Catch Phrase (game)

Infobox_Game
subject_name=Catch Phrase
image_link=
image_caption=
players=4 or more
ages=12 and up
setup_time=< 1 minute
game_time=< 53 seconds
playing_time= 10 min to 15 min
complexity=Medium
strategy=Low
random_chance=Medium
skills=Team play
footnotes=

Catch Phrase is a word guessing party game commercially available from Hasbro.

Game components

Initially, the game consisted of a timer and a plastic disc that displayed one word at a time. Later, stand-alone electronic devices with built-in random lists of words were made available.

Game play

The game is played in two teams. The goal for each player is to get their team to say the word displayed in the disc. One member of a team starts the timer and tries to get his or her team to guess the displayed word. A clue-giver can make any physical gesture and give almost any verbal clue. However, one may not say a word that rhymes with the word, give the first letter of the word, say the number of syllables, or say part of the word in the clue (e.g., "worry" for "worry wart"). When the team guesses correctly, the other team takes its turn. Play continues until the timer runs out. The team not holding the disc when time runs out scores a point. They also have one turn to guess the word that the other team did not guess. A correct answer earns a bonus point. The first team to seven points wins.

Original version

The older version of the game contains discs with 72 words on each side. The word list is advanced by pressing a button on the right side of the disc apparatus. A timer beeps at an increasing rate before randomly buzzing, signaling the end of turn. A scoring sheet is provided.

Electronic version

The modern version, also known as Electronic Catch Phrase, is an electronic game (in a device similar in appearance to the original version) with integrated word list, timer and scoring. The game unit has a dot-matrix LCD screen to display words, and buttons to start the timer, advance play, and assign points to teams.

A second edition of the electronic game features a backlit LCD screen, a visual score display rather than the auditory score system, and a redesigned appearance.

Word list

The electronic version's word list contains 10,000 words, which are categorized:
* "Everything" - all 10,000 words in the game
* "Tech/Inventions" - Anything that has been invented through the ages, from ancient history to modern times
* "History Buff" - History, politics, wars, civics, and things in the present that will become history
* "Entertainment" - Movies, music, books, actors, singers, authors, as well as fun activities
* "Sports/Games" - Sports and games of all sorts, leisure activities
* "Geography" - Places, both geographically and answers to the question "where?"; Also things that are usually found in a particular place or region
* "Transportation" - Methods of transport, as well as things seen while travelling
* "Around the House" - Household items
* "Food/Drink" - Foods and drinks, cooking terms, ingredients, restaurants, other food items
* "Plants/Animals" - Plants, animals, items made from plants or animals
* "Family" - A subset of the words appropriate for children, no adult themes or terms

Variations

Advanced players and teams tend to forgo the game board. Instead, one person is assigned as the score keeper and tallies the points along the way.

The game is similar to Taboo, also from Hasbro, in which a player tries to get his or her teammates to guess words without using the word in question or five related words.

External links

* [http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=browse&product_id=9429 Electronic Catch Phrase] at Hasbro
* [http://www.hasbro.com/pl/page.viewproduct/product_id.13384/dn/games/default.cfm Electronic Catch Phrase Junior] (for children) at Hasbro