Whatzit Board Game, How to Solve Rebus Puzzles
This is one we dug out of the grandparents basement stash. It’s an older board game from the 1980s but still provided a lot of fun on game night. Whatzit is a game based on Rebus puzzles, which are puzzles based on illustrated pictures and letters. The idea is to deduce a commen phrase or word from the picture.
For example:
- Secret
- Secret
- Secret
If you deduce the phrase “top secret” the above clue then you’d be correct.
I’m sure everyone has come across these puzzles at one time. Simple ones have been around for hundreds of years. You generally see them in popular in magazines, newspapers, and books. There used to be a game show called Concentration based on them too. The board game Whatzit is a game based on them.
Why This Game?
If you enjoy solving puzzles then this is the perfect game for you. It has a board, dice, and pieces to give players some structure. But I found just going through the cards with friends or family is fun too.
People who like games involving critical thinking and a good vocabulary are going to love this game. It isn’t so much about knowing large words so much as having a vast knowledge of common phrases and compound words.
There isn’t a strategy to Whatzit. Luck isn’t much help here. Quick thinking is the skill which wins the day with this game.
How Does Whatzit Compare to Similar Games
Pictionary or Mad Gab are comparable to Whatzit. They’re all types of puzzle games. Clues are provided and players need to come up with a solution. Pictionary is based on drawing, no words are allowed. While Mad gab is based on words only.
Whatzit uses pictures, words, or letters as clues. No drawing in real time or speaking the words. The clue is an image and you need to solve it. If you like those other games than you should try Whatzit.
Pros and Cons of Whatzit
Solving Rebus puzzles is a lot of fun. Getting the solution provides a lot of satisfaction. We enjoyed figuring out all the puzzles anyway.
As a game it isn’t that great. Meaning the board, pieces, and dice just get in the way. It’s better to just keep score who solves the most puzzles.
The answers aren’t always clear. Sometimes we found two or three interpretations are possible. Then again, some solutions were quite a stretch. We were wary of how they got to that conclusion based on the clues provided.
Summary
For this review, we give Whatzit 5 out of 10 stars. On the whole it just wasn’t the greatest game to play. It was much more enjoyable to just draw cards and come up with the solutions.
In that case it’s an excellent activity for teachers and students. Or to just wile away some time with family or friends. Just to have so many Rebus puzzles at hand, Whatzit is worth checking out.
Whatzit Board Game, How to Solve Rebus Puzzles brought to you by: David M.
I’m David M. I’ve been playing video games a long time, my pong game was fire. Now, my kids run circles around me but we always have a good time. We mostly play party and family games. Strategy and battle games are still among my favorites. I like writing about games almost as much as I do playing them. My favorite games are: Moving Out 2, Out of Space and Overcooked All You Can Eat.
