It's difficult to imagine any kind of dustup surrounding Hasbro's popular wordsmith game Scrabble. However, that's just what happened earlier this year when the gamemaker served social-networking hub Facebook with takedown notices for a widely used Scrabble clone application, Scrabulous.

　　Today, the reason for that legal wrangling has come to light, as Hasbro licensor EA announced its intention to offer its own free version of the classic board game to US and Canadian residents. The free edition of Scrabble is currently available through EA's casual portal Pogo.com, and the publisher expects the Facebook app to go live later this month.

　　More than just a clone of a clone, Scrabble on Facebook will feature built-in chat and dynamic animations. The free app will also feature a real-time play mode or a pause-and-pick-up mode for up to two players where players can take turns at their leisure. Facebook denizens will also have access to prebuilt word banks.

　　The Pogo.com edition of the game can be played alone or in matches for up to four. In single play, the game offers five difficulty levels and a variety of rule sets. Pogo members will have the option to set up and participate in National Scrabble Association-certified tournaments, and be afforded a variety of boards.

　　As part of today's announcement, EA noted that Scrabble is just the first of its Hasbro-licensed properties that will be made available through social-networking sites such as Facebook.