GB2330317A

GB2330317A - Word game apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2330317A
Application number: GB9822327A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Damien Mcvey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-10-14
Filing date: 1998-10-14
Publication date: 1999-04-21
Anticipated expiration: 2018-10-14
Also published as: CN1214270A; TW393329B; CN1122549C; HK1019408A1; GB9822327D0; GB2330317B; GB9721651D0

Abstract

The apparatus comprises a board and playing pieces with letters on one surface, the pieces carrying vowels are adapted to receive a means to distinguish the tone of the vowel. In one embodiment the means to distinguish the tone comprises a piece 34 which has a hole to receive an insert (Fig 5) carrying a symbol to indicate a specific intonation. The pieces may also be adapted by means of a wipe-clean surface or by a sticker. The board may square or semi-circular. The game is used as an educational tool in the use of the pinyin alphabet.

Description

Title: A Method and an Apparatus for playing a game DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to a new method and apparatus for playing a game, such as a board game or computer game.

Different types of board games have been developed throughout the world both as a leisure activity and as a teaching aid to provide an enjoyable means for education.

One example of this is the well known board game sold under the trade mark SCRABBLE which has maintained its popularity over many years.

The game SCRABBLETM uses a board divided into a grid with playing pieces in the form of tiles, each tile having a letter of the alphabet printed thereon. The tiles are kept in a non-transparent bag and a specific number of tiles are randomly chosen from the bag by each player. The object of the game is to form words by arranging the chosen tiles in a straight line from left to right or top to bottom in either the horizontal or vertical direction respectively by attaching the letters to one or more letters already placed on the board (except for the first word which is simply placed such that it passes through the central square of the board). The individual letters of the alphabet are given a specific value, with letters which frequently appear in words of the given language having a lower score than those which rarely occur. A player obtains a score on completion of a word and the final score is obtained by totalling a player's individual scores. The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins. This game is not only an enjoyable pastime but also provides means for improving the spelling and vocabulary of an individual.

This game is available in a large number of different languages. However, neither this game, nor one similar, has been produced for use with the Chinese language.

Pinyin is the standard phonetic alphabet which is used by, for example, the people of Hong Kong to teach Cantonese speakers the sounds of the Chinese mainland dialect. The alphabet comprises twenty six letters identical in appearance, though not pronunciation, to the Latin alphabet and is used to transliterate the sounds of modern standard Chinese from a character format to a latinised one. It is used to teach both native speakers and foreign students the sounds of the mainland Chinese language.

The meaning of a particular Chinese word is altered depending upon the tone in which it is spoken. Hence, a word which is spelt in a particular way may have a variety of different meanings depending upon the way in which it is pronounced. In order for such intonation to be incorporated into the pinyin alphabet, tonegraphs or tones are provided above the vowel occurring in a word which appears first in the pinyin alphabet.

There are four such tones used in pinyin which are represented as shown below, together with a neutral tone indicated by the absence of a tone graph.

1. Neutral ( ) 2. High Level (~) 3. Rising (/) 4. Dipping (v) 5. Falling (s) The production of a word game similar to the game SCRABBLETM which takes into account all the different pronunciations of the letters of the pinyin alphabet has to date been unavailable. This is because such a game would require too many different tiles but, in the absence of the tones, the educational merit of the game would be severely limited since it is the understanding and learning of the intonation of the chinese language which is critical to its acquisition.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for playing a game which may be used as an aid for teaching a language which has different pronunciations for identical letters.

It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for playing a game which may be used as an aid for teaching the sounds of modern standard chinese using the pinyin alphabet.

Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus for playing a game comprising a board and playing pieces, the board being divided into segments for placement of the playing pieces, the playing pieces being provided with a letter on a surface thereof, wherein the playing pieces which display a vowel are adapted to receive means for temporarily distinguishing a particular tone of the vowel, whereby two or more players each randomly select at least three playing pieces and, optionally, one or more means of temporarily distinguishing a tone of a vowel, the object of the game being to produce a word or words by selecting and arranging the chosen pieces with. optionally, said distinguishing means, on adjacent segments of the board.

