Intellinitiative Game Company Sweeping Up Awards

Boston, MA – Intellinitiative Game Co., Inc. today announced that its new product, WORD SWEEP!, the first board game ever endorsed by Merriam-Webster, has been selected to receive a National Parenting Center Seal of Approval.

It is the second major award recognition in less than a week for the new game, which was also recently designated as a 2006 Parents’ Choice Foundation Recommended Award winner. The two awards have come on the heels of the game’s 5-Star rating in Toy Directory Monthly Magazine (five stars is the highest-possible rating), and the game’s inclusion as a recommended title for National Games Week during the week of Thanksgiving.

Clay Siegert, President of Intellinitiative, said, “We’re absolutely thrilled that WORD SWEEP! has earned the recommendations of the Parents’ Choice Foundation and now the National Parenting Center. These are among the most prestigious honors for a board game. It is great to be recognized, not just for the entertainment value that our product offers, but also for the underlying educational benefits that are part of the fun.”

WORD SWEEP!, the new game that tests players’ knowledge of word definitions in an original and clever way, was co-invented by Intellinitiative Game Co., Inc. and Steve Smith, an annual participant in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament hosted by The New York Times crossword puzzle editor, Will Shortz. Smith, a former middle school teacher from the Boston, Massachusetts area, placed 88th in the 2006 tournament.

“Congratulations to Intellinitiative for earning recognition for WORD SWEEP! from prestigious institutions such as the Parents’ Choice Foundation and the National Parenting Center,” said Hillary Hoffman, Director of Marketing for Merriam-Webster, Inc. “Merriam-Webster is pleased to have contributed to the success of this exciting new board game.”

Thanks to its patent-pending “guess-3-words-in-row” game play, WORD SWEEP! (MSRP $29.95) is easy-to-learn and fun for everyone, yet sophisticated even for word gurus. To play, one player reads a card that contains three definitions of words which appear consecutively in a Merriam-Webster dictionary. Another player tries to guess all three words to make a “Word Sweep” before the timer runs out. If the “Word Sweep” isn’t solved completely, opponents can “steal” the remaining words. The more words guessed correctly, the faster players advance around the board to win.

The National Parenting Center www.tnpc.com was founded in 1989 with the intention of providing the most comprehensive and responsible parenting advice to parents everywhere. The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval program, created in 1990 as an adjunct to TNPC's support services, identifies the finest products and services being marketed to the parent/child audience. From educational and entertainment products and equipment to travel destinations, the consumer oriented testing process solicits evaluations from parents and their children. This award signifies to other parents that their peers have acknowledged a product's quality and desirability based on a wide variety of determining factors.

The Parents’ Choice Foundation, www.parents-choice.org, which was established in 1978, is the nation's oldest nonprofit guide to quality children's media and toys. The Parents’ Choice Awards are given to products that meet and exceed standards set by educators, scientists, performing artists, librarians, parents, and kids themselves. The foundation is located in Timonium, MD.

WORD SWEEP! is for 2 to 4 players or teams, ages 10 and up. Using over 2,000 genuine Merriam-Webster dictionary definitions, the game contains three card levels and “junior rules” that can be integrated for complete family game play. “Every player is involved on every turn of the game,” Siegert said. “You’ll be amazed at the definitions you know and learn when you play WORD SWEEP!”

WORD SWEEP! is now available for purchase at select Borders, Barnes & Noble bookstores, specialty toy and game retailers nationwide, as well as online at Amazon.com, Target.com, and BN.com.

About Intellinitiative Game Co.:
Intellinitiative Game Co., Inc., based in Boston, Massachusetts, creates, manufactures and markets entertaining products that inspire fun, interactive group play. What began as a start-up game business, founded by three sibling entrepreneurs in 2001, has grown into one of the industry’s leading independent game companies. Today, Intellinitiative’s product line features both original and licensed titles such as VH1’s I Love The 80s Game, The 90’s Game® and Merriam-Webster’s WORD SWEEP!™ that are sold online and internationally in more than 3,000 retail stores. Intellinitiative’s games invite everyone to interact and have fun while creating lasting memories with friends and family. For more information, visit www.wordsweep.com, www.the80sgame.com and www.the90sgame.com.

About Merriam-Webster:
Merriam-Webster, Inc. acquired the rights to revise and publish Noah Webster’s dictionaries in 1843. Since then, Merriam-Webster has maintained an ongoing commitment to innovation, scholarship, and love of language. Today, the company continues as the leader in both print and electronic language reference publishing with reference products, learning tools, and word games. For more information, visit www.Merriam-Webster.com.

For Product Sales Information, Contact:
Clay Siegert – 1-866-752-9807 – www.wordsweep.com


® Merriam-Webster is a registered trademark of Merriam-Webster, Inc. ©2006
™ Word Sweep is a trademark of Intellinitiative Game Co., Inc. ©2006
™ Parents' Choice Awards is a trademark of Parents' Choice Foundation ©2006