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¡CUENTAMELO! is a Spanish version of the word game Baffle Gab. Included in the game box is a deck of word cards with various point values. There are nouns, adjectives, and verbs (each a different color), a one-minute sand timer, four golf pencils, Bone Bucks, four mini lined writing pads, a Spanish dictionary, and instructions.
The website says, "Anyone who can read and write can play." The game can be played by a single player but is recommended for two or more players. There are instructions on the website for how to play with large groups and how to make the game more suitable for different abilities. Indeed, the versatility of the game is one of its strengths.
How do you play the basic game? One player picks five cards--I'm unclear as to whether it matters how many of which of the three colors of cards are to be drawn--and lays them out for all to see. The timer is started and players use the five chosen word cards to make up a silly sentence or story before time is up. Players read their stories aloud and earn Bone Bucks for every word used correctly. Other players may challenge words, but they lose Bone Bucks if it is determined that the challenged word is used correctly! The first player to earn 100 Bone Bucks wins.
According to the website, "Whether you're just learning Spanish, or are already fluent ¡CUENTAMELO! offers the same family fun for everyone. It is also a fun way for those learning Spanish as a foreign language to practice putting sentences together." Even though ¡CUENTAMELO! is billed as a way for English-speaking people to practice their Spanish, I don't think this is the case. No English is included in any of the instructions, other written documentation, or on the word cards. One must be completely fluent in Spanish to play the game. Therefore, it is really a game designed for Spanish-speaking people as opposed to those learning the language.
Even so, either the English or Spanish version, depending on your comfort level, gives a wide variety of ages an opportunity to practice creativity and fast thinking in forming good sentences in an amusing way; and as such, it has educational merit.
Product review by Kathy Gelzer, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, January 2008
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