Gap Closer Games | Illiterati | Cooperative Board Game | Word Family Game | 1 to 5 Players | Ages 7+ | 30 Minutes

I loved Gap Closer Games' other game, Rival Restaurants. So, when they announced Illiterati, I immediately backed the Kickstarter.Illiterati is a word-building game. But unlike that other one that everyone will be thinking of, this is a co-operative game. Each player draws a Book card with 2 objectives. These objectives may be to spell types of food, or using certain coloured letter tiles. Players must then use the letter tiles they have drawn to complete these objectives before the timer runs out. Any tiles that haven't been used to spell words are then 'burned' and must be discarded, though a small number may be saved.Then, players draw a villain card, which may add a new rule for subsequent rounds, or may even force players to discard letters. These rounds continue until each player has completed two books, which then triggers the 'Final Chapter'. In this end-game round, each players must separately complete a shared objective.The game is full of literary puns for bookworms to enjoy, and the artwork is stunning. The game also features a great solo mode, so can be enjoyed even if you can't convince your friends to play... but then, are they really your friends?I have the deluxe edition, which features wooden tiles, so I can't speak for the quality of the cardboard tiles included in the standard version, but they are a good size; almost double that of the other famous word-building game that your grandmother used to play. The coloured letters also feature symbols for colourblind players.All in all, a fantastic game, and one I always look forward to getting out on game night. The only downside to this game that I can think of is that the instructions are not the best. However, Gap Closer Games have a great 'How to Play' video on their YouTube channel, which explains it far better than the printed instructions.