Voltaire (1995)

Voltaire is a word game for one (or two) players. The purpose of the game is to cross words, aiming at placing all the letters on the grid. The player draws at random 10 of the 48 letter tiles, then forms a two- to nine-letter word on the grid. The player then draws the same number of pieces as the letters played, so as to still have 10 letters at their disposal. A new word is formed, adding horizontally or vertically, to the previous word. And so on. The player continues placing words, with the goal being to dispose of all 48 letters. (Parallel words are allowed providing all letters form a word. Also, two words should always be separated by a free square.) Difficulty Levels To make the game easier, take out a number of pieces, taking care to remove as many vowels as consonants. To make a harder game: before starting, draw one or several letters and place them anywhere on the grid, blank side up. These will be dead squares, as in a crossword puzzle. OR you can reveal the letters, then "cross words according to the normal rule, incorporating the pieces already disposed on the grid." Game contents: Wooden game board with 9x9 grid and grooves along each edge to hold letter tiles, 48 wooden letter tiles (letters of the alphabet plus one joker).