Editorial Review

Scene It? The DVD Movie Game is for the film buff what a double-fudge brownie sundae is for the chocoholic. Players take turns moving around the game board and answering challenges, which usually take the form of trivia questions--about movies, of course. Questions are culled from either a box of cards, much like Trivial Pursuit, or from onscreen prompts that follow movie clips. The included DVD is loaded with snippets from recent movies, although the occasional classic sneaks in too. Multiple questions are asked about each clip--identify the title of the movie, name actors in the scene, recall some minor detail--so that even when the clips begin to repeat, it will take some time before questions do too. (Subsequent DVDs are also said to be in the works.) The game board, which looks like a cross between an accordion and a film reel, can be folded out to accommodate longer games or closed up for shorter ones. Scene It? was definitely built to be a party game, and another advantage of the DVD is that there’s no need to explain the rules. Instead, just press play and hope that everyone simmers down enough to pay attention. Plus, the hokey music and neon "You Are a Winner" screen that ends the game is certain to send those individuals who like winning a bit too much--and you know who you are--into an absolute frenzy. --David Morel ... Read more

Reviews (26)

A lot of fun even if you don't play with the board
I got this for my husband as a gift and we enjoyed just answering the questions from the DVD, by watching video clips and picture clips, etc. It's like Jeopardy meets Wheel of Fortune with pop culture questions and numerous other variety of trivia and visuals to aid the questions (there are some nifty animated clues). We were quite impressed and our friends sat and played this with us for 2 hours and wanted to keep going. Having a portion of the game on DVD brings a different dimension to the regular board game where you're just reading off cards (there's that in the game, also, so the game is part video and part questions from cards).

PERFECT PARTY GAME!!!
I bought this one night when me and a bunch of friends were bored..next thing i know all of us are screaming because the clips are such of old movies and new ones. me and the girls were laughing at the guys because they were the ones who thought it would be a waste of money and they were loving it!!!! so pick up the game!!!!

Scenetastic
I played this game with four buddies last night and thought it was sweet!!!!!
The variety, quality, and ease of use was awesome!!!
Buy it!
Now!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR GO GO GO!!!!

Fun movie game for amateurs and connossieurs alike!
Some friends and I played this game one night, and we all had a blast. The game took awhile, about 2 hours with 4 of us, but it was a lot of fun. The same friends played the game about 2 weeks later, and we thought we'd know the questions and do better, but that wasn't the case - they use the same clips sometimes, but the questions are different.. they're either really really hard or really really easy.. I liked the variety of the movies, too. Pick this up - you won't be sorry!

Lots of fun!
I played this at a friend's house last night. I thought the question variety was pretty good. If you have a group of people with varying amounts of movie knowledge, this is a great game because there is a good balance of easy, medium & hard questions.

Personally though, I thought most of questions were really easy - but there were a few that really stumped me and I'm a UCLA film student!!! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The most fun you'll ever have being horribly annoyed
Full of fabulous facts about the saga, this game is the hardcore Star Warrior's dream....AND worst nightmare. You'll have fun playing it at home but get fits from your friends who bring it out with a big smirk, saying, "Okay, now, let's see how much you REALLY know about 'Star Wars'...."May The Force Be With You, you'll need it! Hee hee

The Best Game I Own, but for Hardcore Fans Only
You better know your stuff before you plan on purchasing this game and make sure you know 2-4 people who know more than they should as well about the Star Wars universe. Some of these questions are extremely tough and there are very few easy ones. I used to play the Decipher Star Wars card game, so my memory of those cards actually helped me a lot with remembering certain characters that were barely mentioned in the films. This is a truly great game that we knowledgeable Star Wars fans finally deserve.

If you're a Star Wars fan, this is fun
There's nothing like getting together with fellow Star Wars fans and play this special version of Trivial Pursuit. It's great! It's just like the old Trivial Pursuit with, of course, questions only about Star Wars. When you try for a wedge, however, you have to resort to one of two DVDs that come with the game for the question. If you don't answer the question in the time limit given, your oponents can shout out the right answer - as long as they don't have the wedge - and possibly steal it from you. If you like the classic Trivial Pursuit and you happen to be a Star Wars fan and you have a couple like-minded friends or family members, this is a lot of fun and definitely worth the money. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

You can wait til May 19...
...or you could get this now and see tons of footage from Return of the Sith [sic] a few weeks early. That's really the only reason I bought it, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Many questions are in the form of a movie clip, and there are quite a few questions on Episode 3. And none of it is from the 11/04 teaser trailer or regular trailer that's been out for months. Though if you really want to see these clips, you're best off just playing the DVDs, rather than actually playing round after round of TP with them...

Okay, so I couldn't possibly have played it yet.But C'MON!
Sure, it's not even out yet and I'm rating the holy hell out of it.But C'MON!Imagine if the original Star Wars Trivial Pursuit and the game Scene It had a kid together...There's no way it wouldn't be great!


