Editorial Review

With five levels of play, from junior to expert, Railroad RushHour offers a challenge for kids and grownups alike. The puzzle consists of a sturdy plastic grid, 40 puzzle cards (with solutions on the back) for ages 8 and older, 10 junior challenge cards for ages 6 to 8, 17 brightly colored blocking trains, two blocking baggage platforms, a blue-and-white striped travel pouch, and "you," the little red escape locomotive. Trains are placed on the grid as indicated on each puzzle card. The object is to steer your escape locomotive through the freight yard and out the exit gate indicated. You can warm up your problem-solving skills by getting the puzzle out of the box. All aboard for fun! --Alison Golder ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Teriffic fun, great value
This game really is great. My autistic 11-year-old gets
a good mental challenge and feeling of accomplishment out of it,
and I have fun as well. My only negative comment is regarding
travel. We've taken it on many plane trips, and it's great
because it fits in a small area to play as well as store, but
it has a lot of small parts (duh! :-), and they are easy to lose
track of when travelling. So be vigilant, and find all those
train cars when putting it away! :-)

Railroad rush hour - a great game for all
This is a fabulous game for people of all ages. Even little kids can play the easy cards. The harder ones can be very engrossing for adults. My son started playing it when he was 4 years old. I have also given it to somebody as a present for their 40th birthday. I recommend it for anybody who wants a bit of a mental challenge.

More Cards Please
This is a great puzzle game. Kids learn problem solving and adults practice their own problem solving; all of this brain work is neatly disquised because they are having fun. I wish that Binary Arts would come out with more card sets for their Railroad game like they have for the Rush Hour game. I want extra puzzles! It would make it more rewarding to own.

Best Game of all Time
This game is like rush hour except a heck of a lot better. This game is so much fun. Me and my family sit around it and try to figure out the puzzles.

Trains! Trains ! and more trains!
From the creators of Rush Hour, Rush Hour2 and Rush Hour 3 comes Railroad Rush Hour, than train game. Binary has come up with yet another thinking game and another great time.

Given 40 cards, from beginner to expert, and 10 junior cards, for those under 8 years old, you'll spend hours trying to get you train out the maze and to the station.

The game includes a cloth holding sack for easy storage and travel, making this the perfect home, road or away game. Kids and parent will both enjoys the hours fun.

I like the idea of the platform blocking pieces moving in any direction, this adds the strategy. Also this gift is priced to fit any budget and makes a great gift for the hard to buy for. Congratulations Binary Arts on a job well done! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Fast-Paced Fun For All Ages
This game was tons of fun...I purchased it for my 15-year old daughter for a birthday gift. I ordered Smart Mouth from Amazon.com after reading about it in an issue of Real Simple magazine. We opened it up at her party and everyone from my daughter to her 7- and 9-year old nieces to her aunt and myself just loved this game. It was fast-paced and the youngest girl had the quickest answers. Best of all, they had a blast while spelling words!!! A great game, both educational and fun.

adult party game
It's a shame this is lumped in with educational games. Although I can see it has great potential a as a vocabulary builder, it is one of the most fun adult party games I've ever played. It's similar in dynamic to Jenga, but requires a loose tongue instead of steady fingers, so it's a better choice after partaking of adult beverages. You can set the rules however you want--minumum 4 letters, only 3 letters, only place names, pick another language, anything!

Fun but there are better games out there
I had recieved this game for Christmas and I find it quite enjoyable. The concept of the game is very simple:

You slide the box forward and then back again revealing two tiles. You must think of a word that begins with the first letter and ends with the second. Example
Letters are:A L
Word Possible: Animal

Who ever yells out a word first that works gets the tiles. When the tiles dispencer is empty, you count up your tiles and whoever has the most wins.

If you are looking for a good travel game I do not suggest this one because the tiles can be lost easily. I do suggest this game for kids ages 7+ because you have to have a good vocabilary of words.

