board games

WOO! Board Game

by admin May 13, 2015

Many kids learn certain skills through simple play. Games help make learning fun. And if kids can do both, then it is a win-win situation for them. Playing the Woo! Board Game is just but one example of how kids can have fun learning.

The Woo! Board Game comes with simple rules but can be quite fun to play. The game features letter tiles that players can use to spell numbers in words. Players start by getting four tiles in hand. The players take turns drawing one tile and discarding one. The goal of the game is by trying to spell out numbers with their letter tiles. Players gain points according to the numbers they are able to spell. If players can spell T-E-N, then they get ten points. But there are also the WO and O tiles that opponents can use to turn T-E-N to O-N-E and T-WO to score. The player who gets to 21 points first wins.

The Woo! Game is a simple yet fun game for kids to play. It helps kids develop spelling as well as simple addition skills. The set comes with 65 letter tiles that can be stored in a sturdy tin container. The game is ideal for kids from 6 years old and above. It is available at Fat Brain Toys for $16.

Image Source: Fat Brain Toys

Dash Hounds Board Game

by admin May 12, 2015

Board games help provide kids with alternative ways to have fun. Sometimes, playing video games can become quite boring. Kids will start looking for other ways to play games. Board games offer some classic, old-fashioned fun that some kids today will like to try. Games like the Dash Hounds Board Game offer some group fun that even video games just cannot.

The Dash Hounds Board Game is a fun and interesting game that features a dog race. Players get to choose a hound that they can race with other players on the board. But there is a twist to this dog race. The players roll the dice to move their dog in as many spaces on the board. But watch out, certain spaces come with colored dots in them. If a hound lands on a colored dot, the hound that matches the color will have to add a belly piece, making the hound longer. When you land on dots of your own color, then you get to remove a belly piece. The objective of the game is to reach the finish line first by crossing it by the tail. This also means that players try to cross the finish line by having the shortest hound as well.

The Dash Hounds Board Game is fun and interesting yet very simple to play. It helps encourage kids to develop their counting skills as well as their fine motor skills. The board game also helps encourage cooperative play. The Dash Hounds Board Game comes with a game board, dice, four dash hound heads with colored vests and four dash hound tails, 4 dog bones and 28 belly pieces. Detailed instructions and rules also come with the set. The Dash Hounds Board Game is ideal for kids from 4 years old and above. It is available at Fat Brain Toys for $15.

Image Source: Fat Brain Toys

Trouble Board Game by Hasbro

by admin April 29, 2013

A good friend of mine visited our house as she and her children visited the city. She told me her they spent 10 hours traveling to get here without any major meltdowns from the kids. I asked her how she did it, she took out this toy from her bag: it’s the Trouble board game from Hasbro!

I have seen this game before, actually I even played it as a kid. Trouble is a classic board game by Hasbro and it was revolutionary when it was introduced. The objective of this game is to have all your four pieces go around the board. The “trouble,” however, is once your opposing player lands on one of your pegs, your piece gets bumped back to the starting point!

The Trouble board game came with a “PopoMatic” bubble that contains a single die. Press the dome down and release it to get the die rolling. And because the die is enclosed and the pegs are fitted in holes around the board, Trouble by Hasbro makes a perfect board game for traveling as bumps, turbulence, and boat motion would not upset the game progress. The game is easy to set-up–just put the pegs in the starting position and your are good to go. It is also strong enough to withstand losing players who are not good sport, if you know what I mean.

While the simplicity of the game makes players get into it easily as it does not require elaborate explanations or practice games, the utter lack of strategy of the Trouble board game will likely limit the interest of players to only a few sessions.

The Trouble board game by Hasbro is available in major toy retailers such as Amazon, with a listed price of $16.99.

BBQ Blitz

by admin December 21, 2012

Restaurant-theme strategy games are popular online and on your living room console, but imagine a similar game that uses a game board and actual toy pieces.

This is what BBQ Blitz is all about: a burger-sliding game that pits players to prepare four hamburgers in the fastest time possible. Two to four players fill their plates with buns, burger patties, and matching topping, all while using spatulas. The kids will surely be amused with the flipping frenzy, all while training their matching skills and hand-eye coordination without them realizing it.

Ideal for children ages 4 and up, BBQ Blitz is available on Amazon for a listed price of $24.99.

Tsuro Board Game

by admin June 1, 2012

Looking for a board game that can be played by up to eight people and can be done in a matter of minutes? Then Tsuro is for you. Developed by MayFair Games, this Asian-themed game lets players “create their own journey” all while trying to lead other players to the wrong direction or off the board entirely.

