1938 (1988 edition) / Word board game / 2-4 players / UK
*****
I can't remember whether I'd already experienced Scrabble in the build-up to Christmas '92 (or was it '93?), or if I'd just seen an advert, but I remember being excited for its arrival, and it didn't let me down. This is about the only game out there (with the possible exception of Deluxe Pacman on the Amiga) that I'd arrogantly consider myself to be pretty good at, though not to tournament standard. Ch haven't, uh, committed the two-letter words to memory or anything like that, fy!
It's resilient as well, the only one of my childhood games on the shelf to have authentic continuity rather than a retro eBay proxy. Apart from a full letters transplant, which was cheaper than sourcing individual replacements for the eight lost to time. The notepad's getting thin, the board's scribbled on, the letter bag's missing its drawstring and obviously the pencil's gone, but I'll keep this Ship of Thesaurus sailing for as long as I can.
