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Word Power

Do I need to register to play?
No, you can still play every day just like before, but it really is fun to track your scores and see how well you do compared to other players, so we'd naturally encourage you to register!

Should I guess if don't know an answer?
Yes! If you don't guess, not only will you miss out on a chance to get some points, but you won't be shown the correct answer. Be careful and make sure you properly click each button when you make your selection. Failing to click properly while rushing and then getting an answer wrong is a common mistake.

How does the scoring work?
Each question is worth up to 10 points. You automatically get 5 points for each correct answer, and you can earn up to an additional 5 points depending on how fast you complete the quiz. See the next question for details on how the time bonus works. Please note that you won't get any time bonus points if you get an answer wrong, so it's best to take your time than to rush and fall for trick questions!

How does the timer work?
The timer is there to make the game a bit more fun by forcing you to balance between choosing quickly and reading the questions and potential answers carefully. The timer starts the moment you click the "Play Now!" button. The timer begins timing from the first time you tried the game, so if you try the same game later in the day, it's normal that you'll see very long times! The timer gets reset along with the game change at midnight. The timer is at the mercy of your internet connection, so if your connection is slow or if you lose your connection and have to re-connect before you've had a chance to submit your answers then the timer will still be counting and you'll probably get no time bonus points. Sorry, but there's not much that we can do about this, so please don't ask -- we can never modify results. How fast do you have to be? Here is how the time bonus is awarded: 0 - 15 seconds: 5 points; 16 - 20 seconds: 4 points; 21 - 25 seconds: 3 points; 26 - 30 seconds: 2 points; 31 - 35 seconds: 1 point; over 35 seconds: zero points. This scale was chosen based on the results of testing, though it may be revised in the future.

How do the rankings work?
Your personal rankings are based on the number of people who have scores better than yours, which means that ties with your score are effectively ignored, so if you're tied for second place with 3 other people, everyone in your group will have the same rank since you all have the same number of people who did better than you. The ranking ladders are a bit more difficult, so to give everyone a chance to be at the top for a while I made ties sort by recency, so the most recent person to get a score will be at the top of a group.

Can I play more than once per day?
Yes, to reinforce the educational aspect of the game, you can play as many times as you want, but your points will only be recorded once per game. The game rotates nightly at midnight, Eastern Time.

Will there ever be more than one game (or another type of game) to play in a day?
If this turns out to be a popular feature then yes, you can count on it!

I made a mistake or had technical problems -- can you fix my score?
Sorry, but under no circumstances can we modify a score or erase results. We know that the internet can be slow at times and that computers and internet connections can crash, but we're all in the same boat, so please remember that these games are just for fun and come back the next day to avenge your results!

What do I win?
Nothing -- it's just for fun! :-) So please don't cheat.

What if I cheat?
We'll be very cross with you. Actually, we do have cheat-detection systems in place, so if you do try to cheat, you'll stick out like a sore thumb and then we'll cancel your scores and ban you from the game. Cheating will ruin the fun for everyone else, so please be honest. Thanks!

Registration / Account

Why should I register?
If you register, our site will give you a friendly welcome every day and you'll be able to track your daily, weekly, monthly and overall scores. You'll also then be able to see where you rank against other players. Cookies (see below) must be enabled in your browser in order to use our game registration and score tracking/ranking systems.

I want to update my registration information
Make sure you're signed in, then visit the account modification screen.

Does changing my registration information update my Reader's Digest customer account information?
No. For security reasons, the registration database is not linked to our customer database. If you would like to change your customer account address, please use our online change of address form or contact our customer service department.

Cookies

Do you use cookies?
Yes. Cookies must be enabled in your browser in order to use our account, sign-in and game ranking features. Cookies aren't nearly as evil as they are sometimes made out to be in the popular press. They are simply bits of information that our web server stores on your computer (text information, not programs!) so that it can recognize you the next time you come back to the site and so that it knows who you are when you play a game (it has to know who to give the points to after all). Cookies which we set may only be read by our server -- no other site can read them. We never store personal information such as your e-mail address or even your name in your cookies -- just codes which are only meaningful to our web server and custom software. We use cookies to make our site function properly. Yes, much of the same functionality can be achieved without using cookies, but frankly, it can be very difficult to program and makes maintaining a site much more difficult and time consuming, so we hope you understand.

Sign in / Sign Out

Why do I need to sign in?
Signing in is a way of making sure that only you are using and have access to your registration information. This also allows more than one person in a household to play and track their scores and rankings.

Should I sign out?
Normally you should not sign out, since your session will automatically expire anyway after a period of inactivity and signing out makes it just a little more difficult to sign in next time you come back to our site (and our site won't recognize you). The only reason you should sign out is if you're using a shared computer (in a school or library for example).

Should I use the "Remember My User Name & Password" feature?
If you're using your computer and home and you're not worried about another family member seeing your registration information or playing a game under your username, then using this feature certainly makes it easier to play every day since you won't have to sign in every time you come back. Definitely do not use this feature if you're using shared computer in a school, library, or internet café.

I'm having troubles signing in or registering...
Make sure that cookies are enabled in your browser. If you're accessing our site from work or school, make sure that you're not behind a firewall or proxy server that is stripping out cookies. If you're sure that cookies are working in your browser but you're still having problems signing in, please send an e-mail to the webmaster (webmaster@readersdigest.ca) detailing your exact problems. Be sure to include your name, your user name you chose on our site, your email address, and please let us know exactly what browser and version you're using (ex: Netscape 4.7, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0) and on what platform/operating system (ex: MacOS 9.0, Windows 98).