Smath

Subject: Math
Category: Arithmetic
Ages: 6 and up
# of players: 2 to 4
Time to play: 60 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: Tile placement

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 5
Gaming value: 3
Aesthetic value: 3
Price value: 3
Ease of play: 5
Younger adaptability: 1 (already adapted)

My comments: This is Scrabble, only you're building equations instead of words. In the game you are allowed unlimited equal signs and parenthesis (great for teaching math order) while randomly choosing from a mix of tiles with numbers from 1 to 12 and +, -, x, or ÷ signs. Remove the multiplication and division tiles for younger players. The board has squares for increasing the values of tiles and equations, just like Scrabble.

While not as colorful or novel as Totally Tut, it seems to play easier to me because you are not necessarily constrained by already having an answer for which you must make the equations. The edition I have, in a somewhat flimsy square box, has a basic board and plastic tiles. I have read about a much more expensive game called Equate based on the same concept. So I think of Smath as Scrabble, and Equate as Scrabble Deluxe.

Unlike Totally Tut, it is limited by having tiles only up to 12, even for answers, and using only the 4 basic arithmetic functions. (If you're really imaginative, you could modify it by letting people place two "2" tiles for 22, for example, and putting in things like squares and square roots.) Still, If you're family is a fan of Scrabble and you like building math equations, then you will get many years of play from this game.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://boardgamegeek.com/game/9938