
 disclosed but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and
 substitutions of parts and elements and rules without departing from the
 spirit the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to
 encompass such rearrangements, modifications of parts, elements and rules
 as within the spirit and scope of this invention.