The board is preferably divided into a grid thereby forming squares for placement of the playing pieces. It is preferable for the grid to comprise an odd number of rows and columns, thereby providing a central square. This square is preferably highlighted on the board to provide the starting point for the game. Preferably, at least 15 columns and rows are provided on the board.

Alternatively, a grid having an even number of rows and columns may be provided, in which case the starting point may be one of four central squares.

The player who is chosen to start the game, for example by throwing the highest score with a dice, preferably places the first word on the board such that it passes through the central square. Further words are formed by subsequent players placing their selected pieces and, optionally, said distinguishing means, onto the board, preferably being placed such that the word intersects with one or more letters already present on the board.

The individual playing pieces are preferably in the form of a square tile having a letter on an intended upper surface thereof. This allows a playing piece to have four further pieces surrounding it to form a word or phrase. However, an alternative shape may be used, such as a triangle. The dimensions of the tile preferably correspond to the dimensions of the individual squares on the board. The individual playing pieces are provided with a consonant or a vowel. Preferably, a further type of playing piece is provided without a letter which may assume any letter depending upon the letter a player chooses to assign it.

The means for temporarily distinguishing a playing piece having a vowel thereon is preferably in the form of an insert. Preferably, the insert is triangular in plan view.

The tile displaying a vowel is preferably provided with a hole therein for temporarily receiving the insert. Preferably, the blank playing piece is also provided with a hole therein for receiving an insert. Preferably, the hole is positioned above the vowel. The hole may be any shape but preferably is triangular in plan view. Alternatively, a recess may be provided for receipt of the insert.

The inserts are dimensioned for fitting into the hole or recess provided in the playing piece. Preferably, different types of insert are provided for representing various tonations or tones provided above vowels for distinguishing the sound thereof, particularly in relation to the pinyin alphabet for transliterating standard Chinese.

Preferably, the markings shown on the inserts correspond to the symbol used to denote a particular tone. For example, it is preferable to provide inserts displaying a high level tone, a dipping tone, a falling tone or a rising tone. Preferably, an insert with no markings is also provided for representing any one of the aforementioned tones, including a neutral tone, being assigned thereto by a player. Additionally, the absence of an insert above a vowel preferably represents a neutral tone.

Alternatively, other suitable means may be provided for temporarily distinguishing a vowel tile by a particular tone, such as a detachable sticker or a wipe-clean strip. For example, in the latter case, a wipe-clean strip may be placed over a vowel on a tile so that a player may mark a tone onto the tile using a marker pen. Preferably, the pen is provided with water-soluble ink such that a given tone may be wiped off the strip and an alternative tone be assigned to the vowel.

Preferably, a number of blank tiles are provided in the apparatus of the present invention having a hole or recess for receipt of an insert. It is preferable that these tiles can represent any letter of the pinyin alphabet depending upon the letter a player chooses to assign to the tile including the following three letters and apostrophical device which occur infrequently in pinyin and hence, do not warrant their own tone tile: ú - u with an umlaut. t - e with a circumflex. v - used only in foreign terms.

- - the apostrophe.

The apparatus of the present invention preferably includes multiple playing pieces having numerous occurrences of each type, i.e., displaying a particular consonant, vowel or blank. Preferably, the playing pieces are kept separate to the inserts. The playing pieces may be kept in a non-transparent bag, such as a cloth bag, to allow random selection thereof by the players. Likewise, the inserts may be kept in a similar type of bag.

Each player preferably selects between five and ten, especially seven, pieces from the bag at the start of the game. The players each then select inserts corresponding in number to the number of vowels selected. Alternatively, the number of inserts selected may correspond to the total number of pieces selected by an individual player or the number of pieces selected having means for receiving an insert (i.e those pieces having a vowel and those being blank). The first player places his word or words, which may consist of playing pieces only or pieces with inserts placed therein, onto the board. The subsequent players then form a word or words using their chosen pieces and optionally, one or more inserts, by placing these onto adjacent segments of the board. Preferably, these words intersect the word or words already placed on the board, i.e., utilise one or more letters of a word or words already on the board in producing the subsequent word.

