MAD Word Games and Puzzles for All Ages and Nationalities (Make And Do)

The Printed Puzzle: A blank grid of 16 squares is provided in a 4 x 4 configuration

How to Complete the MAD Grid (also part one of play):
Use the erasable marker to write a three letter word in the first three spaces; put two other letters (called obstructions) in two empty spaces anywhere in the grid. (AIR in positions 1, 2 and 3 and obstructions E and D in positions 10 and 13 may work well.) The rule is that, starting at the top of the grid you enter a letter into the next position BUT that letter must be part of a three or more letter word and it must not repeat ANY of the letters already on the grid (or the obstruction letters). When one of the obstruction letters is reached that letter is the one that has to be in the new word. In this way a finished grid will contain 16 different letters; thirteen words will have been made and a score of the number of letters in the words formed will probably be between 39 and 130. As an example, if the first word is BUS and the two obstructions are T and D then the first new letter to enter can be O to make the word SOB - words 'buts, tubs, buds, suds that contain T or D not being allowed.

How to Play the MAD Game:
When using the completed grid to produce a word it is as well for each player to make a word in order, starting with the letter in the first position for the first player and continuing until a word is formed using letter number 16 as the first letter. Words must be 3 or more letters in length and may contain duplicate letters. Another 16 words will have been formed and it may be possible to have an average word length of 8 letters or more. For successive passes through the game grid the first position should be played by the next player who has not played it already.