A gaming system and method for a skill-based reel game that includes a sequence of letters and a game grid size are described. During a game session, a randomly selected plurality of letters are associated with a plurality of letter display elements. A game processor determines whether any of the plurality of letter display elements form a winning sequence of letter display elements that spell a word stored in a word database. The player then identifies the winning sequence with player input, such as selecting the sequence of letter display elements on a touchscreen. When the player input is received by the game processor within a preset time period, the player is awarded a game session prize.