I'm not sure where to start, to best get across to you just how much we love this game. There are plenty of reviews here that'll tell you how it's played, so I won't bother with that. What I will say however is number scrabble it ain't, unless all a game needs to fall into that category are tiles with numbers on. Better to describe it as a tile laying game and leave it at that. As for the theme, I think that 24/7 refers to how often you're going to want to play this game.

Anway, I thought I'd go through the things we love about this one by one - here goes:

1. The gameplay: Simple - lay a tile, get some points (hopefully), pick a tile. Easy-peasy, everyone can manage this, making it one accessible game.
   
   
2. The scoring system: Ingenious, with all sorts of options for getting those points, from sums to poker-like runs and sets to marvellous 'gotcha' moments when you pull off one of the special tile combos and win a very satisfying bonus. Yes, there's a lot to remember to begin with, but if (as we did) you're all learning together it means that you can grow into it together, and it gives the game a meaty and well-defined pair of legs, with lots of room for you to grow into, gradually improving and extending your game. Two games are rarely the same - at least, that's what we've found.
   
   
3. The game length: Our first thought on seeing the board was 'wow, really small...', but it's perfectly formed. You've got enough space to enjoy yourself, but not so much that the game drags, and it's all over usually at just the right moment. Our games tend to come in at under 40 mins easily, which means plenty of scope for another go (and this time I'M going to win!).
   
   
4. Portability: We're coffeeshop gamers, and this baby goes into a little bag and is playable on the smallest of tables. Point 3 comes in here too - you won't get thrown out for hogging the tables.
   
   
5. Components: Top quality tiles, lovely wooden racks, stylish board, plenty of score sheets, really nice and super-tactile glass beads - 'nuff said.
   
   
6. Scalability: Have I spelled that correctly? Oh well... terrific with four, awesome with three, fabulous with two, I can't think of many games that scale as well as this one.
   
   
7. The designer: Not normally a consideration, but the lovely and super-generous Carey Grayson just HAS to have a mention in here. We knew we wanted this game when we saw it on the net, but everywhere we went that stocked it had sold out, and we really tried hard - Paris, Barcelona, Salzburg - all stripped of their stock. In desperation I got in touch with Sunriver Games directly, and Mr Grayson went several extra miles to personally help me get hold of a copy, so not only is he a number one game designer but a jolly good bloke too.
   
   

Seriously folks, this is an awesome game, that everyone we've played with has loved. Yes, it's got it's luck, but you'll need strategy and tactics too. Yes, there's maths involved, but nothing more complex than adding and counting, and we can all do that, surely? Play it light, play it heavy, play nice or play mean, I guarantee that there's a ton of fun in this game and something for everyone. We can compare it to other games, but at the end of the day it's unfair, because I honestly can't think of anything like this. It's clever, interesting, fun - unique. In fact, I recommend that - if you love your games - you'll buy this beauty right now. If you don't like it, I'll eat my hat.

We have been playing 24/7 the Game for a while now, and our family has been enjoying it immensely.

This is the best family game as it is simple to teach, but as the game progresses, you must adjust your strategy as new and very interesting choices begin to emerge.

I really enjoyed how simple yet challenging this game was.