Again, I argue...C'MON! ... Read more

Editorial Review

The Heroscape line of toys is like the all-star game of make believe. While other games might focus on a specific era of history, the age of chivalry, perhaps, or the Jurassic period, Heroscape puts everyone together on one enormous madcap battlefield. Vikings, World War II soldiers, ninjas, mutant monsters, samurais, dinosaurs, dragons, they’re all there, done up as tiny, highly detailed figure. It would be sort of comic if all the players didn’t look so gosh-darn serious. 85 interlocking terrain tiles are also included so you can craft exactly the landscape you wish for all the action to happen on. Multiple dice are featured along with game cards and detailed instructions on how to play. We liked the boundless imagination of this game and the open-minded versatility of its imaginary protagonists. --Charlie Williams ... Read more

Editorial Review

First published in 1962, Mille Bornes (pronounced "meelborn," French for "milestones") is an auto racing card game whoseobject, for each team of two players, is to be the first to complete aseries of 1,000-mile trips. Each player has a hand of six cards andpicks more in turn from a central pile. There are Distance, Hazard,Remedy, and Safety cards, each with various subgroupings, whichdetermine the course of play. This Collector's Edition reproduces theartwork of the original game. The set includes a car-shaped plasticcard tray, score sheets, instructions, and deck of 110 playing cardswith language in English and French. Bon voyage! --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (40)

More fun than Nascar. . .
I've been playing Mille Bornes since the 60's and now have a delightful granddaughter with which to share it! Mille Bornes is at once fun, educational, analytical, strategic. Fun for the grownups as well as the kids. Though the box says ages 8 and up - I've introduced the game to some bright 6 year olds and they love it!

So get out your competitive spirit. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

Great Game, but don't buy this edition
This is still an excellent game; lots of fun for all ages. However, the "Collector's Edition" is not worth the price--flimsy plastic tray--skimpy, badly printed score sheets. If this is all that's available, I'd say go for it, but I'd recommend looking for another version.

Learning plus !
Especially helpful in early children's French language skills plus applied math; eg. addition/subtraction. Adult fun too - you can play this game & socialize without a "must win" complex.

fun card came
this is by far the best card around.very educational and fun for the whole family.

The Best Card Game Next to Uno is Back!!
I loved this game when I was young!! I remember playing with my family and actually having a chance to win against my mom and my aunts!! I went looking for it a few years ago in Toys R Us to buy to play with my daughter and they told me they didn't make it any more. So, when it finally came back out, I immediately bought it from amazon!!
This is a great game to play with your kids that they won't get bored and want to quit! It's addictive like Uno. It reinforces math skills as your child has to count the points they lay down each hand as you have to reach 1000 each hand and you can't go over. It's fun and educational!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Best Risk yet!
Well, we have just had our first game of Star Wars Risk: Clone Wars Edition at open gaming day at Dr. No's Comics & Games. The session was very successful and I am very impressed with the game so far. My friend Scott and I took the Separatist army while our new acquaintances Keith and Sara took the Republic. The game lasted a total of 4 1/2 rounds, which is pretty close to a game of Risk 2210. The Republic won, in spite of a last ditch effort to turn the tide via Order 66. Unfortunately, as is the case with games where dice are involved, the dice (or the Force) was not with us. I am not speaking out against dice based games. I like an element of chance. The best laid plans and all that... Unpredictable things happen in wars, especially in Star Wars. Our strategy of holding back defensively and waiting out for a good chance at a sweeping galactic conquest with Order 66 didn't pan out. Even if our dice had been rolled better, defensive is NOT the way to play this game. Play aggressive and ALWAYS invade whenever possible. If you are the Separatists, you have GOT to invade and be successful because you have GOT to get cards and reinforcements. The Republic starts out VERY strong (as they should, since they are the dominant power in the galaxy when the war starts) and if they are allowed to gain inroads into your regions, the Seps cannot mount a strong enough defense with their now limited reinforcements. The bonus cards the Reps get from taking leaders is a brutal advantage. Protect those leaders at all costs! if you HAVE to put one in a forward territory, it better be a 1 pip leader. We were unable to hold a first turn advance by the Republic's red army and had to cough up a total of 5 cards (3 from a 3 pip leader, and one each for both Scott and myself giving up a planet). That turn pretty much set the pace for the game. We were able to stay in it until the fifth position on the Order 66 track, and I called the order at the end of my turn, but our rolls again weren't enough. Order 66 ALMOST eliminated Sara, but one of her strongest planets held firm and was able to take Palpatine on her next turn as we had nowhere really safe to stash him.
Overall, even though we lost, I had a blast with the game. It really does FEEL like Star Wars. While i was a bit disappointed with the unusual looking board at first, I grew to really like it very quickly. Troop placement is simple, there are no questionable areas ("is this a pass through the mountains, or just the artwork?"), and since there are no territory cards there is no need to spend time trying to find the name of some obscure area/region/planet (one of the few downfalls of LOTR Trilogy Risk AND War of the Ring). Never forget that every turn is important. I cannot stress that enough. No matter which side you are, you have GOT to be offensive at all times. Even though defenders gain the advantage in ties, if the invader has ships or Anakin cards that allow re-rolls, the odds are heavily against the defender. The playing time is not at all daunting and can be played in only 2 hours or so ( and a good 1/2 hour of that was set up time), so it could easily be played tournament style, switching sides after a game and playing again best 2 out of 3 or what have you.
One comment I have noticed a lot of people making is that they wish the ship tokens had been plastic pieces rather than cardstock chits. While aesthetically I agree, I believe that for gameplay and ease of use purposes, a chit with a picture on one side and a description of the ship's ability on the reverse side is much more functional than a miniature and a reference sheet next to the board. The less time spent poring through the rulebook for a rule and the more time spent invading worlds and conquering the galaxy, the better.
In my opinion, SW Risk: CWE is the best Risk I have played so far. I have 2210, LOTR Trilogy, and Godstorm (which i have not yet played, unfortunately), but this is my favorite at this point.

