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WORD SWEEP!™ Earns Seventh Nod With Education.com A+ Seal Award-Winning WORD SWEEP! Game Follows Dr. Toy's "10 Best Games" Award With Education.com A+ Honor Boston, MA – (January 1, 2008) – Intellinitiative Game Co. has announced that its latest product, WORD SWEEP!™, the first board game ever endorsed by Merriam-Webster, has been selected to receive Education.com's A+ Award. It is the seventh major award recognition for the game, which was also recently given a Parents' Choice Foundation Recommended Award, a National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, a Teachers' Choice Award from Learning® Magazine and a Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence. The seven honors have come on the heels of the game’s 5-Star rating in Toy Directory Monthly Magazine (five stars is the highest-possible rating), and the game’s inclusion as a recommended title for National Games Week. WORD SWEEP! was released in September, 2006. Clay Siegert, President of Intellinitiative, said, "We're absolutely thrilled that WORD SWEEP! has earned recommendations from Learning Magazine, the Parents' Choice Foundation, the National Parenting Center, and now, Education.com. These are among the most prestigious honors for a board game. It is great to be recognized, not just for the entertainment value that our product offers, but also for the underlying educational benefits that are part of the fun." As more and more people engage in "mental gymnastics" to keep their minds sharp, Word Sweep! is the game where players try to identify three consecutive words from a Merriam-Webster's dictionary. (Think "Bad"-"Badge"-"Badger" or "Sofa"-"Soft"-"Softball" or "Walnut"-"Walrus"-"Waltz".) If a player identifies all three words, it's a "word sweep!" But if any words are missed, opponents can "steal" so every player can be involved on every turn. Since the game has three card levels, players can progress to harder words. Whoever finishes the board first, wins. Thanks to its patent-pending "guess-3-words-in-row" game play, WORD SWEEP! (MSRP $29.95) is easy-to-learn and fun for everyone, yet sophisticated even for word gurus. WORD SWEEP!, which tests players' knowledge of word definitions in an original and clever way, was co-invented by Intellinitiative and Steve Smith, an annual participant in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament hosted by The New York Times crossword puzzle editor, Will Shortz. The tournament is the subject of the new movie "Wordplay." Smith, a former middle school teacher from the Boston, Massachusetts area, placed 66th in the 2008 tournament. "Congratulations to Intellinitiative for earning recognition for WORD SWEEP! from such prestigious institutions," said Hillary Hoffman, Director of Marketing for Merriam-Webster, Inc. "Merriam-Webster is pleased to have contributed to the success of this exciting new board game, which we hope will offer families an exciting new way to explore and enjoy language." Dr. Toy, Stevanne Auerbach, PhD, has been for many years one of the nation's and world's leading experts on play, toys, and children's products. (www.drtoy.org) With 30 years of direct experience, Dr. Auerbach includes educationally oriented, developmental and skill building products from the best large and small companies in her four annual award programs. Many parents, teachers and toy buyers use Dr. Toy’s guidance in making selections. The Teachers' Choice Awards program was introduced by Learning Magazine in 1994. The Awards honor the very best in classroom-tested, teacher-recommended products. (www.theeducationcenter.com) Each year the magazine conducts a study with a nationwide panel of teacher-judges and subjects new products to two rounds of rigorous testing before naming the standouts in books, classroom supplies, educational games, software, Web sites, and other categories. Learning Magazine’s commitment is to make teachers' lives simpler by providing them with resource materials that will save time and enrich the classroom experience. The Parents' Choice Foundation, which was established in 1978, is the nation's oldest nonprofit guide to quality children's media and toys. (www.parents-choice.org) The Foundation conducts an annual awards program which identifies the best products for children of different ages, backgrounds, skills and interests. The Parents' Choice Awards are given to products that meet and exceed standards set by educators, scientists, performing artists, librarians, parents, and kids themselves. Fewer than 15 percent of entries submitted to Parents' Choice receive a commendation. The National Parenting Center was founded in 1989 with the intention of providing the most comprehensive and responsible parenting advice to parents everywhere. The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval program, created in 1990 as an adjunct to TNPC's support services, identifies the finest products and services being marketed to the parent/child audience. From educational and entertainment products and equipment to travel destinations, the consumer oriented testing process solicits evaluations from parents and their children. This award signifies to other parents that their peers have acknowledged a product's quality and desirability based on a wide variety of determining factors. "Games that rely on intelligence and an ability to think are a huge trend right now," says Chris Byrne, contributing editor to Toy Wishes magazine aka The Toy Guy®. "What Sudoku and the newer craze Kakuro do with numbers, WORD SWEEP! does with words. These puzzles are more complicated than they seem and draw on word knowledge, sequencing, spelling and more skills, with the added dimension of entertaining social interaction." WORD SWEEP! is for 2 to 4 players or teams, ages 10 and up. Using over 2,000 genuine Merriam-Webster dictionary definitions, the game contains three card levels and "junior rules" that can be integrated for complete family game play. WORD SWEEP! is now available for purchase at most Borders Bookstores, Barnes & Noble stores, and specialty toy and game retailers nationwide, as well as online at Amazon.com, Target.com, and BN.com. About Intellinitiative Game Co.: About Merriam-Webster: For Product Sales Information, Contact: ® Merriam-Webster is a registered trademark of Merriam-Webster, Inc. ©2006 ™ Word Sweep is a registered trademark of Intellinitiative Game Co., Inc. ©2006 |
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