Floriferous Game Review

Your garden is abundant with color! Insects softly buzz as you walk on the garden path between the rows of bountiful flowers. You pick a Mum or two to make a beautiful arrangement back in your summer cottage, enjoying the peace and tranquility. This game aims to relax and create beauty as you move through a shared garden full of spectacular flowers and lovely statues. Gather the right colors and types of flowers as you traverse your garden to create beautiful arrangements and possibly win the game! Continue reading

Fishing Race Game Review (prepublished version)

The fishing industry is highly competitive and dangerous. It’s also highly lucrative. The risks are often outweighed by the wealth one can obtain by having a single successful season. But like all resources, there are limits to availability. In this game, all the players will be simultaneously attempting to catch as many fish as possible. Time is limited, and so is the supply of fish! Continue reading

Happy City Game Review

English designer and the founder of London-based design practice Heatherwick Studio, Thomas Heatherwick, said, “One great building does not make a great city.” In this game, players not only have one but many beautiful buildings to plan for and build. The goal is simple: make everyone happy! Take the time to build a city that balances population with joy, and you are sure to be the most popular mayor in history. But be careful. There is only so much space for both buildings and the people who will occupy your city. Continue reading

GoodCritters Game Review

The Italian-born gangster who operated mainly in the United States, Lucky Luciano, said, “There’s no such thing as good money or bad money. There’s just money.” This game is about getting the cash you feel is rightfully yours using whatever methods you believe are right or wrong. This is an exercise in bribes and bluffs, making quick friends and bitter enemies. In the end, it’s all about getting paid, but how much are you willing to pay? Continue reading

Nerdy Inventions Game Review

American speaker, author, and toy-maker Roger von Oech said: “Necessity may be the mother of invention, but play is certainly the father.” In this game, players will attempt to create as many inventions as possible using what little tools they have available to them. The more they invest, the more choices they have to invent new things. The game is as much a race as it’s a creative exercise in playing at being the nerdiest inventor who ever lived. Continue reading

Gaming in Style: E-WIN Gaming Chair Review

The French dramatist and one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, Jean Racine, said, “On the throne, one has many worries; and remorse is the one that weighs the least.” We had a chance to test-drive a throne – a gaming throne – to see if Monsieur Racine knew what he was talking about. Although, we must say, after the time we have spent on it, we are of a mixed mind. Continue reading

Breakneck Derby Game Review

American author, Roger Kahn, said: “Horse racing is animated roulette.” In a race where man and beast merge into one galloping form, the crowd on their feet in eager anticipation, and the cumulation of dreams and hopes ending or beginning at the finish line; horse racing is always exciting. In this game, players will take on the role of one or more jockeys, guiding their horse around the track. But be sure not to just focus on getting ahead. Instead, this race will require players to think, strategize, and jump to the lead when the small window of opportunity opens. Continue reading

Twinkle Game Review

American actress, model, and singer, Marilyn Monroe, said: “We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle.” But not all stars can be the brightest. In this game, players will build constellations, using dice to represent stars. While one of the goals is to shine the brightest, it isn’t the only path to victory. Build your constellations with purpose, and you’ll end up owning the heavens. Continue reading

BaristaCat Game Review (prepublished version)

American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, said, “If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.” It amuses me to think how difficult a customer President Lincoln would have been if he had a coffee shop nearby. I mean, come on dude, make up your mind. But nothing compares to the customers in this game that demand their coffee meow and won’t leave until they get it. So do what you can to please the customers, but keep in mind at all times that you need to get paid, too. Continue reading

Dale of Merchants 3: The Grand Continental Railway Game Review

French novelist, poet, and playwright, Jules Verne, said: “Trains, like time and tide, stop for no one.”. Heavy powerful, trains will travel on their tracks, laboring with their load, no matter the weather. In the world of commerce, the railroad system opened new corridors to profit and opportunity. Prosperity can now be found in distant corners of the land that could only be traveled to by foot. For you, a savvy merchant always on the lookout for new markets, the rails offer a gateway to new riches, but the competition is always fierce. Continue reading

Spy Sabotage Game Review (prepublished version)

English actor, Benedict Cumberbatch, said “I’ve always wanted to play a spy because it’s the ultimate acting exercise. You are never what you seem.” In this game, it’s self-evident who everyone is: spies and backstabbers all. The goal is espionage, bluffing, and sabotaging. Players must be ruthless but never lose their cool or wit. Play your cards right, and you’ll win. It’s all about balance in a game that is intended to unnerve you. Continue reading

Dracula’s Feast: Cthulhu and Friends Game Expansion Review

Some parties are doomed to fail right from the start. Case in point, Dracula’s latest bash at the castle. First, he had uninvited guests crashing his delightful get-together. Then, just when he thought he had that under control, an ominous knock at the door echoed throughout the castle halls. It looks like Dracula has more unexpected visitors, but this time, these unexpected additions to the party are here to stay. Continue reading