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'Scrabulous' Changes Name To 'Wordscraper'


Scrabulous, Facebook's Scrabble knock-off, is back after receiving, shall we say, a face-lift. Actually, it's more of a name change, but we couldn't resist.

The popular Facebook application was taken down after gaming manufacturer Hasbro, which owns the rights to Scrabble, made the astute observation that Scrabulous was a near exact copy of the original board game. In response, no one disagreed, and now there is yet another online word-based game to play.

The new game is called 'Wordscraper'. It has a different colored board, a few new rules and a new points system. You can also create custom boards, which means that you can fill up a board with triple word score tiles if you'd like. Basically, it's the same game with different bells and whistles. The subtle changes are probably enough to protect the creators from copyright infringement, or at least appease Hasbro.

Ok, now let's all move on shall we? [Source: Cnet]

Hasbro Kills Scrabulous, Hackers Kill Scrabble

Hasbro Kills Scrabulous, Hackers Kill Scrabble
'Scrabulous' was easily one of the most popular Facebook apps on the planet, letting friends play quick word games against each other a turn at a time. Hasbro, owners of the 'Scrabble' brand, naturally didn't like that and, as soon as they got their own Facebook version of the game rolling, promptly sued the makers of 'Scrabulous' and had Facebook remove the game. A day later, hackers have shut down Hasbro's official replacement, leaving word-loving fans with nothing to play with but wooden tiles.

No details were given of the so-called "malicious attack" against the game, nor has anyone claimed responsibility. It's been enough to effectively make the game, developed by EA, unplayable. This turn of events will surely bring smiles to the faces of fans of the displaced 'Scrabulous,' and will make it even harder for Hasbro to win them over to the officially licensed, and by most accounts insufficient, replacement for the original Facebook word game. [Source: Los Angeles Times]

Makers of Scrabble Sue Makers of Scrabulous

Makers of Scrabble Sue Makers of Scrabulous

Remember that Facebook-based Scrabble knock-off we told you about, Scrabulous? Well we knew it ruffled Hasbro's feathers, but making the lil' Scrabble-wanna-be obsolete and crushing it like a bug looks like it won't be enough for the board game super power. Hot on the heels of the official EA-developed Scrabble Facebook application's release, Hasbro has announced it will be sueing the makers of Scrabulous for copyright and trademark infringement for unspecified financial damages.

Hasbro has also sought to have Facebook block Scrabulous completely, but the social network site has so far refused to be dragged in to the fray. However, by refusing to block the Scrabble-clone, Facebook risks its legal immunity. Service providers are protected from responsibility for their users' actions, unless made aware of a specific infringement.

Whatever the final outcome, it does appear that Hasbro is gearing up for an all out war. [Source: AOL News]

Writer Confesses To Cheating at Online Scrabble

Wired Writer Confesses to Cheating at Online Scrabble
Nothing sucks the fun out of a game of wits like cheating. And when playing games online, cheating is so easy it's hard not to do, as one Wired writer found out when she added the Scrabulous application to her Facebook page. Scrabulous allows members to play a Scrabble-like game (Scrabble is a copyright of Parker Brothers) with their Facebook friends.

Sarah Fallon (the writer in question) became addicted to a little online app called Scrabble Word Finder which searches through the letters in your hand for words you can form, revealing those obscure high-point, seven-letter bingo phrases that humiliate an opponent.

But in the end, our online Scrabble cheat saw the error of her ways and cast off her nasty habit. She even noted that Scrabble Word Finder did have some shortcomings, ignoring simple elegant plays like tacking an 'S' on to the intersection of 'quill' and 'combo' for quite respectable 27 points.

Playing games online allows people from all over the country and world to connect and compete. But remember, despite our cultural differences, one thing remains the same, nobody likes a cheat.

From Wired

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