A disappointment
I really loved the Lord of the Rings Trilogy edition of Risk, and so I was looking forward to the Clone Wars edition.Physically, the game is about the same quality--overall pretty nice but I'm not crazy about the little plastic pieces, which seem even flimsier than the Trilogy game, and much more likely to tangle up together.But that's not a big issue.It's the gameplay.

First off, in a 4 player game, 2 players are good (Republic) and 2 are evil (Separatist), and you are not allowed to attack your own ally.(Gosh, there goes half the fun of Risk right there!) I've yet to come up with a strategy that lets the good side win.During the game, the Separatists have a one-time opportunity to invoke "Order 66".When this happens, each and every planet (territory) in the Republic is checked against a die roll, and a losing roll means the planet becomes Separatist.In every game I've played so far, this wipes out the Republic.Not only have you lost the territories themselves, but all their troops turn against you.It's maddening to be playing the Republic, building up for a great crushing attack and blip, here comes Order 66, bye bye lovely troops.Once issuing Order 66, the Separatists must then place the Emperor (a special piece) on a planet, where he must remain, and the Republic will automatically win the game if they take this planet.But I have yet to get the Republic to recover enough to strike at the Emperor.

The dark side just has too many advantages to make this game fun to play.In the LOTR Trilogy edition, evil starts out stronger, but with good strategy, good can still win.But I just can't figure out the strategy here to make things even. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Fans of the board game Risk will find this Lord of the Rings edition--the Middle-earth version--thoroughly familiar. But there are all sorts of new opportunities and dangers here in the form of wizards, Orcs, cave trolls, and the One True Ring--the latter a gold-colored pewter replica. The four colored armies of plastic game pieces are rather small and cheaply produced, but the 20-by-20-inch game board and 40 adventure cards have a higher-quality feel and are beautifully designed. The game proceeds on the roll of two red and three black dice, and the object, of course, is control of Middle-earth. Recommended for two to four Hobbits; second breakfast not included. (Ages 9 and older) --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (49)

If you like Risk you¿ll love LOTR Risk
Game board:
The game board is a four fold design rather than a two fold design like the standard risk board. This makes the board seem less durable than the standard risk board.

The Map:
At first I was a little disappointed with the map, It does not show Gondor or Mordor, and I thought there could have been a little more detail put into some locations. The reasoning for not including Gondor or Mordor is that the manual states the game is based on the first two books of the trilogy. After playing several games on the board I have grown to like the map more and more. The balance of the continents seems to be pretty well thought out. Although Rhun can sometimes be held very easily by evil. Rhun is kind of the Austrailia of LOTR Risk, it isn't worth much bonus, but it is easy to hold. The rest of the continents are balanced well, mostly being hard to gain a bonus from them, especially when you have experienced risk players. Overall I'm very pleased by the map, but it could have been a little better with a few small changes.

Leaders:
Leaders and Strongholds can make a very big difference in the outcome of the game. You get to place a leader unit, represented by a shield, at the beginning of the game; you can also get leaders by drawing an "Appoint a Second Leader" Adventure card. What leaders do is travel along with your armies and give a +1 attack or +1 defense bonus to your single highest dice roll. So if you rolled a 5, 4, 1 you then have a 6, 4, 1. As you can imagine having a leader with you in the battle will greatly help your chances of winning. Your leader does not count as an army, it is just there to modify the dice.

Strongholds:
Fortresses such as Helm's deep and Isengard provide your units with a +1 to defense (there is no attack bonus for being in a stronghold). This bonus makes holding strongholds easier and can in the case of Moria, be used as a very strong choke point. When you have a leader at a stronghold the effects stack so you have +1 to attack and +2 to defense. So for example if you were attacked with 6, 4, 2 and you had 4, 4. You would have 6, 4 so you would kill two of your enemies armies instead of one each.

Cards:
There are two major types of cards, Territory cards and Adventure cards.
Territory cards are just like in Risk, except some territories always belong to evil and some territories always belong to good, so you can't start with Orcs in the Shire.

There are three types of adventure cards,

Mission Cards
Event Cards
Power Cards
Mission cards give you some kind of mission (hence the name), an example mission is, Bree, if your leader moves into or conquers Bree, you then get a reward, in this case if you are good you get 2 extra armies anywhere in Arnor, if you are Evil you get 6 extra armies anywhere in Arnor.
Event Cards, when you draw one of these cards you play it immediately, an example is 'The Entmoot' If Fangorn is controlled by good that player gets two extra armies, If it is controlled by evil they lose to armies there.
Power cards, are cards that you can play when you want and they can help you significantly for example 'Courage Alone will not save you' Play in response to an enemy attack on one of your territories, Gain 4 extra armies in the territory being attacked. Some Power cards are also used to slow the movement of the fellowship.

The Fellowship, represented by the One Ring is moved at the end of each players turn, it has to move through 15 territories and once that is complete and they arrive at Mordor the game is over, however there are some places where the Fellowship is tied up for a while. In Moria, LothLorien, and Mordor you must roll a die, and it must be a 4,5,or 6 for the fellowship to move on. Some Power cards can slow the movement of the ring, such as the Gollum or Balrog cards. These cards can be used to extend the gameplay. Whoever goes last can have a big advantage since they will be the last to takeover territories from other players and complete missions.
When the game is over, you count up your points. You get 1 point per territory, + points for continent bonus if you hold one. +2 points per stronghold that you own, +points gained by completing missions or playing power cards.