Preferably, in forming a word, the letters have to be placed either horizontally or vertically across the board and preferably, have to read from left to right or top to bottom respectively. Once an insert has been used in a word above a vowel it is preferable that it remains in this position for the duration of the game, hence resulting in the respective vowel retaining one particular pronunciation for the entire game.

Accordingly, a further word placed on the board which uses this vowel must have the same pronunciation and therefore require the same tone on the insert. A player also has the option to place an insert into a playing piece already placed on the board which has an empty hole to receive said insert, thereby producing another word.

It is preferable to assign to each letter of the alphabet a particular value depending upon the frequency with which the letter occurs in words of the given language, such as transliterated chinese. Hence, letters occurring frequently will be given a low value whereas rare letters will be given a high value, for example, ranging between 1 to 10 points. Preferably, this value is displayed on the playing piece. It is preferable that a higher value is given to the four terms which occur infrequently in the pinyin alphabet, for example 15 points, which are represented by the blank tiles. In this manner, a player can obtain a score for each turn by totalling the value of the letters in the words he has completed on the board during that turn. The winner of the game may then be the player with the highest score at the end, obtained by totalling the player's individual scores.

Bonuses may also be obtained by landing on a particular segment of the board marked accordingly. The different types of inserts may also be assigned a particular value.

Alternatively, the winner may be the person who is the first to use up all his tiles and/or inserts.

Alternatively, playing pieces of different lengths may be used whereby the length of the tile reflects the frequency of the letter occurring thereon. For example, a rare letter would be on a tile which is proportionally longer than a tile bearing a common letter. In this instance, the winner would be the first player to reach the edge of the board and it may be preferable to employ a semi-circular board having the starting position in the centre of the board or the segment in the centre of the straight edge of the semi-circle.

Once a player has formed a word he must select a corresponding number of playing pieces from the bag to bring the total number of playing pieces in his possession back to the original starting number, preferably being seven. Similarly, the player selects a number of inserts accordingly.

A player may choose to forego a move on the board and instead replace one or more of his playing pieces and/or inserts with further pieces/inserts randomly chosen from the bags.

The game is complete when all the pieces are used up, the board is full and/or the all the players are unable to produce a coherent word within, for example, two turns.

Alternatively, the game may be complete when one player has used up of his pieces regardless of what the individual score may be.

Alternatively or additionally, if the board defines a specific boundary the winner is the player who is first to cross the boundary by forming words on the board.

Preferably, the rules of the game do not allow the use of hyphenated words, proper nouns or syllables which do not form a coherent word. However, in using the pinyin alphabet, it may be acceptable to place two or more syllables together to form a Chinese proverb. A bonus may be available for forming such a proverb.

It is to be appreciated that the apparatus for playing a game according to the present invention may be adapted for operation in a computer environment, for example, with the board being displayed on a computer screen with the tiles and inserts for a particular player being randomly chosen by the computer. A player may also play a game against the computer. Preferably, a mouse is provided to enable a player to select a particular tile and insert and position the same on the board. Alternatively, a joystick or other suitable handpiece may be used.

The game may be provided in a three-dimensional environment wherein the playing pieces are preferably in the form of blocks, with the words being read at right angles to the main field of vision as well as in the vertical and horizontal directions.

Letters and tones may be provided on one or more faces of the blocks. The distinguishing means may be in the form of tones, being individual pieces which are allocated to a player by the computer and which may overlay the surface of a block having a vowel thereon.

The game may again utilise letters having individual values attributed thereto in which case the blocks are preferably in the form of cubes. Alternatively, different sized blocks may be used depending upon the frequency of the letter displayed thereon.

Preferably, the positioning of the blocks is navigated as if viewed by a camera, moving along the three co-ordinate axes.

