Compare & Contrast

Classic board games are the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon or a family reunion. Each game has its own charms, but in the end, it's all about the competition. Who will win the ultimate game? Scrabble or Monopoly?

The board: Winner = Monopoly In comparison to the drab beige Scrabble board, the bright colors of the Monopoly board add to the fun. Color coding is all part of the game. Sort the money by color and collect property by color and you're all set. Plus they give you all those houses, so the entire concept of the game is mix and match with all these colorful little trinkets. Just remember that no matter how much you like the color purple, Baltic Avenue is not really worth that much.

The pieces: Winner = Monopoly The Scrabble pieces are integral to the playing of the game. Even though good or bad letters can make or break your game, I've never heard anyone ever talk about the Scrabble tiles the way they talk about the Monopoly pieces. Everyone has a favorite - the shoe, the car, the boat, whatever, and some people have been known to get superstitious about what piece they're using.

Educational benefit: Winner = Scrabble There is a reason why Scrabble is played in elementary classrooms across the country and Monopoly is not. Scrabble teaches spelling and a love of words, Monopoly teaches children about debt. And what kind of lesson is that anyway?

Strategy: Winner = Scrabble The Monopoly strategy capitalizes on greed, and that's about it. Get all you can while the getting's good. The Scrabble strategy is more nuanced and sophisticated, but at the same time spiteful and cruel. Clogging up the board to make it hard for anyone to put a good word down is a good strategy, as is taking away the triple word score spaces just so the next person can't use them. The all-time best Scrabble strategy, though, is to put an S on the end of someone else's really high scoring word, and take all those points for yourself.

Length of game: Winner = Monopoly Monopoly games have been known to stretch on for days or even entire summers. First, second, and even third mortgages can keep even the most bankrupt player in the game. When the last Scrabble tile is put down, the game is pretty much over.

The variety: Winner = Monopoly Every scrabble board looks exactly the same. The only renovation to the game since its inception has been a "deluxe" edition with a rotating board. Monopoly, on the other hand, has had so many editions introduced that stores can't even stock them all. There are versions like The Simpsons, Star Wars, and even one for Boston College.

Research: Winner = Scrabble Maybe a real estate mogul could give a few tips to an 8-year-old trying to beat his older brother at Monopoly, but when you get right down to it, there isn't a lot you can do to prepare. If you want to win at Scrabble, however, all you need is a dictionary and you are ready to claim victory. Look up all the words you can find that have Qs without Us, two-letter words, and words with Xs.

The thrill of victory: Winner = Scrabble A Scrabble winner can celebrate two things: one, their victory and two, the joy that comes with feeling smarter than every other person at the table. Because the game of Scrabble has the pretense of being a smart person's game, winning it makes you the board game equivalent of Einstein.

Overall: Winner = Scrabble The wholesome appeal of Scrabble edges out the capitalistic greed of Monopoly. With its educational benefits, sophisticated strategies, and glorious victories, Scrabble comes away the winner.