If all Nintendo DS games were like Scripps Spelling Bee, chances are every kid would have mandatory DS time as part of their homework every night.

Scripps Spelling Bee is a mixture of word games for the Nintendo DS that puts an emphasis on spelling difficult words as a key to success.  The game has a number of modes, ranging from educational mini-games in which you are provided with the spelling of the word, to a re-creation of a spelling bee, in which you must carefully listen to a word and take a shot at spelling it correctly.

For the main Spelling Bee part of the game, you’ll need to be in an area where you can clearly hear the DS.  The game will announce the word, which you can have repeated, defined, used in a sentence or see information about its language of origin.  But just as in the real Spelling Bee, you have once chance to spell it correctly.

Players can input their spelling by either using a keyboard option, or by writing out the letters themselves and having the game recognize what they are writing. 

There are also a number of difficulty levels , which should provide a good challenge to spellers of all skill levels.  As soon as you play for the first time, the game puts you through a quick spelling test to help determine the right difficulty level for you.  This can be switched manually, of course, and for those who have seen some of the difficult words the kids take on in the real life National Scripps Spelling Bee, there’s a mode that includes these R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S words, too.

The single player mode does have a bit of a backstory, which features friends, teachers and archrivals that you get to name.  In this mode and in the Spelling Bee mode, you aren’t given the correct spelling if you incorrectly spell a word.  However, in the game’s practice mode, you can learn the actual spelling if you make a mistake.

Our favorite part of Scripps Spelling Bee is actually the eight different word mini-games that can be played to help increase your vocabulary.  Each of these games is a new and unique way to learn the spelling of words while performing different tasks.  In one, you need to connect letter dots scattered around the screen in the same order as the word you’re trying to spell.  In another, you must arrange falling bricks to spell out the right vocabulary words.  Considering that we’re talking about 10 letter words a lot of the times, it’s actually a difficult task, but we love how it reinforces spelling while asking players to perform different challenges.

One other very coo feature of Scripps Spelling Bee is the ability to input your own vocabulary words, so it’s possible to use this game as a study guide for real-life homework.

Scripps Spelling Bee is a great example of a DS game that makes an educational subject matter fun.  Kids will obviously need to be somewhat inclined to want to successfully spell words, but if they are, this game is a great way to build vocabulary while having fun.  We definitely recommend Scripps Spelling Bee as one of our favorite educational DS titles of the year, and especially love the mini-games and customization options that make it possible for kids to convince their parents to let them play their DS for homework.

INFORMATION FROM COMPANY FACT SHEET

Scripps Spelling Bee presents a variety of ways to practice one’s spelling through three modes: Championship, Practice and Mini-Games. The Championship mode allows the player to go through a revised version of the tournament that is broadcast on ABC and ESPN. The Practice area lets the player go through a Spelling Bee without the pressure of points or elimination and with a few added bonuses along the way.  The Mini-Games section houses a variety of fun spelling and word puzzles, such as Word Memory, Word Maze and Word Search. The player's progress throughout the game is tracked in the Trophy Case menu, where the player can see their scores and prizes, as well as unlock special themes and icons for the game.