Memoir '44

Subject: History
Category: WWII

Ages: # of players: 8 and up

Time to play: Mechanics/Game Type: Battle cards, dice rolling

Ratings (1 to 5) Educational Value: 5

Gaming value: 5

Aesthetic value: 5

Price value: 5

Ease of play: 3

Younger adaptability: 2

My comments:  Memoir '44 is an entry-level, hex-based war game based on World War II.  The basic set contains German and American army figures, including infantry, tanks, artillery, and obstacles like barbed wire and sandbags.  While the rules may seem a bit complicated, they are simple by war game standards and are well worth mastering.


The rule book is also a campaign book based on actual WWII battles.  Players decide which battle scenario they want to play, which has a description of the actual historical events.  Players then set up the board by placing a variety of terrain hexes and troops according to the scenario specifications.  In general, on your turn you play a card that allows you to activate troops.  You move them and then battle with them, using dice to determine how many if any of the enemy you eliminate.  Doing so earns you victory metals; collect the scenario-specified number of metals to win the game.  Movement and battle have various rules based on terrain, troop-types, and obstacles.


The game is made by Days of Wonder, the same company that makes Ticket to Ride.  And like Ticket to Ride, Memoir '44 comes with a variety of expansions, each with new armies (British, Italian, Russian, Japanese), campaigns, cards, terrain, and some additional rules. (See the Days of Wonder website for all the available expansion.)  Have only one war gamer in the family?  He or she can play free online (if you have a decent computer) against the computer or other live players (caution: opponents can chat live during play.)  You are given "50 gold ingots" to start but once they are used up you have to buy more to play ($8 for 200, or buy larger volumes at a discount.)


Overall this is a great introduction to war gaming, a world steeped in history and top-notch strategy.  It certainly has sparked an interest in WWII for my kids.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/10630/memoir-44

Ticket to Ride

Subject: Category: Geography

Ages: # of players: 2 to 5

Time to play: Mechanics/Game Type: Card collection strategy

Ratings (1 to 5) Educational Value: 5

Gaming value: 5

Aesthetic value: 5

Price value: 4

Ease of play: 4

Younger adaptability: 5

My comments: Ticket to Ride has become one of the most popular board games around, as evidenced by the large variety of version available.  If you are studying geography of the US or Europe then these games are both fun and educational.

The game has Destination cards and various color Train cards; the board has railroad routes of various colors and lengths connecting various cities (gray routes can be any color.)  You try to collect enough of the same colored train cards to claim a route between two cities, placing your own set of neat plastic trains on the board when you do so.  Claiming a route earns you point, which you keep track of by moving a scoring marker around the outside of the board.  Ultimately you try to claim routes to connect the cities listed on your Destination cards.  The game ends after the first player runs out of plastic trains, when the final scoring for longest route and completed destination cards happens.

Each turn you have a choice of one of three actions: draw Train cards (up to 2), or claim a route, or draw Destination cards.  As for the deck of train cards, five are face up on the table while the rest are face-down in a stack.  You can draw either a face up card, and then replace it by turning over the top of the stack, or one from the stack.  If you draw a face up wild card your turn is over; if you draw a single-color face-up train or a card from the pile then you get to choose a second card from either source (other than a face-up wild card.)  When you draw Destination cards, you pick three but you only keep what you want.

The game is long for younger players, though fewer players speeds it up.  No reading is needed, and if you play open-handed then even younger players can enjoy this game, or get the dice expansion.  The biggest issue is the appeal for kids to play with the trains.  While you get extra, every player needs 25 trains since that determines when the game ends.

The basics of the game are easy to learn, but game variations have rule variants.  Even the basic game has some variation depending on the number of players; in a three-player game, for example, only one side of a double route can be claimed.  Ultimately the variations make play more challenging or interesting, but it can get confusing if you don't play often.

Here is another description on the Games by Johnny! blog about the game with pictures and details about playing.

BoardGameGeek.com links to these games:

Ticket to Ride;  Ticket to Ride Europe;  Ticket to Ride: Marklin Edition (Germany);  Ticket to Ride Nordic Countries;  Ticket to Ride: Switzerland expansion.  And there's more expansions--dice, cards, 1912 editions.  Check out the Days of Wonder website for the full line.

