Scrabbling around for a new lease of life

LIKE Alexander the Great hacking his way through the Gordion Knot, the firm behind Scrabble is about to slash its way through that enduring dispute in the most enduring of word games – what comprises a proper noun and is it permissible? The answer is to sweep away decades of argument and to declare the gates open for the names of celebrities, places and companies.

Which of course means that almost anything will be acceptable, given the names of some modern organisations – Amicus, BSkyB and VisitScotland to name but three.

According to toy giant Mattel, which owns the distribution rights to the 62-year-old game, the relaxed rules will bring a “great new twist on the old formula”. Changes to allow backward words are also being considered.

This is a tremendous step forward for lovers of games everywhere. Why not bring a “great new twist” to that other old game and allow bishops to move in a straight line? At least there will be little comment from the Vatican. Or perhaps a new Gordon Brown version of Monopoly where you blow your money as fast as possible? It seems a concerted effort to turn our currency into Monopoly money is already in full swing anyway.

But changing the rules of football by allowing video evidence to help referees make the correct decisions at vital moments? Perish the thought.