Scarabeo

About this board game

Scarabeo is a classic Italian word game for 2–4 players, with games lasting about 90 minutes. First released in 1963, it challenges players to form words from eight drawn letter tiles on a shared gameboard.

Each word earns points according to the commonality of its letters, while selected board spaces provide bonuses. However, a new word must use at least one tile that has already been played, so players cannot simply place words anywhere they choose.

This connection rule gives Scarabeo a distinctly tactical character. A possible word may be rejected because playing it would give an opponent too much access to one of the board’s more valuable bonus spaces.

• Use eight drawn letter tiles to form words.
• Score according to the commonality of the letters used.
• Take advantage of bonus spaces on the board.
• Connect every new word to at least one already-played tile.

The game also has a notable publishing history. Aldo Pasetti self-produced Scarabeo and was sued by the publisher of Scrabble, which had a very similar board, tiles, and rules.

The trial took place in the late 1950s and ended in an acquittal. The verdict held that game mechanics were not relevant and that the names “Scarabeo” and “Scrabble” could not be confused, meaning there was no unfair competition. After the definitive acquittal, Editrice Giochi published the game.