The aMAZEing Labyrinth

Subject: General
Category: Logic and patterns

Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 1 to 4

Time to play: 30 to 45 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: Tile slide

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 5

Gaming value: 5

Aesthetic value: 5

Price value: 4

Ease of play: 5

Younger adaptability: 5

My comments: This is a game that's been around for awhile that the whole family can enjoy while building spacial, pattern, and logic skills at the same time.  The mechanics of the game are the same as for Chateau Roquefort but the board is much easier to set up.  The tiles are pictures of various types of tunnel pieces; the board has some fixed pieces and the rest are placed randomly on the board.  They may or may not connect to form a continuous tunnel depending how they are positioned, and one tile is left over.  Next all of the 24 cards are dealt out as a stack; you can only look at your top card at any time.

Your goal is to reach the character pictured on the top card.  On your turn you try to make a connecting tunnel by inserting the extra tile on the board to shift the whole row of tiles. Next you move your piece along the tunnel; if you land on your goal you turn over your card and end your turn, trying to reach the character on the next card next turn.  If you don't land on it your turn still ends and you try again next round.  If you push a player off the board, including yourself, that player moves to the other side of the row to the tile just placed.

The game is simple to set up, simple to play, and intriguing enough to make it interesting for the whole family.  Be careful to punch out the tiles from front-to-back when you first get this game for a clean tile separation.  The board is a little small, though.  Otherwise, the aMAZEing Labyrinth is one of our family favorites.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1219/the-amazeing-labyrinth

Caribbean

Subject: Geography
Category: Maps
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 4
Time to play: 30 to 45 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: Pick up and deliver; Simultaneous Action Selection

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 3 (excellent map)
Gaming value: 4
Aesthetic value: 4
Price value: 4
Ease of play: 4
Younger adaptability: 3

My comments: This is a cut-throat game, no doubt, fitting in well with the pirate theme. Players bribe (with barrels of rum) six pirate ships (their names beginning with the letters A through F) to capture and deliver treasure chests. Players have bidding tiles, one each from -1 to 5. Each round players decide how much rum to bid for all the ships by placing each card rum barrel card in a tray labeled with all the ship names, leaving one tie-breaking tile left over. Starting with A (for Aribba) players reveal their bid, and the highest bidder gets control of that ship. You move the ship as many spaces as barrels of rum you bid, minus any -1 cards your opponent may have played. You pick up treasure by sailing to a port, or by stealing it from another ship. If the ship moves into a square of your color, you get the gold. After A ship is moved, bids for the B ship are revealed, and so on. The first player to capture so much gold (based on the number of players) wins the game.

The game not only involves anticipating what other players might do but also a lot of abstract strategy to figure out if it is better to do a straight move to a harbor and then to your color, or to use a less-sought-after ship to steal it off another. The gaming value will far outlast it's educational value.

The board is an attractive, realistic map depicting the Caribean and all the major port cities, although countries are not named, nor are their boarders shown. The ships are neat and can be taken apart for flat storage but they do not always stay together well. The treasure chests are very small and can be difficult to read. They are thick cardboard, as are the rum barrel tiles, with colorful designs.

Minimal reading is involved, but the bidding process makes the game are to adapt to younger players, though they'll want to play with the ships. You can get this game for just under $20, making it a good value given it's attractive components and long game life.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/13301

Have You Herd?

Subject: General
Category:
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2-4
Time to play: 30 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: dice rolling and set collection

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 2
Gaming value: 4
Aesthetic value: 5
Price value: 5
Ease of play: 5
Younger adaptability: 4

My comments: Unfortunately, you really have to stretch quite a bit to find the educational value in this game. I say "unfortunately" because other than educational value, Have You Herd is a great game in every other category.

There is a little strategy involved but mostly this game is based on the roll of the dice. The best time to use it is when your children are learning the concept of trading value and even dollar value although there is no money involved. One of the hardest things to get across to young children is that all coins are not created equal nor is all paper money and this game gives them a little practice in trading and learning that they have to trade more items to get a higher valued animal, ie. not everything in life has a one for one value.