Preferably, animated figures or the like may be provided for positioning a players pieces and inserts on the board. The figures may be subject to attack by other player's figures or those controlled by a computer, for example, after a predetermined time for allowing a move has elapsed.

Preferably, in playing a game in a three dimensional environment using Chinese characters, a player may be allowed to make up proverbs instead of words since otherwise the words would be incoherent due to most Chinese words being made up of only two syllables. Chinese characters may also be read from right to left and hence, this may be allowed in the rules of the particular embodiment of the game of the present invention.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a method of playing a game using the apparatus of the present invention as hereinbefore described.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how clearly it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings in which: - Figure 1 shows a plan view of one embodiment of a board for use in the apparatus of the present invention; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a first type of playing piece for use in one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a second type of playing piece for use in one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention; Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a third type of playing piece for use in one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention; Figures 5a to 5e show plan views of the five types of insert for use in one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention; Figure 6 shows the insert of Figure 5d placed in the piece of Figure 3; and Figure 7 illustrates a particular embodiment of the board game and pieces of the apparatus of the present invention in use.

Referring to Figures 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings, the various components of a game for spelling words using the pinyin alphabet for transliterating the characters of modern standard Chinese into a latinised format are shown. A board 4 has a grid-like arrangement 6 marked thereon with the size of the individual squares 6' corresponding in size to the playing pieces 8a, 8b, 8c. The central square 10 of the board 4 is shaded in order to identify the starting position for the game.

The board 4 is preferably divided into a grid having an odd number of columns and rows, such as a 9 x 9 grid (but preferably larger, such as 13 x 13) as illustrated in Figure 1, thereby providing a central square. Alternatively, the grid may be of an even number of columns and rows with the starting point being any one of four central squares (not shown).

The playing pieces 8a, 8b, 8c in the form of square tiles are provided in a variety of forms, as illustrated in Figures 2 to 4. It is to be appreciated that the dimensions of the individual tiles would correspond to the dimensions of a grid on the board.

However, in the accompanying drawings, the dimensions of the tiles in Figures 2 to 4 have been doubled in order to clarify their features.

One type of playing piece 8a is in the form of a square, flat tile which has a consonant 30, such as the letter P, printed on its intended upper surface (see Figure 2).

The tile is provided with a score 32 in one corner, the value of which will depend upon the consonant provided on the surface of the tile. The more frequent the appearance of the consonant in the transliterated chinese language, the lower the value of the score assigned to it. Preferably, the value of the letters ranges from 1 to 10 points except for extremely rare letters which are assigned 15 points.

A second type of playing piece 8b, again in the form of a flat, square tile, has a vowel 34 printed on its upper surface, such as E, and additionally is provided with a triangular hole 16 above the vowel for receiving an insert. The tile is also provided with a score 32 in a corner thereof, the value of which depends upon how common the vowel is in the language of the game. A third type of playing piece is in the form of a blank tile 8c which does not have a letter appearing on the surface thereof (Figure 4) but is also provided with a triangular hole 16 for receiving an insert. This tile can assume any letter the player wishes, including four terms which are infrequently used in the pinyin alphabet and hence, do not warrant their own tile, namely "ire" with an umlaut, '^e" with a circumflex, "v" (only used in foreign words) and an apostrophe. A large number of the various types of tile having the different letters of the pinyin alphabet thereon and having different values attributed to them are provided and are preferably kept in a nontransparent bag ("tile bag") to allow the tiles to be randomly selected from the bag by the players of the game.

Another component of the game is the various type of insert which is provided for placing above a vowel in the hole 16 provided in the type of tile shown in Figure 3 or. alternatively in the blank tile shown in Figure 4. The inserts are again not shown to scale but it is clear that the dimensions of the insert would be such as to allow the inserts to fit snugly in the hole 16 provided in the tiles. The inserts have a particular intonation thereon representing the four tones high level, falling, rising, dipping (shown in Figures 5a to 5d respectively) and a blank tone (Fig. Se) representing any tone which a player chooses to assign to the insert, Additionally, the absence of a tone tile represents a neutral tone. A number of these inserts are provided which are preferably kept inside another non-transparent bag ("insert bag").

