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Spell a word backwards, hum a tune, answer a multiple-choice question, draw with your eyes closed, and more when you play Cranium. Unlike games that focus on only a few skills, Cranium offers 14 talent-tapping activities designed to bring out the best in you and your friends.

This compact version of Scrabble, the old-fashioned family favorite, will make a long train commute or cross-country plane journey pass more quickly. The 10-by-11-inch plastic board with its raised squares holds the tiles securely while you play, then folds up to become a neat, sturdy, 6-by-11-inch carrying case for the clear plastic letter racks and the cloth bag of tiles (you can use the bag for drawing letters).

Play a card from your hand, place a chip on the corresponding space on the game surface... when you have 5 in a row, it's a Sequence. Learn to block your opponents, remove their chips. Watch out for the Jacks--they're wild! With a little luck and strategy you're the winner!

Sure, this real estate trading game has been the world's most popular board game for more than six decades, but what makes this edition "deluxe"? For one thing, it brings back the sturdy wooden (not plastic) houses and hotels of years gone by. It also features an extra gold-colored train token, a handy holder for the Title Deed cards, and a banker's tray to keep your cash on hand.

It's still hard to get a triple word score, the tiles are still made of wood, there's only one "X" in the whole box, and family feuds are increasing exponentially. But after 50 years, Scrabble has had a face-lift: a swivel base allows the board to turn so players don't have to work upside down, a plastic grid helps keep tiles in line, and a handy bag stores the letters when they're not in use.