2 player game
The two player game works by having good, evil, and neutral armies, the neutral "player" only defends, does not get reinforcements, and is placed on the neutral territories, the good player gets the good territories and the evil player vice versa. The 2 player game does work well and can be fun, but it seems a little too weighted toward evil, the evil player starts out with territories that are more connected, and with a little easier access to conquering the continent of Rhun right away.

3 & 4 player game
With three or four players this game really shines, it is an absolute blast, it has all the fun and strategy of regular risk but many new twists and tactics to consider.

Pros:
A lot of Fun
It's Risk in Middle Earth
Adds news strategies that will keep it interesting for a long time
Works with as little as 2 players
The game seems pretty well balanced for the most part

Cons:
The map could be improved
The two player game seems to favor evil

Good, but could be better
This version of Risk is as good as the original. That is why I only gave it a three. The creators of this game had great idea, but kept the game too much like the old, even with the additional rules. I liked risk, but I expected more from this version.

Why?
Why doesn't Amazon read these posts and order the TRILOGY edition?!?! Furthermore, why is THIS product still being sold when there's a much better one for the same price and made by the same company?!? Don't waste your money on this game, go out and buy the full trilogy version (...)

Great game
This was a really fun game if you are a LOTR and Risk lover. It's cool because there are other parts of Middle-Earth in the game. The only reason I gave this game 4 stars for durability is because some of the pieces can break, like we've had an Orc lose it's head. But this rarely ever happens, so it is a very good game, and the board is excellent.

Trilogy Edition
I found this version of Risk to be much more enjoyable than the original version. I have never been much of a Risk fan, mostly because of the degree of strategy that is involved, but mostly because of the emmense amount of time that is required to play (sometimes taking days for my brother and I to finish a game). The LOTR has added a twist to this classic game, though, by adding in the "one ring". This makes game play shorter, since the game can end when the ring reaches Mt. Doom, or if an evil player "finds" the one ring (optional rule). However, the new game rules are optional. Purists to Risks and fans of LOTR can still play until one player conquers Middle Earth.

As I said, I'm not much of a Risk fan, but I definitely enjoy this version of the game much more. My wife and I play once a week! And we'll have friends or family over to play as well. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Hubby Loves It!
The only disappointment with this set is that the pieces are plastic. When we picked up the box it was quite heavy so we hoped the pieces were some sort of metal. Alas. However, they are not flimsy. Some of the weapons were a bit curved out of the box but they straightened out with a little TLC. Don't even think about getting them back into the box once you've taken them out unless you wrote down where each piece came from. The board is nothing special, just cardboard, and is a little small for the size of the pieces. If you plan on playing the game I'd suggest getting a larger board. Otherwise, it's great for display purposes. This is the nicest Star Wars chess set we've seen. Buy it, you'll love it.

Star Wars Saga Chess
For those who may be interested, here is a listing of which pieces are included in this new chess set.For the silver "good" side, the pawns are Republic Clone Troopers, kneeling and holding a rifle.The two rooks are C3P0/R2D2 (together on one piece), and Padme firing a blaster from Episode II.The knights are Han Solo in Episode IV clothing and Chewbacca with bowcaster, and the bishops are Princess Leia from Episode IV and Luke Skywalker from Episode VI.The queen is a bearded Episode III Obi-Wan, and the king is Yoda flying through the air (resting on a piece of clear plastic) with a lightsaber.On the black "evil" side, the pawns are the Episode IV era stormtroopers, kneeling with rifles.The two rooks are Count Dooku and Darth Maul (holding a double-bladed lightsaber and doing a high kick).Bishops are General Grievous (two of his four arms are holding lightsabers) and a General Grievous bodyguard with staff.Knights are Jango Fett from Episode II flying with jet pack and firing double pistols, and Boba Fett from Episode VI, presumably firing his wrist cable.The queen is Darth Vader with lightsaber, and the king is Emperor Palpatine with hands poised for sith lightning ala Episode VI.All pieces are made from molded plastic, and weapons will most likely be deformed and wilted when you remove them from the package.If your lightsabers are not all twisted and warped, be surprised and thankful.Also, getting them put back into their proper (unmarked) place in the packaging is like a difficult jigsaw puzzle.In the end, however, this is a nice set and I believe it is worth the price. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Monopoly-Star Wars Style
It had been a while since I've taken a look at both Star Wars and Monopoly...Due to the hype for the new movie (EPS 3), I got back into Star Wars...This caused a mass compulsive buying of alot of SW merchandise. One of those items happened to be Star Wars Monopoly.
The paper money is cheap as always...it feels like it'll rip any second...it couldve been a little more durable.
The cities and settlements are sculpted great, and the game board has beautiful art on it.
The game pieces
Darth Vader
Darth Maul
Darth Sidious
Luke Skywalker
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Princess Leia
Yoda
General Grievous
are all extremely well made, bringing characters from all 6 movies.
My only gripe is that they included Grevious over someone like Han Solo or Boba Fett...I don't care for Leia or Yoda much, so I wouldnt have minded those two replaced with some old favorites.
All in all, a great buy and tons of fun to play.
GET THIS! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Count on Trivial Pursuit to keep up with new millennium trends. This tremendously popular game has been updated with a fun DVD feature that allows players to view TV clips, songs, commercials, movie scenes, and more tidbits from pop culture. As in the original Trivial Pursuit game, two to four adult players (or teams) pose questions to one another in six categories, in this case TV, Fads, Buzz, Music, Movies, and Sports & Games. As they correctly answer questions, players move around the board, collecting colored wedges. To win a scoring wedge, though, players must answer an on-screen question with a variety of visual cues. So rev up those pop culture engines and get ready to come up with the name of Big Star's first record or the candy Ronald Reagan favored. The game includes game board, DVD, 400 question-and-answer cards, one die, four cute tokens (lava lamp, mixed tape entitled "Awesome Mix/Makeout Tunes," cell phone, and joystick), 30 scoring wedges, and instructions. Note: although the game features over 2,000 new questions, only a few hundred of them are DVD questions, leading to inevitable repetition. --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Worst Trivial Pursuit Game to Date
Big dissapointment. Trivial Pursuit is our favorite game and we love to keep up with pop culture, but we will probably never play this game again. The questions are really off the wall and you can't play twice without getting the same video questions. Played with several groups of people - parents (in their 50's) and friends in their 20's - no one liked the game.

