The African Savanna is teaming with life. Large herds of animals wander from one watering hole to the next and prides of lions rest on rocks or hunt in the tall grass. Every animal has its place in the wide open space and every animal has a purpose. Some eat the grass and some eat the grass eaters. And then there is the hyena, who is the “jerk” of the wild. But even the hyena has a role to play, as do the players of this game. Continue reading
The Guzunganator is a technical marvel! With just a twist of a dial, summer can become winter or rain can give way to a sunny day. For the two partners who created it, Nigel the Frozen Zookeeper and Sun Tree Moon the Organic Farmer, the weather machine is the result of years of study, effort, and sacrifice. Now that they have it, there is just one little problem: neither of the two want to share it with the other! There greed and selfishness has now stated a war. Continue reading
The Royal Zoo has been the King’s pride and joy for as long as anyone cares to remember. It was carefully constructed and filled with exotic beasts from across the realms. But when word of the King’s collection reached the ears of a greedy dragon, the giant fire-breathing beast grew jealous and stole all the critters from the Royal Zoo! Now the King is beside himself with grief, the critters are in jeopardy, and you have been summoned. As Heroes of the Realm, you have been tasked to save the critters from the dragon! The damsels in distress will have to wait. Continue reading
My children (5 and 7-years-old) clamored to play Spinnengift und Krötenschleim over and over. They were especially tickled to talk about the stinky mushroom and the mouse droppings (also known as rat poo). If certain items were discovered to be close to my side of the table, they would tell me delightedly that I must have been eating these disgusting condiments. Continue reading
You’ve got the land, built the cages and pens, and are ready to open your zoo! One problem, though, you have no animals! No worries, you can go out and capture the animals you need to fill your zoo. Oh, but there’s the type of animals to think about. You can’t just go putting lions next to kangaroos or fill an entire section of your zoo with moose, after all! Jeepers, owning a zoo is work! No time to think about your career choices now! Go grab your net and start bagging critters! Continue reading
A successful farmer knows when to buy and when to sell, but the market is a competitive one, which means you must watch your opponents as closely as you watch the market! Simply excellent in its execution, smart in its design (other than the paper money), and thoroughly enjoyable, Fill the Barn is a game you should sit down and play the very first chance you get! Continue reading
In summary, I am very pleased with Spot It! The game is exceedingly light but has a special charm to it that makes it fun to play casually or seriously, quickly or at a slower pace. Spot It! easily adjusts to your needs and changes gears seamlessly from one mini game to another. Simply just a great family and little geek’s game! Continue reading
Monster 4 is fun and light. The game is fast paced, well balanced, and streamlined making it easy to teach and exciting to play. Actions are determined by a die roll, but the player still gets to decide how they will do it. And, as it turns out, that is what makes all the difference in the world. Continue reading
Our final review of 2011 Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children’s Game of the Year) nominees examines this game of bubble, bubble, toil and (above all) trouble! Magician’s Kitchen is a dexterity game with magnets – enough said? Sure, it sounds cool, but you know what would have been even cooler? Lasers! Magnetic lasers, even! Still, there is enough meat here for children, but not quite enough to keep adults engaged. Continue reading
The second of three reviews of Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children’s Game of the Year) nominees looks at Monster-Falle (“Monster-Trap”). This riotously fun cooperative dexterity game requires players to work in pairs to trap monsters, and there is no question that this will be a strong contender for the award. The additional dimension of cooperating with your neighbor makes this game a rare gem, indeed. Continue reading
In this game, each player is attempting to be faster than the other players and collect all the cards. This is done by literally slapping their hand down on a stack of cards when a specific card is revealed. If done correctly, their pile of cards will grow while their opponent’s piles quickly dwindle to nothing. This is a fast game that geeks of any age can play anywhere, anytime. Continue reading
Animal Mastermind Towers is a child-friendly version of the classic logical deduction game, Mastermind, but with much easier rules and game play that allows for two people to play simultaneously as the puzzle creator and the puzzle solver. Continue reading