Each player has a pawn they have to move around the board. In each turn, a player draws out a tile from his hand and place it in front of his pawn. Each tile has four paths, while each path would connect two paths of other tiles. Once a tile is place, the player moves his pawn along the path. The game’s objective is to remain on the board while trying to force your opponents out of it.

Each game of Tsuro lasts between 15 to 20 minutes and employs some strategy to succeed. It can be played by two to eight players ages 8 and above.

Tsuro by MayFair Games is available on Amazon for a listed price of $29.99.

Ticket to Ride Board Game

by admin May 28, 2012

One of the most unique specialty games in the market, Ticket to Ride lets players claim railway routes and connect cities across North America.

Although the game’s story line has to do with a $1 million dollar winner-take-all competition to see the most cities in the continent in just seven days, the board game does not involve paper money or a banker. All they have to do is to collect train cards to own certain railway routes. The longer the routes created, the more points they earn. There is also additional points to players who can fulfill their Destination Tickets by putting up a train route that connects two distant cities, as well as to the player who builds the longest continuous railway.

Ticket to Ride by Days of Wonder can be played by two to five players, with ages 8 and older. Package includes a board map of North American train routes, 240 colored train cars, 110 train car cards, 30 destination tickets, 5 wooden scoring markers, an access number to Day of Wonder Online, and a rules booklet.

This board game is now available on Amazon for a listed price of $49.99.

The Game of Life: zAPPed Edition for iPad

by admin February 15, 2012

An iconic and memorable board game is giving itself a tech twist! The Game of Life by Hasbro has a new edition that requires an iPad to play.

Titled “The Game of Life: zAPPed Edition,” it allows players to play the iPad and the gameboard together for an interactive family bonding. The game’s iPad app, which can be downloaded for free, is needed for a much deeper gaming level with over 100 amusing clips from America’s Funniest Home Videos. The app also allows players to customize their peg character and add a “peg-sessory.”

The game stays true to its original objective: moving your car around the board and selecting your path to retirement, all which paying, getting paid, and being sued by other players in the process.

The set includes a game board, four car movers, 52 pegs, a money pack, four rubber pads, and a quick start guide. Of course, the iPad is sold separately.

Ideal for people age 8 and up, The Game of Life: zAPPed Edition is available on Amazon for a listed price of $24.99.

Blokus Board Game

by admin January 13, 2012

Imagine Tetris being played on a board game. It sounds like it while playing Blokus by Mattel. This strategy board game promotes creative spatial thinking.

The aim of the game is for players to fit all of their Tetris-like pieces onto the board. Unlike that iconic game, however, players are not allowed to place a piece adjacently to any other piece. Instead, the piece must touch at least one corner of their piece already on the board. The first player to get rid of all their tiles, or with the least number of tiles when the board has no more possible moves, is the winner. Strategy lies in blocking moves from your opponent.

Blokus can be played by two to four players ages five and up. Even adults might find this game engaging and challenging. It has received multiple awards, including one from Mensa for promoting healthy brain activity.

The game is available in Amazon for a listed price of $25.99. It includes 84 pieces in four vibrant colors, an instruction guide, and a 20 x 20-square gameboard.

The Settlers of Catan

by admin December 27, 2011

Civilization-style games have been popular as of late whether it is on PC (Age of Empires), social networking sites (City of Wonder), or online. But most of these games are played alone in front of the computer. What better way to simulate the days of yore is through a board game with friends and family!

The Settlers of Catan by MayFair Games is an award-winning strategy game wherein players collect resources and utilize them to build structures such as roads, settlements, and cities. The board itself varies on each game, making it a bit different from the rest.

The board game may look intimidating at first, but once you learn the simple rules (with plenty of illustrations), you would become an expert in no time. Beginners can start with a balanced map, while advanced players can lay out the map at random.

The board consists of 19 terrain hexes surrounded by the ocean. Each type of terrain produces a certain type of resources such as brick, wool, ore, grain, or lumber. There is also a dessert hex that is barren of resources. Players use these resources to build roads along the edges of the hexes and settlements or cities on intersections where three roads meet. There is also a trade function where players can interact among each other, bringing a new level of strategy.

The objective of the game is to be the first player to collect 10 victory points, which is earned on each settlement or city built as well as certain tasks and achievements. It is bound to keep children ages 10 and up, and even adults, engaged for up to 90 minutes.

The Settlers of Catan has been awarded as the best-selling Game of the Year in both United States and Germany. It is available on Amazon for a listed price of $42.00.