Have You Herd is played with a pair of 12-sided dice and 52 animal tiles consisting of rabbits, sheep, pigs, cows, horses and two special animals: the guard dogs and the skunk. Throughout the game you roll to collect more tiles, each one representing a herd. On each turn you have opportunities to trade up for more expensive animals. With 5 rabbits you can trade up for one sheep and for 2 sheep you can trade up for one pig and so on. In the end you want to have one of each herd to win. The strategy comes in when you are trading, for example, it's a good idea to trade for a guard dog early on in the game if you can because he will protect your herds when the fox or the wolf are rolled.

This is an enjoyable game to play, requiring no set up time and is very easy to learn. In fact I'm not sure why the recommended age is 8 and up, I would gauge it at 6 and up without adapting any of the rules. The packaging is compact, everything fits into an adorable 3x6 inch silo. Finally a manufacturer that understands my distaste for wasteful, unnecessary packaging. :)

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game:http://boardgamegeek.com/game/33907

Totally Gross, The Game of Science

Subject: Science
Category: General
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 4
Time to play: 60 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: Trivia

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 5
Gaming value: 2
Aesthetic value: 2
Price value: 3
Ease of play: 5
Younger adaptability: 2

My comments: Science games are hard to come by, so given the scope of what is available, this game is pretty good. Based on the "gross" theme that has been in vogue for the past few years (as if our children won't be interested in science otherwise,) the game does have a good amount of trivia covering both physical and life sciences.

You roll and move around the board and either answer a trivia question or complete a "totally gross" challenge in order to stretch a piece of "slime" 10 spaces (more about the slime later.) The challenges are as simple as showing your "abs" to as gross as making the noise of peeing, burping, and farting (I got that one and my 3 boys were literally rolling on the floor with laughter. I suppose I could have passed on that one.) Once you do that, you get to the lab so you can perform an experiment in order to answer the winning question. If you don't happen to have the materials needed for the experiment (though you most likely will) then you can just pick another experiment.

Like most educational games, the components are flimsy for the price. The board is nice, but that's all. The "slime" doesn't really stick or stretch well enough so we use other markers instead. The playing pawns are small standard pieces; nothing with a fun science theme. The cards maybe have the thickness of an index card. Really, for the $20+ price tag these companies should be able to put better components in their games. The game does provide a good amount of trivia, challenges, and experiments to make this game playable for awhile.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/14705

Planet Earth DVD Game

Subject: Science
Category: Nature
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 5
Time to play: 45 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: Trivia

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 5
Gaming value: 2
Aesthetic value: 4
Price value: 4 (or less for more expensive versions)
Ease of play: 5
Younger adaptability: 3

My comments: This game is like most DVD games on the market, except that this one is based on the visually spectacular Discovery series, Planet Earth. The object of the game is to complete a jigsaw puzzle by answering trivia questions. The board is like Trivial Pursuit in that it has 6 special spaces that require you to answer a question from a particular Planet Earth episode, and a correct answer earns you as many puzzle pieces as the narrator tells you. Unlike TP, you don't have to answer one question from each episode--you get a chance to earn pieces every time you land on any of these spaces. Otherwise the board is designed such that you get a question every turn.

It has the inherent limitations of a trivia game, and I cannot find any listing of how many total questions the game has. On the second playing I already had around 5 repeated questions. The game can be played cooperatively, everyone giving answers with an objective to complete the puzzle. The puzzle is actually double-sided with two pictures that are similar enough that it is difficult to tell which side needs to be up.

The beauty of this game is the DVD footage. If you have never seen Planet Earth, go to Discovery Streaming, sign up for a free 30 day trial, and watch. You will be awed.

As someone on BGG put it, Scene It meets Trivial Pursuit at the Discovery Channel...

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/34395

Way Back When in History

Subject: History
Category: Early American, Civics
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 8
Time to play: Variable (45 minutes on average)
Mechanics/Game Type: Trivia, roll and move

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 5
Gaming value: 3
Aesthetic value: 4
Price value: 4
Ease of play: 5
Younger adaptability: 5, playing in teams

My comments: This game is a really great way to review history facts with your kids. It comes with a colorful board divided into 5 sections--Explorers, Colonies, Revolution, Constitution, and Civil War. The 48 trivia cards each contain one question for each game board section, for a total of 5 questions on each card; there's also 6 wild cards. The very large six-sided die is made of a rubbery plastic so it bounces when it rolls and doesn't make a lot of noise. It also comes with eight pawn-shaped playing pieces.