Best Trivial Pursuit Game Yet!
I purchased this game baecause it looked so fun...especially with the DVD included. I played the 20th century Trivial Pursuit Game and did not like it at all. Game took way too long and most of the questions were from another planet. This game is SO fun! It's updated with new and fresh questions, and the DVD with additional questions..all about pop culture makes this game perfect for generations X and Y! Definitely worth the money!

Fast & Fun!
Great fun for adults & teens in the family, older generation coudln't quite keep up. Fast-paced game, DVD is the highlight with the "All Play" feature keeping everyone's attention. Highly recommended, great gift for anyone.

Its a good game!
When i bought this game i was excitied to play. Right away my family started playing the game and we had a great time, but after playing it for so long it got kind of boring! If you use the DVD it will repeate questions after playing it more than once. We have used the cards but it is more fun with the DVD! I would recomend it if you looking for something to keep people busy!

Trivial Pursuit At It's Fullest
Why is everyone harping on the fact that the DVD repeats questions??? I mean, it does, but if you want to, you can play the game like regular Trivial Pursuit and not use the DVD. But personally, I think that it's well worth the extra ten or so dollars to have the DVD. Personally, I could sit and play with the disc alone for almost and hour. Actually, sometimes when my family's lazy, we do just that.

Think of what you're getting for that extra ten dollars.....

*You're getting the cooler game pieces. (A cell phone, a cassette, a joystick and a lava lamp)

*You're getting the DVD, which for the questions, shows clips of movies and stuff like that.

*You're getting the pop culture questions

and there may even be some things that I can't think of, though I don't think so.

Even though the DVD DOES repeat, the game is well worth it in my opinion. In some cases with a game like this, I would recommend you play it somewhere first, before you buy it, but in this case, I don't think that is necessary. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Another great version of Monopoly
For a person like me who is a Lord of the Rings fan and a Monopoly fan, this is a great game. The rules are the same, so it isn't difficult to play. It also has the great variation with the ring, which serves two purposes to me. 1. It creates a fun twist and 2. It is a gauge of how long the game will go. Monopoly is notorious for lasting for an eternity. A must for all Lord of the Rings and Monopoly lovers.

A great way to get into Monopoly if you're a Tolkien fan
I had not played Monopoly for years and honestly believed that I didn't like it until I received this edition as a present. As a Tolkien fanatic, I got easily into "The Lord of the Rings" theme of the set and started immensely enjoying playing Monopoly. The Tolkien backdrop gives the game a colorful dimension. If you're a Monopoly player and Tolkien fan, this game is an obvious must-have. However, Tolkien readers (or anybody who enjoyed the recent films) who aren't much into Monopoly or have never played it will find this is a great way to discover this classic board game.

The play is almost unchanged from regular Monopoly: roll the dice and advance your tokens (in this case, metal figurines of Fordo, Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimili, Legolas, and Galadriel) around the board, buying up "territories" (instead of "properties") and charging rent from the other players to try to bankrupt them. Instead of money, this edition uses "power," but the values are exactly the same: for instance, each time you pas GO, you collect 200 power, just as you would collect $200 in the regular game.

Almost all the spaces are changed to fit the world of Middle-Earth. The territories are locations along the journey of the Fellowship. Park Place and Boardwalk are now Bard-dûr (The Dark Tower) and Mount Doom. The red properties are now Gap of Rohan, Helm's Deep, and Edoras. The four railroads are horses: Bill the Pony, Shadowfax, Brego, and Asfaloth. The two utilities are the Wizard's Staffs. Luxury Tax is Shelob's Lair. Income Tax (the bane of all players!) is now "Seen by the Palantír." The Community Chest cards and Chance cards are changed to "Events" and "People." An example of a typical card: "Winged nazgûl attack! Lose 150 power." The houses and hotels you build on properties are now fortresses and strongholds. The white plastic stronghold miniatures look quite impressive on the board!

Strangely, the four corner spaces on the board look exactly the same as in the regular edition: GO, Jail, Free Parking, and Go to Jail. This is odd, since pictures of a car and a policeman clash with the theme of the set. This is really the only flaw in the game presentation.

There is a special "Lord of the Rings" variation you can play if you want a quicker game with an interesting twist. One of the dice has an Eye of Sauron on it instead of a one-spot. When playing the variation, every time the eye pops up on a roll, a special One Ring icon moves one territory around the board. When the Ring reaches the last territory (Mount Doom), the game ends and the player with the most power wins. If a player lands on a territory where the ring is sitting, he/she either gets the territory for free if no one owns it, or else owes the owner TWICE the amount of rent they normally would. This is a fun way to throw variety into the game, but ignore it if you want to play a full-length game.

