At What’s Good to Play, obviously we love games, but our favourite are games that sneak a bit of learning and knowledge into the fun. Educational games have a special place in our hearts, not just because they reinforce vocabulary or sharpen critical thinking, but because they do so while keeping players thoroughly entertained. The best ones manage to turn learning into a lively, interactive experience where no one even realises they’re absorbing new knowledge. While many educational games tend to focus on maths, spelling or phonics, it’s refreshing to see a new contender that blends geography with spelling in a clever and competitive format. Enter Global Spell: The Geography Card Game.
Global Spell is an educational game, designed around geography, for 2 to 4 players aged 7 and up. With a flexible playing time of between 10 and 30 minutes it packs a surprising amount of educational value into its compact box. It’s no surprise that it’s earned two Creative Child Awards in 2025: Game of the Year for Educational Card Games and Travel Fun Product of the Year for Travel Games.
But this is a card game that doesn’t just test your spelling skills; it invites players to explore the world through over 200 facts that span 54 countries. Are you curious about the currency of Cambodia, the capital of Papua New Guinea or the population of Spain? Well, Global Spell has it covered and the answers to these are more can be found on the cards, the cards deliver bite-sized geography lessons wrapped up in playful competition.
The objective of the game is simple: collect as many Country Cards as you can by spelling out the country names and rack up the highest score. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Spelling out country names isn’t as straightforward as it sounds, especially when your opponents are armed with Action Cards, cards designed to sabotage your progress. With 142 cards in total, the game includes 54 Country Cards (colour-coded by continent), 70 Alphabet Letter Cards and 18 Action Cards featuring commands like “Steal One,” “Skip a Turn,” and the ever-satisfying “No!” Players also receive a clear and concise instruction manual that makes setup and gameplay easy to grasp, even for first-timers.
Setting up the game is quick and easy: shuffle the Country Cards and lay out a set number face-up in the centre depending on player count (2 players deal 7 cards, 3 players deal 10 cards or 4 players deal 13 cards). Then shuffle the Alphabet and Action Cards together to form a draw pile while dealing eight cards to each player, and you’re ready to begin. The youngest player starts, with play proceeding clockwise. Players choose to play, discard or draw cards. The goal is to spell out the name of one of the visible countries to claim its card. The game finishes when all the Country Cards in play have been collected. The winner is determined by the total score – not the number of cards won, but by the points on the card and also any bonus points earned.
Overall, we think that Global Spell is a fantastic fusion of competitive gameplay and lots of educational fun. It is a game that we have really enjoyed playing and learned from, whether it was learning population sizes or being able to recognise country flags. It’s not just about collecting a series of letters on cards to spell out country names correctly, it’s about engaging with the wider world, one country at a time, expanding on your world knowledge. Global Spell offers a fresh twist on educational games, delivering a rewarding experience that’s not only fun but informative as well. We think that it would excellent for families as well as teachers.
Beyond spelling at its core, what makes Global Spell special is its layered learning. Players get to engage with more than just country names – there is plenty of information on the cards: country shapes, flags, population stats, currencies and land area – all of which are clearly presented on the Country Cards. The colour-coding of the continents encourages regional associations by grouping countries together, and the challenge of spelling trickier names like Mozambique or Tanzania or longer names such as the United Kingdom (or to use its full name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – although this isn’t used on the card) adds a satisfying level of difficulty. The Action Cards inject strategic tension, ensuring that every turn matters and no player is ever truly out of the running.
The cards are packaged in a sturdy, compact cardboard box, making it ideal for home, classroom or travel play. The cards themselves are good quality, durable and are well-designed, displaying crisp maps, flags and snippets of important information that are easy to read. The instruction booklet is refreshingly brief and effective, allowing most players to jump in confidently after a single round.
We have loved playing Global Spell and believe that it has a good blend of competitive gameplay based around basic world geography – a fun and educational game to play.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £19.99
Available to buy from Amazon here.