Good idea, poor design
Smart Mouth is the perfect name for this word game in which players must make words using the pairs of first and last letters. Though you really do not need the game pieces to play, having the tiles and dispenser helps ramdonize the letter choices and reloading the dispenser gives younger kids a kick. The instructions are clear and offer a variety of options for playing so that the game does not get stale too fast.

Thought the concept is pretty neat, the game itself it poorly designed. Once you dispense a pair of tiles, you have to remove them from the base, and then you loose them---all over the car, the floor, the table. It would have been simple and useful just to create a bigger base for the game.

The packaging is wasteful and ridiculous. The game comes in a large box, but it would easily fit in a box one third the size. There is no excuse for wasting this much cardboard or ink.

Great Fun and Educational!
My 9-year old and I love to play this game. Like Scrabble, it helps to stretch one's vocabulary and requires quick thinking. It would also be fun with a group of adults. Other than the letter tiles that get stored in the main compartment of the game unit, there are no other small parts. With bags for each player to keep "won" tiles, it would be a good travel game. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Sometimes you can't help but wonder about the original meeting where the idea for a toy was first introduced. Because in order to get Operation Brain Surgery produced, someone must have sat down in a room somewhere and explained that they were proposing a game based on brain surgery. And that they were serious. As strange as that meeting must surely have been, the game is actually a lot of fun in a bizarre kind of way. In fact, its very strangeness probably makes it even more fun. The patient (same big-nosed guy from the original Operation game) gives encouragement and ribbing to players throughout the game. The object is to remove objects such as a bird (for "bird brain"), train (for "train of thought"), and egg (for "egg head"). As in Operation, it takes a steady hand to avoid upsetting the patient and win the game. --John Moe ... Read more

Reviews (16)

My three year old & I have fun together playing this game!
I bought this for my three year old daughter. When we first started to play, I had her just take out the pieces from the top of his head as fast as she could before the buzzer went off. Then, I introduced the playing cards and shortly after that she caught on to the concept of matching the pieces from inside the head to the cards she had in front of her. If they didnt match, she threw them back in and quickly grabbed for the next piece. It promotes matching, turn taking and fast thinking! Since its a fast pace game, we have fun each time we play! She'll even sit and play alone sometimes but of course its more fun to play with mommy ;-D

bought for my 5 year old!
I bought this for my 5 year old for Christmas and he wasn't impressed with it. He got bored with it real quick and even my 2 year old didn't seem to happy playing it. It has been sitting in the box untouched for months. Honestly I liked the old style of operation better, it does more to keep the attention of the kids where as this one is kinda boring.

Fun
My 4 yr old got this for Christmas. She really seems to like it. It is a challenge for her to find the right shapes. Even my 20 month old enjoys pulling pieces out. However, the buzzer never goes off because we are too rough trying to find the right shape. I even took it back and got another, and still, the buzzer only goes off when we run out of time. We still like it a lot.

Not much fun
Not much fun in my opinion and I guess, my 3 year old sons. He likes reaching in the head, but that's about it. It's not educational by any means and it really has no point.

My child is so scared of this toy
My 2 year old saw the commercial for this toy on Nick Jr and ran out of the room screaming. Then on a trip to [a store] she saw in in the toy dept. Now everytime I go to [that store] my 2 year old keeping repeating "we go home now". I really think this game has scared my child ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent Brian Busting Toy
The object is to get your logger from one end og the board to the other while following pretty obvious rules. 40 different cards provide a challenge for all levels. Loads of fun. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Ready ... aim ... Crossfire! This shootout game gets the adrenaline pumping as two players fire small metal pellets across the board, blasting their opponents' pucks ever closer to their goal. Plastic shooters attach to each end of the Crossfire board. Players load 'em up with pellets from a tray. The pucks spin and move easily on bearings as pellets hit them from each player. The trick is to load quickly and shoot accurately to hit and push your puck into your opponent's goal as often as you can. With a setup time of only minutes, Crossfire is instant fun and there's no need for batteries or electricity, so it can travel and be played anywhere. Game level can be adjusted quickly by changing goal guards. The playing surface is less than 2 feet long, making it a great tabletop game. --Lee Strucker ... Read more

Reviews (23)

awesome
I used to have this back when I was within the boundaries of the recommended age. I think I'm going to go get a new one, even though I might be too old.