Parker Brothers has made many Monopoly special editions, but this is the one that got me back into the game, and if you love "The Lord of the Rings" (movie or book), I guarantee it will pull you in too. Just be cautious that you don't start pawing the other players' money and croaking "My precioussss! Givessss us power so we can liftses the mortgage, my precioussss!"

Nice twist!
I hated Monopoly growing up because it took so long to play, and I almost always lost. However, this new collectors edition gives people like myself a fighting chance! Since the movies have come out, and having read the 4 books (the Hobbit and the LOTR trilogy), I have turned into a LOTR fanatic! I received "Monopoly - The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition" as a birthday gift. Within the first 3 weeks of getting it, my wife and I played 18 out of 21 nights! I love the changes that were added.

The most exciting twist is the addition of the "one ring". This either allows you to get property for free or pay double the rent. It also makes it's way around the board, journeying closer to Mt. Doom (which replaces Boardwalk as the last space). Once the ring reaches Mt. Doom, the game is over. No more 4-hour games! I also enjoy the fact that the properties have been replaced by sites from the story-line. You also can aquire steeds instead of railroads and wizard staffs instead of utilities.

Over all, this has been the most fun I've ever had playing Monopoly. Definitely recommend it for Monopoly and LOTR enthusiasts alike!

Educational value
Monopoly is a great way for kids to learn about money (counting money, giving change, buying, and selling). This edition is of particularly high interest to middle school and junior school aged children. This would make a great gift for any student who loves the Lord of the Rings and is struggling in math.

A Fine Twist
I love monopoly. It is one of my favorite games. It has a lot of strategy and luck. Lord of the Rings is another thing that a like. Put these 2 things together and you get one of the best games ever. It is quite a twist. Along with this I would also recommend The Lord of the Rings: Risk. As in Monopoly a twist with the lord of the rings is just what any strategic game needs! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Clue FX Review
This game plays exactly like the original Clue, except there are more suspects and more weapons. Also, it talks to you! The butler gives tips and encouragement, THOUGH IT CAN GET REPETITIVE. Also, this time around you're not playing as a suspect, you're playing as a detective. There are only 4, to my disappointment. However, now you can play Clue with 2 players.

FINAL WORD:
If you're a casual game enthusiast, Clue FX might be worth a look. However, if you are a serious Clue fan, this is an awful product that is not worth your time or money.

Fun Game!!!
I read the reviews to this game and was not sure if I would like the game. I love the original clue game and was somewhat skeptical because of some of the reviews. My husband and I then began playing the game and loved it. It is a quick game that you can play over and over again. In one night we played four games. This game is very similar to the original game with fun twists. I recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed playing the original clue game.

No one needs a clue to love this game
Although I had never played the original Clue game, the talking version appealed to me. Clue FX is a fun game that is educational in two ways. It uses problem solving and listening skills which improve everyday skills as well. It says "more mystery" on its cover and it is true to its word. It has more suspects than the original game. To summarize: If you took the best features from every single game I ever played, plus added a few of your own that you never saw before, Clue FX adds up to that.

Clue FX is The Best!
I would say Clue FX is the best game on Earth! You have to listen very carfully were the suspects and the inspector are.Your listning skill will probly increse. You should have teams the first time around because noteing what information the suspects have. I would not recamend having a 6 year or youger player play on hiselfs/herselfs own. It gets very anoying haveing them play on there own. This is the best game because anybody can play it and you can play with your family or friends.

Clue FX is fun, fun, fun!
My 8 year old daughter played this at a friend's house and had to have it! Her father, sister and I love to play this game together. It promotes good listening skills and helps learn to use strategy. It's a good idea to play in teams for the first few times because keeping track of everything could get confusing. The electronic board keeps the game interesting, because you never know where the suspects are going to be. It's a different game every time you play. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Kamigawa
Kamigawa is the evil step-child of MTG. The set is too good and unbalanced in gameplay. If you can, keep yourself from buying this set and stick to 5th Dawn, Judgment, and Eighth. However, Betrayers wasn't so bad, and neither will Saviors be. Look out for Jugan!
-The Ronin ... Read more

Editorial Review

This colorful chess set combines the classic game of strategy and intellect with the wacky and wonderful characters that inhabit the world of the Simpsons. Packed in an attractive metal storage box, the set comes with a fold-up playing board and a complete set of playing pieces. The pieces are all durable, and can probably handle a lot of abuse and mistreatment without being damaged. As a result, fans of the show could also use the pieces as action figures or perch them on a desktop or bookshelf when they are not engaged in a battle of wills on the chessboard. With Homer and Marge Simpson as the king and queen respectively, the chess set also features Bart (bishop), Lisa (rook), and Maggie (pawn) Simpson, as well as Krusty the Clown (knight). --Chris Burns ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great For A Psychologist
This is a great game, it helps do my customers iq's. And its simpsons chess, not an ordinary chess set.

