Tag Archives: usaopoly

Gaming the New Year

It’s a brand new year, and if one of your resolutions is to spend more time having fun with your family (if it isn’t, you really need to reevaluate your priorities), these great family games will keep you on track—and laughing.

lift itLift It! Deluxe (USAOpoly)
From the Parents@Play Department of New Twists comes, well, a new twist on the recreate-the-structure-on-the-card games that we love so much. The object of the game is pretty basic. But what makes Lift It! especially fun is that you need to get your head in the game—literally. Instead of using your hands to build what’s on the card, you use a crane strapped to your head to pick up, move, and stack the various building components within the allotted time. You can play by yourself, one on one, or team against team. Lift It! is challenging, frustrating (but in a fun way), and a delight to play. Takes about 30 minutes. For 1-8 players, ages 8+. http://usaopoly.com/

pictopia star warsPictopia Star Wars Edition (Wonder Forge)
Think you know your Star Wars trivia? Now’s the time to show us what you’ve got. As with most games, there are rules to follow, tokens to move, and goals to accomplish. And we have no doubt that plenty of families will play this games exactly as intended. But we’re betting that just as many will skip the official game and spend their time looking through the 200 trivia-packed cards. Each card has four pictures on one side and five questions on the other. For example, on one card you’ll find pictures of a Jedi Interceptor, an X-wing Starfighter, an ARC 170 Starfighter, and a Y-wing Starfighter. Here are the questions: Which one of these does the Gold Squadron fly in the Battle of Yavin? Which two take part in the Battle of Endor? Which three operate with fewer than three pilots? Which one is typically piloted by clone troopers? If you’re a true Star Wars fan (and who isn’t these days), you may not be able to survive without this game. But whether you’re a Padawan or a Jedi Master, you’ll love it. For 2-6 players, ages 7+. http://wonderforge.com/

wonder forge roaring riverRoaring River (Wonder Forge)
Based on the movie “The Good Dinosaur,” this game is a cooperative effort, meaning that the players either win or lose together. The object is to help Arlo, Spot, and their friends outrun the flooding river and get safely home. Players spin a spinner or play tokens and build a path from the waterfall to the mountain range. It’s a fun, easy game that’s perfect for 2-4 players ages 4 and up. http://wonderforge.com/

 

wonder forge snoopy flying aceSnoopy Flying Ace Game (Wonder Forge)
This one’s based on the new “Peanuts Movie,” but you don’t have to have seen the film to enjoy the game. You’ll need about three minutes to set the game up. The most complicated part is the Eiffel Tower and the spinning arm that balances atop it. Snoopy is on one side of the arm, his arch nemesis, the Red Baron, is on the other. One player spins the arm and while the Beagle and his foe battle it out, players flip over cards (each with a picture of one of the main Peanuts characters) and try to match one of theirs with one from another player—before the spinning stops. For 2-4 Peanuts fans (or soon-to-be fans) ages 4+. http://wonderforge.com/

usaopoly wonkyWonky (USAOpoly)
In this game, the object is to build towers out of colored blocks. Cards tell you which size and which color to add to the tower. That would be challenge enough with actual cubes, but the blocks here are a little out of whack (hence the name of the game), which ads an element of hilarity. A blast for two or more players, ages 8+.  http://usaopoly.com/

Seek and Maybe Ye Shall Find

What’s more fun than a good, old-fashioned game of Hide and Seek? This week we take a look at three fun, new twists on that timeless classic.

education outdoors snipe huntSnipe Hunt (Education Outdoors, Inc.)
If you’ve ever been to an outdoors camp, you probably spent some time hunting for snipe. Counselors and experienced campers would talk about the elusive creature, hand out sacs, and take newbie campers out into the woods to hunt. We’re not completely sure what the purpose of snipe hunts is, except to give the older campers a chance to laugh at the wide-eyed naiveté of the younger ones who, of course never catch anything. But now there’s a way to make snipe hunts a reality. The Snipe Hunt kit comes with two snipes (named Biela and Smartin) and a “nest.” If you play with teams, each team hides their snipe, and the first team to find the other’s and get it back to the nest wins. Alternatively, one person could hide one or two snipes and everyone else hunts. If they haven’t been found 2.5 minutes after being activated, the snipes start beeping. After five minutes, the eyes start to blink.  Can be played inside or outside, day or night. A fantastic family activity. Retails for under $25, batteries inlcuded. Ages 6 and up. http://www.educationoutdoors.net/

usaopoly treasure traxTreasure Trax: The All in One Scavenger Hunt Game (USAOpoly)
This is one of the most engaging games for the preschool set we’ve seen. The idea is pretty simple: scatter a series of clues that ultimately lead to some kind of reward (what that means is completely up to you). Treasure Trax comes with 60 brightly colored, illustrated, thick cards: 30 depicting locations, 18 with clues, and 12 with animals. There are several ways to play. One person (most likely an adult) can set up a step-by-step hunt. For example, you might start by giving the hunter(s) a card with a picture of a kitchen table. On the kitchen table, there’s a card with a picture of a bookcase. On the bookcase is another card leading somewhere else. For older kids, you can incorporate the color and animal cards and make a matching game. Start with an orange card and send the child off to find a card with a picture of something orange (a tiger, for example).  Treasure Trax is great for matching, focus, and memory. But we especially loved how flexible it is. You can have as many or as few steps as your child’s attention span will allow—but be warned: this game is so fun that attention spans have a tendency to get longer. It can be played with teams or as a one-on-one parent-child activity. You can play it indoors or out, and it’s a wonderful way to turn rainy days into adventures. For ages 3-5, but slightly older kids will have fun too. Retails for under $20 wherever you buy your toys or at http://usaopoly.com/

r&r games hide and seek safariHide & Seek Safari (R&R Games)
This is a moderately high-tech version of the old hotter-colder game. The box comes with two items: a monkey (or tiger, depending on which package you buy) and a wand. Someone activates the monkey (batteries included) and hides him somewhere. Everyone else activates the wand, which has LED lights that flash when you’re getting warmer and beeps when you’re really hot—like a Geiger counter. Unfortunately, the monkey has to be hidden in sight—the wand won’t work if he’s in the fridge or under the bed. But it’ll give hours of fun for kids 4-6. Retails for under $35. Additional wands are $13.99. http://www.rnrgames.com/