Great New Games
 To
Grandma's House We Go (Hasbro)
Ages 3 and up $13.99. This was tested by a family on vacation at their
grandparents house in Maine. The parents loved the game as did the
grandparents they were visiting. According to our mom tester, "The
kids really loved the game because of the multi-dimensional house and
cars." Our mom tester really liked that there was no reading required to
play. The game includes activity cards that stimulate interaction, help children match
shapes and recognize colors. For two to four players.
 Hullaballo (Cranium)
Ages 4 years & up, $24.99 Tested by a group of kids that range in age
from 3 to 7, this game has won rave reviews! There are 16 pad that the
children lay out around the room. Then they press the button and
Hullaballo calls the shots, it will tell them what pad to go to, whether to move
a certain way. It's like Simon Says and Twister but requires no
adults. Hullaballo calls the shots so when someone wins it's all on their
own. Our testers played this on a rainy day and have been reported to pull
it out whenever the mood strikes. Apparently their mom gets a real kick
out of them jumping around and yelling things while learning at the same
time. "This is absolutely Mom approved," said our tester.
 Balloon
Lagoon (Cranium)
Ages 5 years & up, $19.95
This game gets rave reviews from all
testers! There are four fast-paced activities that are set up like
carnival games. You spin the carousel to determine the game, press the
button on the top to stop the Carousel try to finish the game before the music
stops. This game will keep kids (and adults) challenged and amused as they
race to collect balloons. It's a great game of skill, thinking, timing and
chance. This game has won many awards and it's easy to see why!
  Colorama
& Shapes
and Colors (Ravensburger)
Ages 3 to 6
Our teacher reviewer said, "These are two terrific,
fun games to help children learn shapes." Shapes and Colors is geared to
younger children (3 to 6 years old), while Colorama has several levels of play
and can be used with children who are a little older (3 to 8 years old). Both
games use the two dice with shapes on one die and colors on the other. In Shapes
and Colors, children and grandparents can choose a game board and then try to
roll the dice to fill in the shapes on their cards. The game is self-correcting,
always a nice touch! Up to 4 people can play.
In Colorama, there are three levels of play.
Children and grandparents can use only one die to make the game a little easier,
or both dice for added difficulty. There is one game board for all players -- up
to 6 can play. Players roll the dice and try to gather as many shapes as
possible. The game can also be played cooperatively by seeing how quickly all
players can fill in the board. The shapes used are "traditional"
(triangle, circle, square) but also include hexagons and trapezoids. The small
parts in Colorama are not for children under 3 years old. Our reviewer raved,
"This is a fabulous game -- lots of fun to play. It's also nice that the
game can be changed up with the three different levels of play -- it's like
having three games in one! The boxes and game boards are nice and sturdy and the
game. In Colorama, the game pieces are plastic (a really nice feature!). In
Shapes and Colors, the game pieces are cardboard, but small and sturdy enough
that they won't be easily damaged. I love these games!!!!!!!!!"
 Operation:
Shrek Edition (Hasbro)
Ages 6 years & up, $16.99
Do you remember playing Operation as
a kid? Well this game has all the same fun as the old game, but with a new
twist. It's completely Shrek - which means it has ear wax, toe jam and
other uniquely Shrek body parts. Kids will love trying to remove the parts
to win money and eventually the game. Parents will love that this game
teaches hand-eye coordination, improves dexterity and involves simple adding and
reading. Another bonus - did you know that using tweezers helps with
holding a pencil! The biggest plus - this game is fun!
 Shut
The Box (Bookshelf Edition) Front
Porch Classics
Do you want to try an addictive game with your
grandchildren that will teach them numbers as well? Shut The Box is a game
that you'll find yourself playing long after your grandchildren have gone to
sleep reports our grandfather of four. Both he and his wife said this
addictive game is too much fun! How do you play? roll the dice and lay down any combination of tiles to match your roll. Keep on rolling until you can't match the remaining tiles; if you lay down all the tiles you've "shut the box" and won.
 Cadoo
(Cranium) Ages 7 & up,
$19.99
This educational game tests knowledge, creativity, and reasoning
with components of acting, drawing, and modeling clay to achieve
correct answers. It's a nice take-off on tic-tac-toe games with a
little more difficulty than just X's and O's. Be warned: You can't
play a quick game. This is best saved for rainy days when you have
lots of free time.
 5-in-1
Game (Back to
Basics Toys) Ages 8 & up, $49.99
This set is a fabulous gift
for any child raves our parent tester. Their children had a fabulous time
testing this game. They loved the fact it was made of wood, included the
classic games like chess, checkers and backgammon. Our mom tester said
"it's great that everything is stored within the box - it's less likely
we'll lose the pieces!"