The Simpson's play Chess?
This is an excellent gift idea for anybody! This chess set is definitely gets an A+ for fun! Even if you're not a Simpson's fan or haven't heard much about them, this set wonderfully symbolizes the intelligence of the family. Homer is crowned with a beer in his hand while Marge stands taller than the king himself with a rose close to her chest. There is Bart as the bishop, Lisa as the rook, Krusty as the knight, and Maggie portrayed as the pawn. I am surprised, however, that Flanders was not the Bishop. Afterall, he is the holiest of people, the most spiritual to spirits, and the most faithful of all God's faithless souls!
I was asked to rank this toy on an educational level and I gave it four stars. I did so because it is a game of chess. Simply, chess is an educational game that increases your sense of logic and reasoning. Although it is the Simpson's that we are talking about, the fact that if a person can play well with these peices without mixing them up with confusion, then I think you've accomplished something. Skill. As with any chess pieces that are represented by other characters or symbols, you obtain a good sense of awareness and strategy.
This toy is a very fun toy and I would reccommend it to anyone, ESPECIALLY if they enjoy watching the Simpson's. It is fun to play, fun to watch, and fun to display. Friends should definitely be impressed with this chess set!

The Best Chess Set Ever!!!
This ia a great chess set because it shows your love for The Simpsons and Chess. It is very derable and fun to with your friends and family. I have alot of fun playing with this chess set.This is a must have for Simpsons fans like me.

Looks great, but it's difficult to tell which piece is which
The pieces look great, and it is a lot of fun, but it does become difficult to tell which pieces are which when actually playing chess. Bart is the Bishop, but he is holding a sword and shield, which makes me want to think he is the Knight (Krusty the Klown is the Knight).
My board also came with 7 pawns on one side, and 3 Bishops (the other side had the usual 8 pawns and 2 Bishops), which is mildly annoying.
Other than that, the set is well made (the pieces are sturdy, the case is metal, and the board, although its only made of cardboard, comes printed with a background of various Simpsons' characters).
As watching The Simpsons and playing Chess are two of my favorite activities, this set was a "must have" for me. I don't play on it much, but I am glad I got it, as it looks cool!

This Simpson chess is "Cowabunga"
The first Simpson Chess set left a bit to be desired, although it wasn`t too bad. This one, by Cardinal Games, is far superior. My only complaint is that Bart, the bishop, isn`t taller. I know he is a child, but his base could have been at least one inch higher. Also, the painting on the bases of the Barts are a bit confusing, sometimes making you think that your Bart is the other side`s Bart. I fixed mine by gluing 3 regular checkers under the Barts and repainting the bases to lessen the confusion. While I was at it I added one checker under each of the Homers. Now I love the set! For those of you not too handy with glue and paint, don`t worry. It`s still a great set. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

You Haven't Played This? Why Not???
Even if you have no idea what a German game is, or why a name like Reiner Knizia is important, this is a great, original and fun game. If you think this is just another attempt to make money from the cash cow that Tolkien's works have become, you're dead wrong.

Even if you're already a boardgaming veteran you've probably not seen mechanics like this very often. Instead of competing against each other, players must cooperate as the Fellowship to destroy the one ring before Sauron destroys them all. Sometime this means a player must sacrifice him/herself for the benefit of everyone in the game. Amazingly, it works and even players who get eliminated feel as if they contributed to something worthwhile (and in many cases stay very focused on the outcome of the game, as they have a vested interest in seeing the Fellowship survive). The game is even fun with two players - but be warned that the difficulty ramps up quite a bit when the Fellowship is so small.

The components are impressive and are endowed with the great John Howe's artwork. There are no movie images to be found here - which may depress or delight you, but it does add to the sense that this game holds its own without needing to resort to pandering.

Does the game have any educational value? Hmmmm...I dunno about that one. I suppose it could encourage older kids to value cooperation a bit more than they usually do, and any kid who hasn't been enthralled by Tolkien's work might have a nice introduction with this game, but the ultimate goal here is to have a good time - not necessarily to educate.

As close to the book as you can get.
If you are a Lord of the Rings purest who objected to the movies this game is for you.

This game faithfully follows the books forcing you to team up to face the Dark Lord and destroy the ring.

A VERY hard game to beat, so hard that a special sheet is included to fill out if you win (our group has only managed to do it once)

As you face the dangers of your trek the ring slowly corrupts you and Sauron gets closer and closer most likely not all the hobbits who leave the Shire will make it to Moria alive.

It is hard to review this game since I purchased the Expansions with it at the same time so I haven't played it without them. The Expansions add so much to the game they should be purchased at once, however even without them this game stands up on its own quite well and the artwork is superb!

Worth your time and money but don't lose your temper when it takes you months to win.

Cooperative solitaire with lovely art and a classic theme.
In LotR, the board game, Kniza has done a masterful job of creating a form of team-solitaire. The many players compete not against each other, but against the game itself. Luck, familiarity, planning, and team communication are all important.

The game is difficult: while "winning" is defined in the game, it's far more common to come close but sputter out most of the way to the finish line. (At this point, you record how far you made it on the provided roster and try again!)

There are a couple problems with the game: First, while the rules are simple, the rulebook is easy to misread in a few places. If it seems like the game is too easy or too hard, you've probably misread one of the rules. The other problem is that one player who knows the game much better than the rest can get frustrated. There's nothing to stop an expert at the game from bossing around neophyte teammates. If the neophytes want to win, they'd do well to heed the expert's advice, even. The 'Sauron' expansion set fixes this problem.

On the whole, this is a good game. The production values are excellent, with beautiful art and pleasing props. The rules are simple enough to teach a youngster, yet the game is challenging enough to intrigue an adult. A good addition to any game-player's library.