Playing the game is simple--the player gets asked a question based on what section his playing piece is in; if he answers the question correctly, he rolls and moves. Everyone starts in Explorers; as you answer questions correctly you move from one time period into the next, and the questions change. The Constitution section has a lot of questions about the document itself (thus the civics lessons) as well as historical facts. We play with the variation that you move double the number rolled on the die to keep the game short.

The game is limited as any trivia game is, though you could get questions from other sources, like Professor Noggin card games, for example. They already have Explorers, Revolutionary War, and Civil War. I bought this game at Old Sturbridge Village; it is available online directly from the manufacturer.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: none

Manufacturer's web site: http://www.waybackwhengames.com/index.htm

Dutch Blitz

Subject: General
Category:
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2-4
Time to play: 10 min per round, 30+ min full game
Mechanics/Game Type: cards

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 4
Gaming value: 5
Aesthetic value: 3
Price value: 5
Ease of play: 5
Younger adaptability: 3

My comments: "A Vonderful Goot Game!" That's what the box says and I agree wholeheartedly. This is a FUN game that is fairly easy to learn/teach for adults and children alike. And although it does require speed, I think if you are willing to slow your pace down a bit, you can play it with younger children who recognize their colors, numbers by sight and understand order.

Dutch Blitz will strengthen pattern recognition as well as manual dexterity. You are always holding cards and manuevering them as you play while watching several key areas for your next move, requiring hand/eye coordination and attentiveness. Interestingly enough, it seems that the fastest player will always win however that has not proven to be the case any of the times I've played it. The winner varies quite a bit.

I gave this game a 3 for aesthetic value because the packaging leaves something to be desired. It comes in a typical card box and although I am very careful when opening and closing the top flap, it is already starting to tear. The cards themselves are lovely though with little Pennsylvania Dutch boys and girls printed on them.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/943

Tumblin' Dice

Subject: Math
Category: multiplication
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 4
Time to play: 15 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: dexterity

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 5
Gaming value: 5
Aesthetic value: 5
Price value: 3 (this is an expensive game!)
Ease of play: 5
Younger adaptability: 5

My comments: While expensive (somewhere around the $60 mark), Tumblin' Dice is a large, fun dexterity game everyone will enjoy. It consists of a large, multi-tiered, maple-topped board on which each tier multiplies the value of the dice that land on it. It comes with 4 sets of 4 hexahedral (6-sided) dice, each set a different color. Players roll/flick/slide the dice off the top tier to try and get the highest score. The board even has 4 small dry-erase boards to keep score.

Put this game on a table to have a little movement with your board gaming! Younger kids can easily launch the dice even if they can't do the math yet. You could easily change the multiplication values, use dice with more sides, or even add "special spaces" to practice a variety of multiplication facts.

Unfortunately, I have not seen this available new since Christmas. The company still continues to make the smaller Tumblin' Dice, Jr. for 2 players. For now, the full version is still available through Amazon.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://boardgamegeek.com/game/16747

Knights

Subject: General
Category: Set creation
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 6
Time to play: 30 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: dice roll, card collection

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 3
Gaming value: 3
Aesthetic value: 4
Price value: 3 (box could be better)
Ease of play: 3 (easy once you figure it out)
Younger adaptability: 5

My comments: This game is often compared to Yahtzee. Players roll the 6 dice 3 times, like in Yahtzee, and try to collect as many of the same number on each die, but the similarity to Yahtzee ends there. First, 6's get removed when rolled, and second, there's a deck of 56 cards.

The object of the game is to collect a winning combination of cards, or to defeat the king by rolling the dice (there's a card displaying the 3 ways to win on it.) You collect cards, or capture them from you opponent, by rolling the dice. There are 3 types of cards: castles, tournaments, and specials (cards that enhance your options and dice rolls.) You collect or capture castles and specials cards by beating the dice combination shown on each card; opponents can "defend" castles to prevent you from taking them. A tournament card involves all players trying to get the best overall dice combination.