 MLB
Showdown 2004 Sports Card Game (Wizards of the
Coast) $9.99 for the starter pack.
This strategy card game, from the maker of Magic and other popular trading card games, has an advantage over Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh that parents and grandparents can appreciate: It’s based on real sports stars playing a familiar game. That meant our testers didn’t have any trouble persuading their dad (a lifelong baseball fan) to play a few rounds. The game has three levels: basic, advanced, and expert. The basic game level, which offers a standard set of outcomes for hits, runs, and outs, was just right for our 8-year-old tester, who was eager to play again right away. His 11-year-old brother was soon bored with the basic game, but found the advanced level “awesome” because it allowed for such realistic options as base-stealing and double plays. Expert-level play adds strategy cards for even more complex scenarios. The game comes with starter decks for two players, which work fine for the basic level but don’t have quite enough cards for effective play at the advanced and expert levels — for instance, to select relief pitchers or make player substitutions. For that, you’ll want to add booster packs — another familiar sight for grown-ups who remember collecting baseball cards.
 Spy Guys
(Fundex) Ages 8 and up.
$14.99
This two-player game looks like a jazzed-up version of Battleship. Each player has a hidden board ... but has to figure out the moves on the board the other player’s holding. Our testers, ages 8 and 11, were able to understand the rules and play the game without adult guidance, and enjoyed navigating the map of secret passages to retrieve the Top-Secret Briefcase.
 Coda
(Winning
Moves) Ages 8 and up. $10.95
Adults who remember the classic games Probe and Mastermind will recognize some
of the same ideas in Coda — except that instead of words or patterns, you need
to guess your opponent’s number code. Each player’s secret code consists of
a set of standing numbered pieces; you reveal the digits as other players guess
them, and add a new digit with each turn. Our third-grade and fifth-grade
testers had no trouble figuring out how to play on their own, but the play can
challenge adults too. This great rainy-day game allows up to four players.
 Christmas Gamesake
(Jocapa Products)
Ages 7 and up, $29.95
Picture an extended family gathering for their family Christmas, and playing a board game
together. That's the scenario the designers of Christmas Gamesake had in mind. The game is meant to be played annually.
Each year, players fill out game cards with family memories of the past year (or earlier); the deck grows as the years go by. Our testing family
consisted of two parents, two grandparents, two kids (ages 8 and 11), an aunt, and a 16-year-old cousin. Everyone agreed it was fun making the
memory cards. Says Mom, "I think it's a little daunting the first time you play because you're trying to think of so many years of memories, but if
you play it yearly, you'll only be reviewing the past year. I liked the way some of the cards were blank, some had directions (which way to go)
already on them, and some were 'starter' cards. We didn't use any starter cards, though, we came up with lots of our own memories." The game itself
is pretty simplistic -- about the level of Candyland -- and proved too dull for the teenager at the table. Mom recommends starting it when the
kids are fairly young. Both the younger kids said they looked forward to getting it out again next year (or maybe even doing a mid-year reflection)
and making more memory cards.
Games That Passed the Test of Time
 Guess
Who? (Milton
Bradley) Ages 6-8, $15.99
Although I wasn't given this to test, I had
to add it as one of the best games. My daughter and I play this all the
time. Set up is a bit of a pain, but this game is fun, fun, fun. The
object is to guess who their opponent's "Mystery Person" is.
We've been playing this since my daughter was 4 so don't be discouraged by the
age!
 Chutes
& Ladders Game (Milton
Bradley) Ages 3-10, $8.99
Another classic game. The object is to move your child-shaped
playing piece from square one to square 100. If you hit a chute you
slide back, and if you land on a ladders you climb forward. Great
for number recognition, and children don't need to read to be able
to play.
 Scrabble
(Milton Bradley) Ages 8
& up, $13.99
This is one of the best games invented. The tiles and rack are
still
made of wood, the board is sturdy, and it's as fun as ever! How many
times
have you played Scrabble? Get your grandchild this game and a
dictionary. You'll have as much fun as they will!
 Monopoly
(Parker Bros) Ages 9
& up, $14.99
As always, you can buy property, add houses and hotels, and cash
in -- or go bankrupt! This game can go on for hours, or you can play
one of the shorter variations. A must-have for any family's game
closet.
 Twister
(Milton
Bradley) Ages 6 & up, $15.99
This game is good for ages 6 to 99! Kids will love this game
because it's active and requires no reading skills -- just color
recognition. Teens and older will have fun with it at sleepovers and
parties. Adults -- well, let's just say that we hear it's hilarious
after a glass or two of wine!
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