AWESOME
This game is the best I stayed up for hours until the blisters on my hands could not take it any more! Its a number one game in the world!!!!!!

The best
This game is the best game ever. My all time favorite, it gets your adrenalin running through your veins and puts the white on your knuckles. Its fun for all ages and it works great if one person loads the marbles for you while you fire and try to get the star and triangle to the other persons side.

Simply Delightful!!
Where do I begin with this most exquisite game; ahh yes the commercial. The ripe young men gathered around a table, engaged in an enthralling match of crossfire in which one of the youngsters is vanquished by his formidable adversary. The ensuing five seconds are utterly tantalizing when the victorious player rises out of his chair and celebrates his impressive victory while the now famous theme song climaxes in the background. "Crossfire, you'll get caught up in the... CROSSFIRE!!) Now, on to the game itself, there are many stimulating moments to be had with it. The first time I played I was playing with me neighbors son. We were totally engrossed by crossfire's addictive gameplay that he spent the whole night at my house playing with me. In the morning, when it was time for little Timmy to go home, I continued playing the fantastic game well into the afternoon hours. When sleep finally overcame me, I dreamt about the aforementioned session of crossfire. I re-lived my whole first experience with the game and Timmy. Now, I am in an absolute love affair with this game and my romance life suffers because of it. Crossfire is a definite must buy!

Evan Smith: BEST GAME EVER IN THE WHOLE GALAXY... EVER!
Who are the freakin' morons who said that this game isn't educational? Milton Bradley is a genius if I ever knew one. And as far as the commercial song goes, it is clearly, "You've been caught on the run: Crossfire, Crossfire, (falsetto) CROSSFIRE!.... yeah, Yeah!" I didn't much approve of the fire of Hades in the Background and one kid laughing at the death of his opponent but hey fire sells. This is a great game if you're feelin down and want to take your mind off things by shooting metal balls onto a small painted table. Its a great way to... shoot... the breeze. HAHAHA! Hey, Chris, learn how to spell. Last time I checked "blastic things" was incorrect. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Do you like to solve mysteries? Here's your opportunity to save the day. Barbecue with aVampire--part of the How to Host a Teen Mystery series of games--requires keen concentration, deductivereasoning, and problem-solving skills. Your case involves figuring out who turned the homecoming queeninto a vampire. The plot takes place during a birthday party bash at the castle home of rock star KillianKillagan. If players are astute, sniffing out the vampires should be a cinch, but read the mystifyinginstructions anyway. --Diane Beall ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Great fun for 9 - 10 year olds, too
Although the age range starts at 12, my daughter's 10th birthday was a huge success with this game. It is very complex, but all eight of the kids really got into the finest details. None of them solved it before the solution was revealed, but had a great time playing the characters and anlyzing the information anyway. From start to finish, including playing through dinner, they needed 4 1/2 hours, and even then I was pushing them along a bit. Be sure to allow enough time for the guests to discuss the mystery as much as they'd like. The downside was that they got into it so much that two of the kids had nightmares about vampires afterward! We did the decorations along with the theme, and I (Mom) dressed as a vampire to add to the atmosphere. With take-out barbeque served, this was the EASIEST, most fun birthday party I have ever done - and my daughter says that it was her favorite party ever. She wants to do the other one, and it's so easy that we'll do it this spring without the excuse of a birthday. Perfect for kids who are into mysteries - this group also loves fantasy such as Harry Ptter.

great but not the best
I have gotten both "Barbecue with the Vampire" and "Roswell that ends well" for my 14th and 15th birthday parties. I must admit that both are exalent and have the guests talking about it for years (yes that's right years!) but Roswell that Ends Well has a much better story line.