The game is fun, though not always quick depending how the dice are rolling and the cards come up, especially with more people. It is easy enough for younger kids to play with a little urging regarding which cards to try for since the dice rolling is really where the action is.

The specials cards are a bit bland--it's hard to tell front from back by color scheme, and you have to have the instruction booklet by you to look up what the symbol on them mean. Castle and tournament cards are quite colorful. The deck includes some blank cards for you to design your own special; if you have Coloretto (an up-coming review) you may have gotten one or more expansion cards in that deck.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://boardgamegeek.com/game/1263

Blurt!

Subject: Language Arts
Category: Vocabulary
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 4
Time to play: 45 to 60 min
Mechanics/Game Type: word game

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 5
Gaming value: 3
Aesthetic value: 3
Price value: 2
Ease of play: 4
Younger adaptability: 5

My comments: Blurt! has a simple design with a 4-color playing board, playing pieces, a die, and a box of cards. One player rolls the die and reads a defunition (as they call it) while the other players try to be the first to blurt out the correct word and move ahead. There are also 1-on-1 challenges that can lead to players switching positions on the board.

The game moves quickly, though the board is long--use two dice instead of one to shorten the playing time. The rules include several variations, including some for younger players. For my 6 year old, I just read him the definition and let him answer without competition from other players.

There's also a Bible Blurt! available at Christian Book Distributors

Blurt! and Bible Blurt! both have card game versions that are less than $10 while the board game will cost anywhere between $25 and $30.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://boardgamegeek.com/game/1607

Hey, That's My Fish!

Subject: General
Category: n/a
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 4
Time to play: 20 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: Abstract strategy

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 3
Gaming value: 4
Aesthetic value: 4
Price value: 4
Ease of play: 5
Younger adaptability: 5

My comments: My kids and I really like this quick strategy game. The game consists of 60 tiles with either 1, 2, or 3 fishes on them that set out to create the board. Each player then has 2 to 4 penguins (depending on the number of players) to place on the board. Each turn consists of moving one penguin in a straight line to another tile of you choice and picking up the tile the penguin started on. The winner is the person with the most number of fishes on his or her collected tiles.

This is a great introduction to abstract strategy games, and abstract strategy leads to better Eurogaming in general. It's quick to set up and play, younger kids can play (my 4 year old loves this), and the tiles/pieces are fun and appealing.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://boardgamegeek.com/game/8203

Ark of the Covenant, The

Subject: General
Category: n/a
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 5
Time to play: 30 to 45 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: Tile placement

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 4
Gaming value: 5
Aesthetic value: 5
Price value: 5
Ease of play: 3
Younger adaptability: 5

My comments: This is a variation of the award-winning game Carcassonne. Playing the game is simple: pick a tile and place a tile, then maybe place a meeple (mini people). Each tile has part of a castle, road, or landscape on it and the players are creating a city of sorts with the tiles. What makes this game a little challenging is keeping track of the points as you play, for which there is a wonderful scoring board. You "claim" roads, castles, fields, and temples by placing a meeple on it after you place a tile; when that structure is completed you get the points. Only one meeple can be on a structure, but you or someone else can have a meeple on two separate structures that get connected later on and then you get double or split points.

The game then has some added scoring to make things more interesting. Roads get extra points if there are attached oases. Fields are scored by how many sheep are grazing minus the number of wolves in that field. You can place a prophet once during the game on a structure and score double when it is completed. Temples are scored according to whomever has the most followers around it. And The Ark gets placed once a castle has been completed, and then players can move it over themselves (and others) to score additional points for themselves (and others) each turn.

The game ends when all the tiles have been placed. The fields are scored then, and the player with the highest score wins.

There's plenty of opportunity for mental addition here, as well as the wonderful spacial perception when laying tiles. Each tile has 4 sides, and you have to match sides up such that the resulting picture makes sense (you can't put a field in the middle of a castle, for example.)

