Scrabble SCR-228 Players Dictionary

(The 5 star rating is based on the assumption that you're a Scrabble player; this product wouldn't be very useful to non-players.)

This is an electronic version of the Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary 4th Edition (OSPD4), with some features that make it much more valuable than the print edition. It's more compact, and it is a lot faster to look up a disputed word than flipping through the book. It also has a few games to help sharpen your word skills and a "build" function that lets you enter your rack and get a list of all the words that can be formed from those letters, highest-scoring to lowest-scoring.

But what really makes this more valuable than the print version is a neat undocumented feature. As you may know, the OSPD4 says on the cover "Endorsed by the National Scrabble Association for recreational and school use." That's right, the "Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary" is not really official. For club and tournament play they use the "Official Tournament and Club Word List" (OTCWL or OWL2). This is because as of OSPD3 a lot of "offensive" words (cuss words, ethnic slurs) were removed from the dictionary. These words are still permitted in tournament play. You won't find this in the instructions, but you can turn the SRC-228 into an OWL2 dictionary by doing the following: at the "Ready" prompt, type in **otcwl and press "Enter." The "Ready" prompt will be replaced with "Search OTCW List" and you will now be able to check a lot of new words. It will only give a definition for the OSPD4 words, but it will say "Correct Word" for the OWL2 words. These words will also show up on your "Build" list. Besides the naughty words, OWL2 also adds a lot of words that are trademarks such as "Kleenex" and "Aqualung." This feature will stay in effect until you change the batteries or disable it. **otcwl acts as a toggle, so if don't want the kids to have access to these words, just enter it again and it reverts to OSPD4.

Note that like the printed version, the electronic version only contains words up to 8 letters in length (with the exception of inflected forms of those words). So a correct word like "submariner" would not be found in it. You'll need an extra dictionary if someone plays a bigger word. (This doesn't happen that often.)

Scrabble SCR-228 Players Dictionary

Franklin used to make a electronic Scrabble dictionary (based on the third edition of the official printed dictionary) that was the size of a credit card, easy to use and read, and could "travel" with little hassle due to its size. No more. They still make the model SCR-226 which is identical in appearance to the SCR-228 but also is based on the OLDER edition. Search the boxes in vain for the small print that explains the differences between 226 and 228. The SCR-228 is updated to the fourth edition. It's still easy to use, but the much larger letters, ironically, are a bit harder to read due to the huge display. Works fine, but why not continue to make a smaller, cheaper, just-as-good version?

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You can tell this model from the 226 by a slightly different color pattern and perhaps a little bit more readable screen.

But the big difference in this machine is that tho it has given us qi and za to use, it has taken away a lot of the old staples. What it has taken out is all the words that you would look up as a kid that were "naughty" and all the terms that were in the old dictionaries that had "offensive term" behind it.

But overall, it is an improvement in programability from the first credit card dictionary tho I have to say I miss the size and feel of the old ones.

Al

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This is pretty awesome. It has several functions and if you're either an avid player or encouraging growth of vocabulary in another (like your kid) it's well worth the price.

One of the more impressive features is that it can tell you possible plays provided what's on the board and the letters you have. Really good way to learn new words.

Technology rocks.

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To begin with, it should be realized that this is not a general purpose dictionary; it's specifically designed for Scrabble players. That's why all the definitions of each word are not given.

As noted in Steve Keeley's very helpful review, it can be converted to the Official Word List -the unexpurgated one -and it can be used to find all possible official words in any rack. The word games that are included are fun to play, too.

There is a useful feature that's not in the printed instructions, but appears by pressing the HELP button when defining words. To scroll to the right to see the entire definition, it's not necessary to hold down the right arrow; just press ENTER again and the scrolling is done automatically.

The four AAA batteries that are required are not included, so it's a good idea to have them ready, as well as a small Phillips screwdriver, which you'll need to take the cover off the battery compartment. There's no need to put the screw back on when you replace the cover; it will be secure enough without it. In fact, once you get the cover off -which can be a struggle -you might want to put it back by pressing it down just enough to hear a click; it will save you a lot of trouble later. Once you get that done you'll be free to enjoy this device without any further difficulties.

Peel off the horizontal strip with the word CHAMPION on it; now the display is unobstructed. But don't try to remove the square piece of plastic

that covers the entire device -its function is to protect against wear and smudges.

To conclude: I highly recommend the Franklin 228 for Scrabble® players.

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