Cross Spin Review

Solving crossword puzzles is certainly a challenge, but imagine if there were multiple correct answers for each clue and you could spin the puzzle if you got stuck. That’s the premise of Cross Spin, a new take on crosswords for two to six players ages 8 and up. 

Each player gets a dry-erase puzzle booklet and marker. All players start with the same numbered puzzle, and one player flips over as many category cards as there are words in the puzzle. These categories can be “animal”, “word starting with M”, or “fruit”. At the same time, players try to fill in their puzzles with one answer per category card. They can spin the puzzle to change its orientation so that their category answers can go in any word slot. Once a player completes their puzzle, they turn over the timer, giving the rest of the players 20 seconds to finish. Now it’s time to reveal answers and score points. Players score one point per correct word matching the categories chosen for the round. The player who completed their puzzle first scores two bonus points, but if that player flipped the timer and one of their answers is voted unacceptable, they receive negative one points for the round. Continue playing in this way until one player scores 25 points. That player wins the whole game.

The game comes with six booklets with 10 unique puzzles, 160 cards, six dry-erase markers, and a 20-second timer. You can also test your skills in the Cross Spin app.