Play is easy, though scoring is quite challenging. Youngers can play if you score for them, or eliminate some of the bonus score to simplify things. The tiles are thick and colorful, as are the meeples. It comes in a small, thick box making it easily transportable. Overall, this is a wonderful game.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/6779

Through the Desert

Subject: General
Category: Math
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 5
Time to play: 30 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: Tile placement, area enclosure, abstract strategy

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 3
Gaming value: 5
Aesthetic value: 5
Price value: 5
Ease of play: 4
Younger adaptability: 2 (small parts!)

My comments: Through the Desert s another wonderful Reiner Knizia game in which players take turn placing pastel-colored camels (cameeples) to create caravans that snake throughout the desert to reach point tiles and oases. You earn points by picking up point tiles, by reaching oases, by having the largest caravan of a particular color, and by sectioning off areas of the board to gain point for entrapped hexagons. As the game gets going, it is reminiscent of Blokus such that one color caravan expands and winds around caravans of other colors.

Like many Euro games, a lot of math skills are involved here even though it is not a "math" game. Skills like addition, spacial relations, and sorting are well-used for this game.

Kids younger than 8 can certainly play this game, but there are a lot of small camels, some with tiny riders placed on them...They are pastel colored, almost like mints in appearance. The game also has palm trees to place on oases, and a hexagon-covered desert board. It comes in a colorful, small, thick box making it very portable. It is definitely a family game to be enjoyed for years.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/503

Knights of Charlemagne

Subject: Math
Category: Matching, sets
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 4
Time to play: 20 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: Card management, tile collection

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 2
Gaming value: 3
Aesthetic value: 5
Price value: 4
Ease of play: 5 (easy once you figure out how it plays)
Younger adaptability: 5

My comments: This simple, fast-paying game has a set of 20 tiles set out in 2 rows and 1 cathedral bonus tile at the end. One row has 5 manor tiles numbered 1 to 5 and 5 city tiles of 5 different colors; the other row has all treasure tiles. The cards have both a color and a number. Each player takes turns placing a card to match either the color of the tiles or the number of the tiles. A green 4, for example, can be placed either next to the green tile or the 4 tile. When all the cards are played, whoever played the most cards next a tile keeps it, while the opponent keeps the less-valuable treasure tile. A few more rules not mentioned add more depth to the game. 4 players play as teams; 3 players require an extra space be made among the tiles for that player to place cards.

The tiles and cards are richly colorful; the tiles and box are thick. There's even a touch of geography on the manor and city tiles, as well as the history reference in the title. You do more math than anything in this game, though the skills are those already mastered by kids old enough to play. This is a nice quick game on a busy homeschooling day.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/182

Iguana Factor, The

Subject: Math
Category: Arithmetic
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 4
Time to play: 30 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: Abstract strategy

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 3
Gaming value: 3
Aesthetic value: 5
Price value: 2 (see comment about spinner)
Ease of play: 4
Younger adaptability: 5 (the game doesn't require you actually know any factors.)

My comments: This game is a good one for reciting or familiarizing, rather than drilling, products. It's abstract strategy gives the game some interest, even for older kids and adults.

The colorful, thick board is a multiplication table; the object of the game is to make a path from one side of the board to the other with your chips. You spin the colorful, cardboard, three-layered spinner (see comment below) to create a multiplication problem, then put your chip on the answer on the board. If the space you want to cover is already taken, you can place your chip on any space with that same answer (so if 2 x 3 = 5 and 3 x 2 = 5 are taken, you can put it on the 1 x 5 or 5 x 1 answer space, which reviews different factors for the same product.) If all the spaces with that product are taken then you can bump someone off of it. The abstract strategy is that you can "capture" (put your chips on) blank spaces if two of your chips align in a row, column, or diagonal. You can also turn an opponent's single chip to your color by surrounding it on opposite and adjacent sides. You have 25 chips; if you place them all on the board (and we have) then you must decide which chip to remove in order to cover the new product.

