8. A gaming device comprising: a playfield that includes a plurality of display positions, wherein each display position is used to display a letter of an alphabet, wherein a letter may be combined with adjacent letters to form a word, wherein the display positions are configured into groups, and wherein at least one word is hidden in the playfield, a microprocessor with a computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program to control the operation of the gaming device, a segment of the computer program to continuously shift the letters at display positions in a group relative to the letters at display positions in another group, wherein a letter at a display position is continuously shifted to an adjacent display position in a group, a segment of said computer program that randomly stops said shifting of letters, a segment of said computer program that determines if a hidden word is uncovered when the shifting of letters is randomly stopped, and a segment of said computer program that determines a payout amount associated with uncovered word.
8. A gaming device comprising: a playfield that includes a plurality of display positions, wherein each display position is used to display a letter of an alphabet, wherein a letter may be combined with adjacent letters to form a word, wherein the display positions are configured into groups, and wherein at least one word is hidden in the playfield, a microprocessor with a computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program to control the operation of the gaming device, a segment of the computer program to continuously shift the letters at display positions in a group relative to the letters at display positions in another group, wherein a letter at a display position is continuously shifted to an adjacent display position in a group, a segment of said computer program that randomly stops said shifting of letters, a segment of said computer program that determines if a hidden word is uncovered when the shifting of letters is randomly stopped, and a segment of said computer program that determines a payout amount associated with uncovered word. 12. A gaming device as recited in claim 8 , wherein said segment of the control program that randomly stops the continuous shifting of letters employs a random number generator.