Players alternate being "the judge" (complete with gavel, which really is a plastic hammer). When the judge, the player chooses a category (many suggestions are printed on the board, but there is also a "choose your own" option). Then, the judge takes five cards from the deck of letter cards (each contains a single letter--no duplicates).
At that point, the judge turns over the first letter for all to see. When someone thinks of an item within the chosen category which starts with the appropriate letter, they blurt it out. As soon as the judge hears an answer to their liking (know thy judge), he slams the hammer down and awards the card to the person who shouted the answer. That player moves forward on the movement track. After five letters are completed, someone else is the judge.