The object of the game as illustrated in Figures 1 to 7 is to achieve the highest score from adding up the individual scores for each player obtained by producing or completing words on the board in modern chinese language using the pinyin alphabet.

Each player randomly selects a specified number of tiles from the bag and observes the letters provided on each tile selected. Preferably, seven tiles are selected but this need not be the case providing each player chooses an identical number of tiles.

Each player then selects from the insert bag the number of inserts corresponding to the number of tiles selected which have a vowel printed thereon. Hence, if 'n' vowels are selected. 'n' inserts are randomly selected from the insert bag.

The player who has been chosen to start the game (Player 1), for example, by throwing the highest score with a dice, places, if possible from the pieces he has selected. a word made up of two or more (preferably three or more) letters of the pinyin alphabet, with one of the letters being placed over the central square of the board. The tiles may be placed horizontally or vertically across the board but must read from left to right or from top to bottom respectively. The player may also choose to place one or more inserts into a corresponding number of tiles possessing a hole for receipt of the same to assist in forming a particular chosen word (see Figures 6 and 7). Alternatively, Player 1 may forego a move and instead choose to swap one or more of the playing pieces for a corresponding number from the bag.

If the player does manage to spell a word, he must select a further set of tiles from the tile bag to bring the total number of tiles he has in his possession back to the original starting number. Additionally, the player must select inserts from the insert bag corresponding in number to the number of new tiles selected with vowels thereon. The value of the scores produced by the word or words placed on the board are added up to provide the player with his score for that turn of the game.

The next player (Player 2) plays a similar move by making up another word in the horizontal or vertical direction on the board. However, the word or words must be attached to one or more letters of the word or words produced by the first player. Again, the score is made by totalling the value of the scores provided on each tile containing letters making up the words produced by the Player 2. The player also has the option to place a tone insert into vowels already positioned on the board to produce a new word. Alternatively the player can forego his move and opt instead to change his tiles and inserts as described above in relation to Player 1.

Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings illustrates these moves in relation to a game using the pinyin alphabet. The first player has placed the word "m bi" (meaning "lull") on the board such that it passes through the central square (highlighted in Fig. 7).

The player has placed two inserts into the two vowel tiles in this word and these inserts remain in this position for the duration of the game. Hence, subsequent words which encompass these vowels must fit with the tonegraph displayed on the insert above the vowel. For example, as shown with the intersecting word "du̥mi o" (meaning "vaccine'') and the intersecting words "shu̥jiang" (meaning "to be rewarded") and "injia4o" (meaning "shout out") in Figure 7.

The game continues in this manner until all the squares of the board are complete or all the tiles are used up and/or until all the players are no longer able to produce any meaningful words within two turns. The winner is then the person with the highest score obtained by totalling the scores obtained from each individual turn. Alternatively, the winner may simply be the first person to use up all his chosen tiles and/or inserts.

The essential feature of this game which enables it to be used for producing words using the pinyin alphabet which authentically reflects all the properties of modern standard Chinese is the particular design of the tiles with the use of inserts having tonations thereon. The provision of inserts for placing above the vowels as desired allows every combination of vowel and tonegraph to be presented in the game. The player may select a particular insert which he has chosen from the bag to place into a tile having a hole therein, i.e being either a blank tile or one that has a vowel printed thereon. In this manner, all the different words which are distinguishable only by their tonation may be included in the game, thus enabling the game to be used to learn the complete intonation of the language.

It is to be appreciated that further optional or alternative features may be included within the rules of the game. For example, certain squares on the board may allow a particular score to be doubled or tripled or the like. The rules may specify that the players select an equal number of tiles and inserts rather than selecting the number of inserts corresponding to the number of vowels selected. Furthermore, the inserts do not have to be triangular in shape, for example square inserts could be employed to fit into square holes provided in the tiles.