VAMPIRE MYSTERY ROCKS!
My friend bought this and set it up for a party on haloween. I was Robin O'Positive (actually her evil twin, Robin O'Negative) and I thought it was the coolest thing ever! I was scared weeks after and everyone there had a blast! This is the best thing you could ever do for a party! Words can not explain how cool it is to play! We're thinking about buying the Alien one for a Luau party on the last day of school. I loved playing this mystery!

Best 12-yr-old birthday party idea yet...
This game made for an easy and very entertaining birthday party for my 12-yr-old son and his friends. We got a lot of compliments from the kids who attended and their parents. The game allows for a great amount of flexibility in terms of setting, food, decor, or lack thereof. Although the game specifications say that you need to have 4 girls and 4 boys, one of the female characters (Robin O'Positive) and one of the male characters (Killian Killagan)can be played as either gender, so you can have a 5/3 split with either gender in the majority. The costume suggestions were easy to follow and could be done minimalistically--everyone who came to our son's party had worn some degree of costume, which helped the kids keep the characters straight during the game.

"Take-out" rotisserie chicken with BBQ sauce and snack-sized jelly-filled sponge cakes from the grocery store are good party fare to go with the vampire theme. An adult moderator is indispesible for keeping the game moving and for re-speaking any clues that are mumbled or spoken too softly for the whole group to hear. Our group of 11-14 yr-olds finished the game in four hours, which included breaks for lunch, birthday cake, and gift opening.

Barbeque with a Vampire
A few weeks ago a group of friends and I played this game. We're all in our mid to late 20s. For me and a couple of others it was our first murder mystery but the majority were murder mystery veterans. We all loved it!
Best of all the conclusion makes sense! When you think about it, it's completely obvious that person is the murderer without it being a complete give away.

[We played another one this past weekend (different company) which was not as successful. The murderer was so obvious no one guessed it could possibly be them and a great deal of the dialogue was pre-scripted]

Discovering everyone's little secrets just adds hilarity to the game. Of course, keep in mind that you can only play the game once. Hang the map some where so it doesnt get messed up during the game.
At first glance 25 bucks seems expensive for a game you can only play once but I guess you'd spend more on that on movies or another form of entertainment.

I highly reccommend this game to people of any age looking for an evening of fun. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Good Introduction To The United States Map
Our 5 year-old son plays this game with us and we all enjoy it. This game is a great way to teach children the names and locations of the states. It also teaches an interesting fact about each state. In this version of the game, the players don't have to know the names of the state capitals, but since that information is provided on the game board my son is picking up on it too.

There is a 60 second timer so you can help level the playing field by varying the amount of time older players have to read the card and give the answer. We give our son 45 seconds and my husband and I get 15 seconds. We all finish well ahead of the timer, but we find it easier to use the main intervals marked on the timer. You could use different intervals if you desired.

Durability: We buy a lot of board games and this one has held up better than the others. The cards are thick so they are not easily bent. Also each set of cards has a zip bag so they stay stacked and sorted when you put them away.

We love it.
Our daughter loves this game. She got it when she was 4.5 years old and it became an instant hit. She learned a lot from this game since then. Now she is almost five years old and we are ready to get her the Great State game for older kids. (she calls it "Great State Senior.") And we are going to give the Great State Junior game to some of her best friends for their birthdays.

Great for Vacations
Our family loves to travel the United States. I picked up this game to give my five year old son a visual aid in learning where we have been and where we plan on going. It has helped him on many level of learning. Just a great game for great kids. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Children learn about taking turns and matchmaking in this game as they try to make pairs of elated elephants, panting puppies, smiling suns, and other familiar objects. The 72 (cardboard) cards have lively, colorful drawings that make them easy to remember and a tray for storing them. Played alone, Original Memory is a quiet activity for developing concentration and memory. With more players, it's even more of a memory challenge to remember where the cards are that have already been turned over. And you have to wait your turn, which is sometimes harder than anything. The printed rules in the box set the tone for this child-friendly game: the youngest player always goes first. --Lynne Sampson ... Read more

Reviews (7)

This is not the "Original Memory".
I had the original Memory game. This isn't it. The play of the game is the same, but mine had really cool pictures. This has silly cartoon pictures. It's not as nice.

