Perfection

I have to admit I saw this game a year or so ago and thought it looked overpriced and dumb. I don't know what made me buy it this year. Maybe a lower price or older children or perhaps desperation for a game to put under the Christmas tree.

Surprisingly, it's been quite popular at our home.  The younger children place the peg shapes in their spots before turning on the timer and watching everything POP out when the timer stops.  The other members of our family have enjoyed playing to game either alone or competitively to see who can finish the board in the best time.  I have watched and played this game dozens of times and I still jump when the board POPS up.  Great game. 

Mille Bornes

While shopping at Target this weekend I found Mille Bornes with the card games. It looks a little different than my copy and doesn't seem to have the French words on the cards.

Here's how you play: The object of the game is to reach exactly 1,000 miles. On your turn place a distance card to reach your goal. There are also five different types of hazard cards to slow down or stop other players during their trip(flat tire, out of gas, accident, stop light, and speed limit.) There are five safety cards to protect you from the hazards for the rest of the game. There are also remedy cards to cancel the effect of the hazard card that your kind opponent placed on your pile to keep you from winning.


You can also play this as teams, helping each other out to win the game. My kids love this game and it's easy to understand as you play.

Candy Land

Candyland. Wikipedia describes it as, "a simple racing board game. It is among the first board games played by American children as it requires no reading and minimal counting skills."

Yes, I would call it a fun game to play as a child, but can I poke my eyes out? I don't mind the game, really I don't. It's quite fun, until you get one of the cards that sends you back to a location. Then there's the dots that leave you stuck in the swamps until you draw that color again. Fortunately in 2004 they changed the dots to licorice and you only lose one turn. As you can see, sometimes the games drags on forever.

This game is hidden in the game closet at home, and I must confess, I dread when someone picks it out to play. Funny it's the 3 year old's favorite game to play. Maybe it should be saved for days when the babysitter comes.

Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition

Monopoly. Who doesn't know how to play?? Who doesn't love the game? The Electronic Banking Unit is enticing, but I just didn't like it. Maybe it's because this version of Monopoly is too much like life. No paper money. Just swipe the card to make all transactions. I just never knew how much money I had, but was always willing to say, "I'll buy it!" Fun game, still love Monopoly, but I want to handle the money when I play.

Free Parking

This is an oldie but goody. From the seventies, Monopoly did a spin off of the three best things about the board game and turned it in to a quick, fun game. Free parking, chance cards, and jail! You have a meter and you feed it with time cards and then use it with errands (get pajamas, looks like a get of jail free card, get it... pajamas). Watch out if it runs out someone else can play an Officer Jones card and you lose points. Its sorry, monopoly, and clothespins in one game!

Scrabble--a different way

I was recently taught a different way to play Scrabble. Each person draws seven tiles. When the game begins you create your own Scrabble game using those tiles. When you (or someone) has used all the tiles they say "Draw." Everyone draws another tile and incorporates it into their Scrabble board they have created. You can clear your board and start again, with all the same tiles, at any time during the game. Game continues until all the tiles have been used. When game is over tally score by counting points for tiles of each word.

I really liked this fast moving game. No waiting for someone else to go so that you can decide if you can go, long words don't really matter, no one sees what you create, and you can start over at any time.

I have since realized that this Scrabble game is just like Bananagrams. You can read their instructions here.

Clothespins

This game looks lame, but as the box says, 'Its good clean fun." Get it clothespins... clean... too funny. Well the game goes like this:

4 cards, 3 starting posts, you can place cards down in any type of pattern...

All shirts, all, pants, all same fabric...

As you go around you try to get as many as you can on each clothes line and then put the other end on it to finish the clothes line. Only playing up to four cards from your hand (or discarding them for better ones... can't do both)

The trick is that there are birds... my kids like to make sound effects, they say, "Tweet, Tweet!" and swoop down and take a piece of clothing from your line and put it on theirs. no clothes are protected unless you have both poles up. Its an exciting, risk taking game that my strategic mind can't figure how to win again a 5 year old.