WELSH is the latest language to boast its own version of the world-famous board game Scrabble.
 The letters q and z are missing - as they don't appear in the Welsh language. Instead the tiles familiar to families across the UK carry the Welsh phonics of ll, rh and th, plus ng and rh. Scrabble experts calculate players could notch up a top score of 164 with the word angenrheidiaeth - but more if it lands on a treble word score. In comparison, its English translation - necessity - manages to score 176 points. Makers Mattel said it's banking on the game being a hit with Wales' half-million Welsh speakers - plus expat communities around the world, from Patagonia and New Zealand to Canada. Scrabble yn Gymraeg, with a £19.99 price-tag, is being backed by the Welsh Books Council. Director Gwerfyl Pierce Jones said it long felt Scrabble should be available in Welsh and so is providing financial and practical support for the venture. "Scrabble, an institution for word game lovers, had both educational and popular appeal and would therefore attract a wide audience of Welsh speakers, including the growing number of children and adults committed to learning the language," she said. | 