Classic games stand the test of time
You can't go wrong with most of the classic games & this one is no different. Great fun & makes them THINK!

My own childhood game
I had this game when I was a child and I LOVED it. I never forgot this game and now I want to share it with my own children and relive the experience again.

Simple Game/Great Test of Memory!
With 72 cards (36 pairs)I think this is a little more than most 3 year olds can remember. I suggest using only part of the cards and gradually increasing the number of cards as the child gets older--otherwise, they may become frustrated and give up. I agree with the reviewer who suggested that the cards should be laminated. I am not sure how long they will hold up if used much. The pictures are all familiar objects that preschoolers will readily identify, and it's a great game for spending time together.

a classic game for preschoolers
This is the Memory game you remember from your childhood, with updated pictures. My kids love it and have fun just playing with the bright and sturdy cards. No bells or whistles, just classic fun for the youngest set. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Gamer
This is a great game that I grew up playing with my parents in the 1980's. I still play Tri-Ominos to this day with my friends. I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys games that involve intelligence, skill and some luck.

great game for grammas to play with children ages 10 and up
this is a game that involes adding scores and paying attention to conbinations of numbers .I have found it very interesting to play with 10 -16 year old grandchildren and also a great passtime for my own friends ... Read more

Reviews (5)

why do Monopoly if there is a Settlers....
This game is amazing. Every player stays tight in the game till the last second the winner comes out. The winner is struggling as hard as the rest of the losers during the entire game. Everyone trade with everyone else. Unlike Monopoly which the winner takes all, this game shows you how important to trade with each other to win the game. Luck is only a third of reason to win the game, the other two thirds is the stratigy. My wife and I get together with another couple everyweek and all of us are having so much fun with it, we might as well donate all other boardgames we have.

Represent One of the Tribes and Build the Temple
Another great addition to the Settlers of Catan family of games. Many players will only be familiar with the original Settlers of Catan and some of its expansions where the board is made up of hexagonal tiles that change with each play of the game. But this one is much closer to the Historical Scenario Catan sets (particularly The Great Pyramid and The Great Wall).

Players settle areas of a map and begin gathering resources from their surrounding lands. Resources are used to expand by building roads and other settlements as well as improving existing settlements.

Each player represents one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel and is trying to become the most successful tribe. This is done in two ways. One is by expanding as mentioned above. The other is by contributing to the building of the Great Temple. The raider/robber/barbarians have been replaced by the more biblical plagues (you need priests to stop these instead of the original knights).

Fun play and a good scenario make this a great game. It is a pleasure to find such an entertaining game set in the Old Testament.

Fantastic Game
My brother-in-law played it at a friend's house, and then he bought a copy. My wife and I were over once and played it and we became hooked just like him. So now we bought it and are playing it with our friends.

It's an intelligent game, where knowing arcane facts and being able to draw with your eyes closed won't help you any. You have to plan, negotiate, and see what your opponents are doing. The intital curve is rough, but I think it's much easier to explain game as it goes on than to expect someone to absorb it all at once.

The game says it's for 2-4 players, but the two-player game isn't all that great -- the rules need a little tweaking there. You also need a big table to keep all the cards, etc. The pieces are small and could be easily lost (especially the roads). But, hey, it's an adult game, not for the kids.

As far as the Christian theme . . . yeah, it's great and accurate, but it doesn't take away from the gameplay at all.

I think this is a perfect game for family game night if your children are older (junior high on up). It's also a great after-dinner game when friends are over.

Our favorite game!
This is part Risk, Monopoly, but so much better. We never tire of playing Settlers and have enjoyed many pleasurable "game nights" with our adult friends over this game. The goal is to expand and enrich your settlements via roads, settlements, cities and ports. You do so by collecting and trading resource cards. There are several wild cards built into the game that keep it from becoming predictable. This game can last hours and the initial learning curve is somewhat high, but it's easy enough to explain to others once you get the hang of it. This a very interesting game, and I highly recommend it.

