You know the game. You've played it hundreds of times. Even with your eyes closed, you know the feel of the smooth tiles in your hands, 98 of them with deeply etched letters and two that are intentionally blank. You can visualize the 15x15 board, a multi-colored grid whose red squares along the outermost edges are the most coveted because they bring you Triple Word Scores. The game is sold in 121 countries and is available in 29 different languages. One in three American homes owns this game. (For the record, I own four versions - regular, travel, deluxe and Palm.) It is the world's most popular word game with over 150 million sets sold worldwide. I'm talking about Scrabble which is currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity thanks to new iterations created for our technology-addled world.

Last year, a new version of the game was released for the iPhone/iTouch. This iteration, available for $4.99 from EA Mobile, offers the traditional game with a super easy-to-use interface. The coolest aspect of Scrabble for iPhone? The multiplayer options. It not only allows networked head-to-head play over WiFi, it also gives players the option to connect with Facebook and play against multiple friends. How fun is that?

As if to cement its place as the world's most popular word game, Amazon last week released a version of the game for its Kindle. Within days, Scrabble for Kindle (selling for $4.99) shot to the top of Amazon's list of best-selling paid apps. In fact, among the top 20 best-selling items on Amazon, it was the only game. And, while the reviews of this version aren't quite as rhapsodic as they were for the iPhone version, it's still Scrabble and, if you love Scrabble, you'll love the Kindle version, too.

Where did Scrabble come from and what makes it so popular? Architect Alfred Mosher Butts created the game in 1938, originally calling it Lexiko, then Criss-Crosswords. While creating the game, he performed a meticulous "frequency analysis" of letters by reading periodicals such as The New York Times. Despite his efforts, he could not make the game a success. In 1948, James Brunot, one of the few people who actually owned a copy of Criss-Crosswords, bought the rights from Butts by offering a royalty on every unit sold. Brunot rearranged the premium squares and simplified the rules. He also changed the name to Scrabble.

A few years later, Jack Strauss, who was president of Macy's Department Store, played the game while on vacation and loved it. When he returned to Macy's, he was surprised to find that his store didn't sell the game so he changed that by placing a large order for it. Scrabble finally made the big time! Brunot eventually sold the rights to Selchow & Righter, ironically, one of the game makers that had previously rejected it. By 1972, major toymaker Hasbro took over the rights.

Despite its near 75-year existence, the game's success has never waned. In fact, thousands play in clubs and tournaments all over the world, the most famous of which is the World Scrabble Championship, held in odd years at various locations around the world (in 2009, the tournament was held in Malaysia). In America, the National Scrabble Championship, the largest tournament in the United States, had its last two tournaments broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2. As far as number of players, the biggest tournament in the world is the Brand's Crossword Game King's Cup, held in Thailand, which regularly draws as many as 8,000 competitors. In fact, the game is promoted not only as a sport but as a way for Thai citizens to learn English.

With this kind of popularity, it was only a matter of time before Hasbro created different iterations of the game, including Scrabble for PC, Mac, GameBoy, Nintendo DS, PlayStation, Palm OS and mobile. It's also available for free at Pogo) and at Internet Scrabble Club. And still, there's no sign of it losing its hold on players.

In fact, these newest iterations of Scrabble are continuing the game's reputation as the world's most popular word game. I just bought the Kindle version (so, make that five versions of the game that I now own) and it works quickly and well. It's a shame the game isn't in color and the graphics (the scoring squares and the game board itself once play begins) make the board a bit busy and hard to read on the screen but the interface is easy to learn and use. There are two player modes: single and double. If you play against someone, you must pass the Kindle back and forth.

The best new iteration has got to be the aforementioned iPhone/iTouch version. While you're playing, you can log onto Facebook where play crosses between Facebook and the iPhone without difficulty. The moves occur in real-time and you can chat with your friends while you play. You can invite your friends to play or jump into a public game that's already in progress. If you need to take a break, the game in play is auto-saved through the Facebook browser. This version also offers a "Teacher Feature" which gives you the best word choice (personally, I consider this cheating but I'm a Scrabble purist.) You can shake your iPhone to shift letters, zoom in to view the board more carefully, change level of difficulty and customize game rules. A "My Games" list allows you to view old and current matches. And, there's a built-in dictionary. You can also turn on your iTunes library to have your favorite music on while you play. See? It's not only as much fun as the board version but now you can make new friends, find new partners and you don't have to worry about losing any tiles!

I've played Scrabble during every phase of my life and the game never bores or ceases to amuse. In my 20s, I distinctly remember playing with a friend and being so competitive that we spent 30 minutes between turns, each of us trying valiantly to find the combination that would score the most points. (I won, by the way.) I remember playing my husband during the nascent days of our marriage, before children and other familial responsibilities set in. (I always beat him, by the way.) I remember taking it with us on family vacations and playing with my daughter Ginger (who might've wanted me to let her win but I never capitulated; I beat her fair and square!). And I remember playing with my then 9-year-old son Jack and how proud I was (okay, I was a little annoyed, too) when he beat me by earning a Triple Word Score with taxi. (To date, he's the only one in my family who has beaten me.) I've spent hours playing it on my Palm Pilot and have had friends, flight attendants and passersby stop me and tell me how much they love playing the game. Scrabble has withstood the test of time...and new technology. And, I have every confidence that people a century from now, living in oxygenated geodesic domes on Mars or Venus will be playing it.

Well, readers, how often do you play Scrabble? How good are you? More importantly, can you beat me??!!