Hyphenated words and syllables which do not form a coherent word (i.e., those which are normally written with a natural gap between them) are not permitted in the rules of the game. However, when playing the game using the pinyin alphabet it may be allowable to place two or more syllables together to produce a standard Chinese proverb. A bonus, such as a further 25 points, may be awarded to a player who forms a proverb in this manner.

Another point to note when playing the game using the pinyin alphabet is that the syllable "ng" is the only syllable in pinyin which may accept a tonegraph even though it does not contain a vowel, the tone being placed above the "n" in the dictionary. In the present invention, this may be overcome by simply omitting the requirement for a tone above the "n" to avoid unnecessary complications. Instead, the "n" would be treated as toneless for the purposes of making additional words incorporating this letter in subsequent moves.

It is to be appreciated that the board should be provided with fold lines to allow easy storage thereof. Additionally, the game may be provided in various sizes, such as standard and pocket size. A magnetic pinyin crossword game may be provided for use when travelling.

A further variation to the game of the present invention is to assign an animal of the Chinese zodiac to a number of the columns and rows. Where a word is formed where a column and row meet having two animals which are auspicious according to zodiacal tradition, a bonus point may be awarded.

According to a second variation of the game of the present invention, the aim of the game is to produce words such that a player crosses a target boundary, whereby whoever crosses the boundary line first is the winner. If no player manages to reach the boundary, the player with the highest score wins as described above. Hence, there will be interplay between the need to get across the target line and the need for a high score which will serve to increase the tension and educational merits of the game. In this embodiment of the game the board is preferably semi-circular with the starting position being in the square in the centre of the straight edge.

A third aspect of the present invention concerns the adaption of the game as hereinbefore described for operation in a computer environment. The board may be visible on the display screen and the tiles and inserts for the individual players may be randomly chosen by the computer. A player may also play a game against the computer.

A suitable handset, joystick or mouse may then be used to place the tiles and inserts on the appropriate grid on the board.

Animated figures or the such like may be employed for placing the tiles and inserts in position under the control of the player. The figures may be subject to attack by other players figures or those controlled by the computer, for example, after a predetermined time for allowing a move has the inserts and blocks. The game may again utilise letters having individual values attributed thereto, in which case the blocks are preferably in the form of cubes or different sizes of blocks may be used depending upon the frequency of the letter displayed thereon.

The three-dimensional shape of the boxes on the display screen which make up the places for positioning the cubes may be navigated as if viewed by a camera, moving along the three co-ordinate axes. Animated figures or the such like may again be employed for placing the cubes in position at the control of the player, having to scramble over other cubes to make a word.

In adapting the above three-dimensional computerised word game to be applicable to the chinese language, it is necessary to include some modifications to make the game workable. Most Chinese words are of two syllables and hence, it would not be possible to generate a coherent set of intersecting words. Since most Chinese proverbs are of four or more characters, it is preferable to form proverbs instead of words using the pieces of the present invention. The computer may be programmed with 4000 or so of the most frequently used proverbs, assigning a score according to the frequency of the characters used in each proverb. A player may be issued with a predetermined number of randomly chosen characters and would always have a blank tile or cube, and possibly one or two characters from a famous proverb to increase the likelihood of forming a phrase.

Furthermore, Chinese characters may be read from right to left, as well as left to right and hence, this may be allowed in the rules of that particular embodiment of the game.

Claims

1. An apparatus for playing a game comprising a board and playing pieces, the board being divided into segments for placement of the playing pieces, the playing pieces being provided with a letter on a surface thereof, wherein the playing pieces which display a vowel are adapted to receive with means for temporarily distinguishing a particular tone of the vowel, whereby two or more players each randomly select at least three playing pieces and, optionally, one or more means for temporarily distinguishing a tone of a vowel, the object of the game being to produce a word or words by selecting and arranging the chosen pieces with, optionally, said distinguishing means, on adjacent segments of the board.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the board is divided into a grid.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the grid divides the board up into square segments.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the grid has an odd number of rows and columns, thereby producing a central square to provide a starting point for the game.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the grid has at least 13 rows and columns.

6. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the individual playing pieces are in the form of a square tile having a letter on an intended upper surface thereof consisting of a consonant or a vowel.

7. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein further blank playing pieces are provided having no letter thereon.

8. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the dimensions of the playing piece correspond to the individual segments of the board.

9. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the means for temporarily distinguishing a playing piece having a vowel thereon is in the form of a detachable sticker.

10. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the means for temporarily distinguishing a player piece having a vowel thereon is in the form of a wipe-clean strip for marking a tone thereon.

1 1. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the means for distinguishing a playing piece having a vowel thereon is in the form of an insert.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein each tile which displays a vowel is provided with a hole therein for receiving the insert.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein each tile which displays a vowel is provided with a recess for receiving an insert.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 or 13, wherein the hole or recess is positioned above the vowel displayed on the tile.

15. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein one or more of the blank tiles are provided with a hole or recess for receiving an insert.

16. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the insert is dimensioned to snugly fit into the hole or recess provided in the tile.

17. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the hole or recess is triangular in plan view.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the insert is triangular in plan view.

19. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein different types of insert are provided for representing various tones of a vowel.

20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the tones are those used in transliterating Chinese using the pinyin alphabet.

21. An apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein inserts are provided to represent a high level tone, a dipping tone, a falling tone or a rising tone.

22. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, 20 or 21, wherein the inserts are provided with markings to distinguish particular tones.

23. An apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the marking on an insen corresponds to the standard symbol used to denote a particular tone.

24. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein a further type of insert is provided for representing any one of the tones of claim 20 or a neutral tone.

25. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the further type of insert is free of markings.

26. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein multiple playing pieces are provided having at least one occurrence of each type.

27. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the playing pieces are kept separate to said distinguishing means.

28. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the playing pieces are kept in a non-transparent bag to enable random selection thereof.

29. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27 or 28, wherein said distinguishing means are kept in a non-transparent bag to enable random selection thereof.

30. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each player randomly selects between five and ten playing pieces at the start of the game.

31. An apparatus as claimed in claim 30, wherein each player randomly selects seven playing pieces at the start of the game.

32. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each player randomly selects means for distinguishing a vowel corresponding in number to the number of playing pieces selected by the player having a vowel thereon.

33. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 31, wherein each player randomly selects means for distinguishing a vowel corresponding in number to the number of playing pieces selected by a player having a vowel thereon plus the number of blank playing pieces selected.

34. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 31, wherein each player randomly selects inserts corresponding in number to the number of playing pieces selected by a player having a hole or recess therein.

35. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 31, wherein each player selects inserts corresponding in number to the total number of playing pieces selected by each player.

36. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 35. wherein a player starts the game by placing selected playing pieces and, optionally, said distinguishing means, onto adjacent segments of the board such that one letter of the word is placed on the central square of the board.

37. An apparatus as claimed in claim 36, wherein subsequent players form a word or words by placing their chosen playing pieces and, optionally, said distinguishing means, on adjacent segments of the board.

38. An apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the words of the subsequent players intersect one of more of the word or words already placed on the board.

39. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the playing pieces are placed either horizontally or vertically across the board.

40. An apparatus as claimed in claim 39, wherein the words formed from the playing pieces read from left to right or top to bottom respectively.

41. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said distinguishing rneans remains in the position it has been placed for the duration of the game.

42. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein a player may place said distinguishing means on an appropriate playing piece already placed on the board to form a new word.

43. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each letter of the alphabet is assigned a particular value depending upon the frequency with which it occurs in the given language whereby a player can obtain a score for each turn of the game by totalling the value of the letters in the words he has completed on the board during that turn.

44. An apparatus as claimed in claim 43, wherein the value ranges from 1 to 15.

45. An apparatus as claimed in claim 43 or 44, wherein the value is displayed on the playing piece.

46. An apparatus as claimed in claim 43, 44 or 45, wherein said distinguishing means is also provided with a value.

47. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 43 to 46, wherein the winner of the game Is the player with the highest score at the end of the game, obtained by totalling a player's individual scores.

48. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 42, wherein the winner of the game is the player who is the first person to use up all his playing pieces and/or distinguishing means.

49. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 43 to 47, wherein bonus points are obtained by placing a playing piece on a particular segment of the board in forming a word.

50. An apparatus as claimed in claim 49, wherein the bonus allows the total value of the word to be doubled or tripled.

51. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1. wherein the playing pieces are of different lengths whereby the different lengths of the pieces reflects the frequency of the letter occurring thereon.

52. An apparatus as claimed in claim 51, wherein the winner of the game is the first player to reach a target boundary on the board.

53. An apparatus as claimed in claim 52, wherein the board is in the shape of a semicircle.

54. An apparatus as claimed in claim 53, wherein the starting position is the segment in the centre of the straight edge of the board.

55. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each player, after forming a word or words, selects a corresponding number of playing pieces and/or said distinguishing means to bring the total number of playing pieces in the possession of a player back to the original starting number.

56. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a player may, optionally, forego a move on the board and instead replace one or more of his playing pieces and/or said distinguishing means with a corresponding number of randomly chosen pieces/distinguishing means.

57. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the game is complete when all the playing pieces are used up, the board is full and/or all of the players are unable to produce a coherent word within two turns.

58. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is adapted for operation in a computer environment.

59. An apparatus as claimed in claim 58, wherein the board is displayed in a computer screen and the playing pieces and distinguishing means are randomly assigned to a player by the computer.

60. An apparatus as claimed in claim 58 or 59, wherein a player plays the game against the computer.

61. An apparatus as claimed in claim 58, 59 or 60, wherein a mouse is provided to enable a player to select a particular playing piece and, optionally, said distinguishing means, and position the same on the board.

62. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 58 to 61, wherein the game is provided in a three dimensional environment.

63. An apparatus as claimed in claim 62, wherein the playing pieces are in the form of blocks.

64. An apparatus as claimed in claim 63, wherein letters are provided on at least one face of a block.

65. An apparatus as claimed in claim 63 or 64, wherein the blocks are in the form of cubes.

66. An apparatus as claimed in 58 to 65, wherein said distinguishing means are in the form of tones which may be randomly assigned to a player by the computer and overlay a selected face of a block.

67. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 62 to 66, wherein words formed by the players may be read at right angles to the main field of vision as well as in the vertical and horizontal directions.

68. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 62 to 67, wherein the positioning of the pieces is navigated as if viewed by a camera, moving along the three co-ordinate axes.

69. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 58 to 68, wherein animated figures are provided for positioning the playing pieces and. optionally said distinguishing means, in position on the board.

70. An apparatus as claimed in claim 69, wherein a player's figures are subject to attack by other player's figures or those controlled by the computer.

71. An apparatus as claimed in claim 70, wherein a player's figures may be attacked after a predetermined time for playing a move has lapsed.

72. An apparatus as claimed in claim 70 or 71, wherein a player is out of the game when all his figures have been alienated.

73. An apparatus as claimed in any of one of claims 62 to 72, wherein chinese characters make up the words.

74. An apparatus as claimed in claim 73, wherein chinese proverbs may be formed using the pieces and optionally, said distinguishing means, on the board.

75. An apparatus as claimed in claim 73 or 74, wherein the characters may be read from right to left in addition to left to right.

76. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 73 to 75, wherein chinese proverbs may be formed on the board.

77. An apparatus for playing a game substantially as hereinbefore described, and with reference to, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, Sa to 5e, 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.

78. A method for playing a game comprising the steps of randomly selecting at least three playing pieces having a letter provided on a surface thereof and, optionally, means for temporarily distinguishing a particular tone of vowel provided on a playing piece and positioning chosen pieces on adjacent segments of a board with, optionally, said distinguishing means, to form a word or words using an apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding clairns.