A fantastic group game... challenging and loads of fun.
I almost didn't give it 5 stars. Why didn't I? Bitterness. Yes, I'm bitter because my wife and I have attempted the two player game as Frodo and Sam FIVE times and have NOT yet won once!! (I'm AM grinning as I write this, in case you're wondering...)

It's okay. I'll get over it. It may be tough for two players... but it's still fun to lose the game WITH my wife, rather that try to compete against her. We HAVE, however, successfully destroyed the One Ring in three, four, and five player games. It's really a neat experience to play a game in which a group has to cooperate with each other in order to win TOGETHER rather than compete in order to... well... destroy everyone else.

This game combines many elements of group strategy with some elements of luck (i.e. mostly in wondering which tile you're about to turn over). It really seems to capture a bit of the feeling that Sam and Frodo must have felt as they struggled to Mordor. (My wife and I felt it today as the game pummeled us relentlessly... talk about bad luck in this case. Whew.)

Grab a group of four or five friends - a larger group is better since each player/Hobbit has a special "ability" to add to the group/Fellowship. Be patient, plan carefully, talk about strategies, and just have a great time.

Good cooperative fun with a strong theme
There are plenty of good games out there, and some cooperative ones, but good cooperative games that don't take forever to play are hard to come by. This is one.

I've seen complaints that the rules are hard to understand. I'd like to clarify that a little. If you just open up the rules and read them by themselves, they ARE hard to understand. That's okay. Just follow the setup instructions at the front of the rulebook first. THEN read the rules, looking often at the board & other components, and it all starts to make sense; in fact, virtually everything about the game is very cleverly designed. The only question that I haven't yet found an answer to is when, exactly, the event tiles are supposed to be reshuffled (I think after each location is complete is probably the best time, but it could be that you're supposed to wait until they run out; I'm just not sure).

The basic ideas aren't that difficult. On your turn, you turn up tiles until you get a good one (suffering the consequences of the bad along the way) and then you either play one or two cards to advance the group, or you recover by drawing two cards or healing yourself one space on the Corruption track (as the game progresses, the Hobbits and Sauron advance toward each other on this track, and if a Hobbit and Sauron meet, the Hobbit dies). There are four location boards: Moria, Helm's Deep, Shelob's Lair, and Mordor, each with several tracks; on each board, one of the tracks is the "main" track, and you advance to the next when it is complete - or when time runs out, with nasty consequences ranging from the moderately bad "Fly, you fools" in Moria to "The Ring is MINE!" in Mordor, ending the game as Sauron recovers the Ring. That said, there are great benefits to advancing the secondary tracks as well; if you concentrate solely on the main one, you'll never make it TO Mordor, let alone through it.

At every turn, there are meaningful decisions to be made. Adding to the tension, you never know how much time you have to achieve important results (such as obtaining Eowyn's help before the Lord of the Nazgul arrives - which, by the way, is very hard to do - or getting the Riders of Rohan to reinforce Helm's Deep before it is too late). You can go from being in good condition to in deep trouble in a heartbeat with a few bad tile draws, and that goes double in Mordor. You also need to actively cooperate with the other Hobbits, or you may find yourself half way to Mordor and all your friends have expired, leaving you too weak to get to Mount Doom and dunk the ring. Particularly, make sure you DON'T take all of one type of life token, because anyone who is missing a certain type at the end of a location board moves toward Sauron on the Corruption track. There are also many opportunities for a player to make a sacrifice to prevent something bad from happening to the entire group.

The game has three built-in difficulty levels (you just start Sauron in a different space on the Corruption track, to give you more or less leeway), and the difficulty also varies depending on the number of players. I suspect three, four, and five are probably not dramatically different in difficulty, but I got the distinct impression that the game is much more difficult with only two. There is also a competitive variant, but a lot of cooperation is still required.

Although the box says the game is intended for players 12 and up, I think that with a well-behaved player to lead (in other words, one who won't just order the others around but will actively involve them in the decision making; you might want to play with all cards face up instead of hidden as the rules say), younger children could easily play and have fun, IF they are prepared to cooperate. I played tonight with my (very smart) four year old daughter, and although she certainly didn't understand everything that was going on, she had the basic ideas down and volunteered to take just about every hit imaginable to help. She also LOVED rolling the die (which is a punishment of sorts - you roll to see just what bad thing befalls you in many situations; you may take one to three points of damage, advance Sauron one space, discard two cards, or nothing), so it was fortunate she drew Sam, as each Hobbit has a special ability and Sam's is that he never suffers more than one point of damage from a die roll. We ended up one space from Mount Doom when Sauron seized the ring, and we had a great time. As an added bonus, she asked a ton of questions about the background, from why we were trying to destroy the ring to why Sauron was so powerful (I've rated it up for educational because it has sparked my daughter's interest in the books; I'm pretty sure that as soon as she's able, she'll want to read them).

I highly recommend the game. It's not only a very good game, but the theme ties in very well. It's not just a random game with a theme pasted on - there was a lot of thought given to the events, like the final event in Moria called "Fly, you fools!" where one player can take a big hit (three points of damage) or everyone can roll the die and suffer the consequences. It's pretty much a no-brainer to decide that SOMEBODY should take the three hits (except with only two players, where it is arguable), but who will volunteer? That's just one of the ways the game makes the players put the overall quest above themselves - even if your Hobbit dies, you still win with everybody else if the ring is destroyed. ... Read more