Two things disappointed me about this game. First, it requires no memorization of facts since all answers are revealed on the board. (I'll have to come up with some sort of modification for this.) Second, the eye-catching spinner doesn't spin well. You hold the bottom layer to spin the middle layer, then you hold the middle layer to spin the top layer. In each case the spinner does not make at least one full revolution before stopping. Since the spinners have 1 through 10 plus 2 "pick a factor" spots, I replaced the spinner with two dodecahedra (12-sided) dice, which work just fine. I do, however, like abstract strategy, so that keeps me coming back to play this game.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/17175

Poison

Subject: Math
Category: Arithmetic
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 3 to 6
Time to play: 30 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: Card management

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 3
Gaming value: 4
Aesthetic value: 4 (though some may find graphics objectionable)
Price value: 5
Ease of play: 5
Younger adaptability: 5 (so long as kids can hold a lot of cards)

My comments: This game is easy and fast to play. It comes with 50 cards and 3 thick cardboard cauldrons. The colorful cards have flasks filled with red, blue, or purple liquid and a number from 0 to 7, as well as lime green poison bottles. You place cards into cauldrons (only one color is allowed in each cauldron except poison, which can go in any.) If you place a card in the cauldron that puts the sum over 13, then you take all the cards in that cauldron. At the end, whoever has the most of any color card does not have to count that color towards his/her total; otherwise, cards are 1 point and poison cards are 2 points (poison cards are never eliminated from the count!) Whoever has the most points loses.

This is a good game to practice simple addition. Younger kids can certainly play, though holding a lot of cards may be difficult, and they may not fully grasp the strategy (that never stops us from playing.) The box states 10 and up, but I list it as 8 and up and it can be played by younger kids, too.

The box depicts an evil alchemist mixing potions in a cauldron (see boardgamegeek link for pictures.) Check the images to see if you find it appropriate for your home.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/17025

Marco Polo Expedition

Subject: History
Category: Geography
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 5
Time to play: 45 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: card management

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 3
Gaming value: 5
Aesthetic value: 5
Price value: 5
Ease of play: 4
Younger adaptability: 3 (need to be able to hold cards and match the symbols and colors; no reading required.)

My comments: A game designed by Reiner Knizia and made by Ravensburger is bound to be good, and this one is. Players collect cards to match the color/goods pattern shown on the next open space to advance his/her caravan towards Kantshou then Daidu, collecting gold treasure chests along the way. Whoever has the most gold wins.

The instruction booklet (in 5 languages) has an extended paragraph about Marco Polo's travels. The board is beautiful, and had a little geography in that it shows Hormus, Kantshou, Daidu, Takla Makan, the Himalayas, and the Gobi Desert. The game pieces are merchants leading camels, and the stunning playing cards depict fruits, spices, oil, and silks, and merchants in 5 colors. This is the extent of the History/Geography information. We happen to be reading Marco Polo this year, and this game make a great leisure time adjunct.

Players can pick cards from the stack or 5 cards placed face up in their quest to collect the right combination of cards to advance their camel to the front of the caravan. The first player to reach a space with gold collects the gold. When the first player reached the Kantshou midpoint, all players receive gold in the amount of the space they are on, and then they all get placed on Kantshou. The game then continues through the second half of the board until someone reaches Daidu, when a second valuation occurs and the game ends. The instructions are a bit complicated to figure out, but the game is easy after the first time it's played. My 5 year old plays along with my 8 year old and myself without assistance.


BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/9139

Trans Europa

Subject: Geography
Category: World
Ages: 8 and up
# of players: 2 to 6
Time to play: 30 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: Track Building

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 1
Gaming value: 4
Aesthetic value: 3
Price value: 3
Ease of play: 4
Younger adaptability: 3

My comments:
Trans Europa is a fun game that can be played in rounds because it is so quick to play. My 10yo enjoys playing it often and in fact I imagine any child who is able to read could catch on fairly quickly so don't take the age guide too seriously. To win a round you must build railroad tracks connecting five cities that are randomly dealt out at the beginning of the game. Those who are unable to complete their line must tally points and move their locomotive down the scoring track on the right side of the board.

Unfortunately, if you are buying this game for educational purposes, you will be dissappointed. The board map has little to no detail. It's one redeeming quality is in the cards. Each card has a city and an accompanying landmark pictured on it so you could potentially get some good review in by using the cards as flashcards.

Aside from the lackluster gameboard, TransEuropa is made well, does not have an oversized box (which is one of my personal pet peeves) and best of all it has wooden playing pieces. Gotta love wooden pieces, they just have a quality that you cannot match with manmade materials.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/16267