A modern classic game, recast in the Holy Land
I have enjoyed Settlers of Cataan for many years, and when I became Youth Minister at my church, one of the first things I bought was this game. It is much like the originial Settlers of Cataan series, but is set in Biblical Israel. Consequently, the development cards are scripturally themed, and instead of having a robber steal cards, a plague (which can be sent away by priests) blocks other players' resouces.
Although it can seem difficult to learn at first, it is actually easy to pick up once you begin playing, as it is a very intuitive game. Now that the youth group knows how to play, we can usually play a game in about an hour, or a little more. A minor drawback is that it only has pieces for four players, but the board is large enough to accomdate more, so if you are up to making or improvising more pieces, five or six (or possibly more) can play.
For those already familar with the Settlers series, this game has a large fixed board, with the five familiar resources and all the old harbour types, as well as one space representing a copper mine (much like the gold mines of Seafarers) that produces any resource the owner desires. There are more types of development cards, and players can also gain victory points by building stones for Jerusalem (for one brick and one ore), thus contributing to Solomon's temple. Whoever adds the most stones gets two extra victory points and can trade one resource at 2:1 (as at a specialty harbour). To make up for this extra source of victory points, the game is played to twelve points instead of ten.
If you already own Settlers, this game does not have much new, but it is still fun and a nice activity for church groups. If you do not own any form of Settlers, but enjoy building games with a nice social aspect, this is a great game for you. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

MLB Superstars Baseball Game
My wife and I purchased this game to play with our nephews and nieces when they visit. The kids have enjoyed it very much, and I like it a lot better than some of the other children's games because of the baseball references. It's been a lot of fun for all of us to play.

Great for Kids!
This game is educational fun for youngsters. It teaches them about primary colors and numbers, and introduces them to some of the basic terms of baseball (doubles, home runs, etc.). They also learn the names of today's baseball stars. Since there is no strategy involved, youngsters have as much opportunity to win as do adults playing against them. I also appreciate that the game parts are quite sturdy, and can easily be cleaned when the inevitable peanut butter or jelly gets on them. I highly recommend it.

Quick, fun game for 4-7 age group
I purchased the game for my son's 4th birthday and he likes it very much. It's a simple game (as it should be for 4 year olds). Basically, it's a race around the bases. It plays quickly so he doesn't lose interest before it's over - in fact we usually have to play twice. The board and game pieces are very bright with the primary color scheme that appeals to 4 year olds.

Most importantly, he is learning baseball terms and players. For his birthday I took him to his first game (Expos at the Phillies). We played the APBA game the next day and when he drew the Scott Rolen card, I pointed out we had seen Rolen play. Now every time he draws Rolen or Vladimir Guerrero, he points out that we saw them in the game we went to. He can even pronounce "Nomar Garciaparra"!

Good job by APBA. I think the game is well designed for the 4-7 age group. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Essential for preschoolers
PROS: Great hands-on game to motivate/aid your preschooler in learning to identify simple objects, view their word spelt on the card and then to match the letters, one at a time, into words. My daughter gets Boggle Jr. out on her OWN and plays with it quite often and we've had it since Christmas 2003. We also play with it together sometimes. She has improved greatly in both her fine motor skills and her focus/attention span playing this game. Both are Essential skills needed to be ready for kindergarten. And of course, knowing the alphabet and being able to make words and sound them out--which is the first step to reading.

CONS: All the letters to the words are capitals so it would be nice if flashcards of lower case letters were included and/or incorporated. Also there should be more than eight dice because sometimes rolling for the letters takes too long. It could be funner if there was an applause button and/or lights that went off when she spelt the word correctly. When I'm watching/helping I do that but when she plays on her own I'm sure that ONE additional feature would be so encouraging to her that she'd want to play/learn even more!

A waste of money
This is NOT a game. At most, it is a manipulative teaching tool for letters and how, when assembled in a particular order, they form words. We were VERY disappointed. We thought we were buying a game that would provide us with a fun way to incorporate learning of letters and words. All this does is have the child look for the letters that match those in the word on the card. No game, no fun. We used it once. It now collects dust on my shelf. I should have immediately returned it for a refund. Don't waste your money! As a homeschooling mom, trust me, it's a waste.

