Game Review

We are dorks. I know this. That's okay. Being dorks, we like to play board games and card games. We have a few friends who we've really enjoyed because we get to play games. We also have recently enjoyed playing games with family. So, I thought I'd give a few suggestions for those of my adoring fans (cough, cough).
Trans America. My mother-in-law introduced us to this game about a year ago. It's a board game with the "set-up" being the game. You refresh your geography of the United States as you compete to build your railroad across the country. It's fast-paced and easy enough for people to learn. We haven't played it with our children because I think they are still a bit young, but it's definitely doable for children age eight and older. And, you don't have to keep score. It's just fun to see who can build their railroad first! It's fairly cheap and can be found through amazon.com. There's a second version called Trans Europa. I'm sure it's just as much fun and interesting to learn more of Europe's geography, but since we stuck with TransAmerica and sent TransEuropa home with my sister. It's the same game, just different locations.
Things. We learned this game about a year and a-half ago at a friend's 30th birthday party. It was a large group and was so much fun that we had to invest in it. I say that because it is in our more pricey range (I think it was $30-35 at ToysRUs). This game can be as long or short as you want and there is virtually no set-up required. The rules of the game are that someone reads a "category" of things and all players, including the reader write a response. After the reader gathers all the responses, he/she reads them aloud and then play begins. Players are then supposed to identify each individual's response. The more "unconventional" your answers, the more fun this game is. We played this game way into the night (or, morning, you could really say) when my siblings were in town. We played again well into the night at my in-law's house last night with part of our extended family. Each time: SO MUCH FUN!! This one does require reading and writing and limiting the "rating" you want played. It is marked an "adult" game.
ImaginIFF. This game is more fun with people who are comfortable enough to say what they really think AND the better everyone knows each other, the better. Although, it's rather more interesting for me to find out what people really think about me...or, are at least willing to reveal. Again, not a game that requires little set-up (there's a board, write names on it, choose pawns and GO!). This game requires reading and choosing a given option, so not one for young children and definitely don't play with someone who can be offended easily. This was a fairly cheap game, but I got it on clearance from Wally World. I believe the original price was $20.
Flux. I think my husband enjoys this game even more than I do. There are many versions of it but we chose the Family Flux so our kids can start playing it sooner...they just need to be able to read and remember what they read (a bit of reading comprehension, yes?). The original game is much larger and can get very complicated, which is why my genius husband likes it so much. I don't like to be overwhelmed with rules and I don't adjust well to change so this game is more difficult for me, although I still enjoy it. I can't remember what we paid for this one, but we found it with amazon.com and I believe it was fairly inexpensive...perhaps $5-10.
Now, in case you are thinking that we don't play games with our children, we do! Gianna's favorite is Hi-Ho Cherry-O! Great, quick game that teaches counting. Emily isn't as fond of it as Gianna (I think Gianna could play this ALL DAY) but that may stem from the fact that Emily is a picture and words kind of girl (much like her mommy) and Gianna is more of a numbers kind of girl (definitely like her daddy). Emily prefers Memory, at which she usually wins. She apparently can remember tiles better than where she left her own shoes, but, again, that's something she inherited from her mother. She also likes Chutes and Ladders. This is a game she caught onto early but Gianna is just as content to walk the little people around the board. This enables Emily and me to play a game or two while she entertains herself. But, I think the BEST game all around for small children is called Can Do Roo (I believe the official title is much longer, but who needs to remember that. Actually, we refer to it as the Kangaroo game). We found ours at a store called The Schoolbox in Atlanta which sells school supplies and targets teachers (this store is worse than a bookstore for me...I want it ALL!!). Again, we purchased ours on clearance, but I think you can find it for $20 on amazon.com. You can see if you have a local school supply store but you might drool over all the other possibilities for educational toys and supplies...then, again, you might not be as big of a nerd as I am. This game has a kangaroo "doll" with an actual pouch that holds all of the tokens. Each player draws a token and then does what it says. For instance, if it is a "name it" token, it will have a letter on it and then you are required to either identify the letter or something that starts with the letter, depending on the age and ability of the child. We play this game as a family and have a lot of fun. Other tokens require you to hop a certain number of times or to hop to something in your house that is the shape printed on the token. I like it because everyone can play and there is movement, which is always good for small children and adults alike.
So, I've told you this with plenty of time to pull out an old favorite or to go in search of a new favorite for Family Home Evening. =) Enjoy these games and your family!!