Maybe educational, but boring
My son has played this game exactly once - it is just not a fun or interesting game. He just turned four and ran through all the cards the first time he played it. All you do is match the letters on the dice to the letters on the card. I can see where there is some educational value to the game (I am a former teacher) but why bother, when there are so many other more fun ways to learn the same skills. I like the suggestion of the earlier reviewer to just buy a regular Scrabble game to do the same activities.

We all love Boggle Jr.!
My 3, 4, and 7 year olds all get good use out of this game in different ways. (Also our 1 year old helps by stacking up the cubes.) I would recommend it to any family with preschoolers up to early second grade (older kids play with the words always covered). My kids have been able to play it by themselves with very little teaching. Other reviewers have complained about Boggle Jr's lack of buzzers, music, timers, and competitiveness, as well as the fact that their kids actually had to look on the cubes for the letter they needed-- these are all plusses if you ask me! This game has promoted concentration and focus in my kids, and the sound of busy, thinking kids emanating from the dining room is far sweeter than electronic noises any day.

For pre-readers this is a great toy!
This is a wonderful item to encourage pre and beginning readers to grasp the concept of identifying each individual letter's shape (through matching) and that when put together in different ways, they form words for favorite objects.

This is so important to preschoolers and those on the verge of reading. Once you get the game and see it, you'll find various ways the game pieces can be used to help your child at whatever prereading level he or she is on.

One of the most underestimated games for this age. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Put on your own mystery dinner theater: murder's on the menu, and everyone's a suspect in this grownup game for six to eight players. The game includes everything you need to serve up mystery, murder, and fun: a shopping list, menus, and recipes by cookbook author Sandra Gluck; eight party invitations and envelopes; place cards; secret clues; and, best of all, a murder mystery to solve. Invite your friends to dress up and play the roles of the devious suspects (each with his or her own character booklet with roles and background info): Rocco Scarfazzi, Mama Rosa, Marco Roni, Bo Jalais, Angel Roni, Tara Misu, Father Al Fredo, and Clair Voyant. Serve up a meal or light snack, play the (included) cassette tape with its introduction, summary of events, and solution to the crime. Find out who killed New York restaurateur Pepi Roni, and why. --Rebecca Hughes ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A Killer Evening!
We invited 3 of our couple friends to be the guests for the evening. We played Italian music in the background-- the theme from The Godfather was perfect! All of our guests took time to dress up; one of our guests (in his vinter role) even brought his own wine glass and stained his fingers a purplish color! We had each couple bring a pizza and a bottle of wine; we served appetizers and dessert! What a blast. Took photos and mugshots (a line up of all the suspects against the wall). It DID take a lot more work to host and play a role, but it was a delight for everyone! We spent hours playing the game, but it was a lot of laughs and the ending was a great surprise! Just relax and invite friends who love to let their hair down!

Great Fun!
My friends and I had such a blast playing this game. We all were in costume/character all evening and had a wonderful 5 course meal. We did lots of decorating as well. One of the funnisest was, The "victim" is the twin brother of one of the characters so we enlarged a photo of the guy coming as the twin and hung it on the wall. We surrounded it with candles as sort of a vigil to the dearly departed. The hostess had a T-shirt made that said "I Killed Pepi Roni" to give as a gift to the "murderer". They had a chalk outline on the sidewalk in front of their house with yellow "caution" tape wrapped around it. Since we stayed in character, ate our meal between scenes, and just had fun in general, it took us several hours to complete. A very fun evening.

A night of fun
This was the 1st mystery dinner we had ever tried - and we've been having them on a regular basis ever since then. This game is easy to prepare for, easy to participate in and FUN! A great night - without a doubt.

A fun idea for a dinner party
Rather than prepare the suggested menu, everyone was assigned a dish with an Italian theme, that took alot of work off of the hostess. We all dressed in costume. Some people had real problems translating the third person descriptions into first person. If anyone wears reading glasses, make sure that they bring them! Overall, we had a great time, and are planning another one, looking for the Lethal Luau version for next time.

Needed a bit more instruction
My guests arrived in their designated costumes, and all had a great time in just the preparation of their characters. The guests chose to help me out by preparing some of the dishes. We went straight out of the book. The mushroom salad was not enough to feed the eight I had in attendance. The green beans needed to be cooked longer than the book suggested. The onion topped Boboli was a hit!! No one knew if the roasted peppers were to be served as an appetizer, salad or main course...we live in Texas.
The character books need to be written in first person,(the you's need to be replaced with I's), as the guests were very dependent on their scripts. We didn't get in to the challenging very well until the third round and only because one of my guests had been to a mystery dinner before. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Backgammon Set
Great Value! I upgraded this set with percision dice. I have used it for months to play local and national tournaments. It is holding up well.

WRONG BACKGAMMON GAME AGAIN!!
LAST TIME I ORDERED THIS, I EXPECTED WHAT I SAW IN THE PICS AS OTHER REVIEWERS, THE PRETTY BLUE TOURNAMENT BACKGAMMON WITH VINYL OUTSIDE AND FELT INSIDE, VERY ATTRACTIVE. WHEN THEY SENT ME AN UGLY BROWN WOOD ONE INSTEAD, I SENT THEM AN EMAIL NOTIFYING AMAZON OF THE PROBLEM. THEY RESPONDED QUICKLY, AND SAID THEY'D IMMEDIATELY SEND OUT THE CORRECT ITEM (THE ONE PICTURED AND DESCRIBED) AND TO SEND THE UGLY ONE BACK AT THEIR EXPENSE. I SENT THE UGLY ONE BACK, AND TODAY I GET THE REPLACEMENT DELIVERY.....IT'S ANOTHER UGLY BROWN WOOD BACKGAMMON!! (BESIDES BEING UGLY, WOOD IS NOT DURABLE, IT SCRATCHES VERY EASILY, SHOWS EVERY LITTLE FINGERPRINT AS WELL!) SO, THIS IS GOING BACK TOO. WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS WHY MY PACKING SLIP SAYS "PAVILION TOURNAMENT BACKGAMMON", YET THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS IS.
WHERE CAN I GET THE ONE PICTURED AND DESCRIBED HERE? IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT, DON'T SHOW IT FOR SALE AND TEASE PEOPLE!!

Not what I expected
What I received was not what was pictured. I got this as a gift and purposly choose the more expensive one, because of its coloring. The one I got was brown and not blue as pictured above.

Sent me the wrong Backgammon Game TOO!!!
I ordered the one pictured, the pretty blue and maroon 18" Pavillion Tournament Game, with Vinyl Case. Just got my delivery, that's not what it is, It's a Wood Backgammon Game, an ugly brown one!!! Another reviewer wanted to know if it happened to anyone else....YUP!!!

pavilion tournament backgammon
This is a great game that every house should have. Its fun and brings most of us back to when we were kids and is great to share with our own children. ... Read more

Editorial Review

This classic game has been around for nearly half a century and is just as fun as ever. The bugs' faces are a bit goofier than before, but the object remains the same: to be the first to create your own Cootie. Just arrange the bug parts on the fold-out board and roll the die to win the parts you need. (Roll a 1 and pick a body, roll a 2 and select a head, roll a 3, etc.) Body parts are made of hard plastic and come in various mix-and-match colors. Small pieces are a danger to young children, so supervision is recommended. Instructions in English and Spanish. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A Classic - remade cheaply as is all to common these days
My kids 4 & 6 got this for Christmas. It is a classic game, but the parts, box and board are all much cheaper & flimsy than they used to be. The bugs are hard to get to stand up. It was somewhat frustrating for the kids if you followed the rules and had to roll a 1 and then a 2 with the dice to get started building the bug. When the 4 of us played it, some had their bug practically built and others were still waiting to even start and had not rolled the first required number. It doesn't always seem "fair" to the younger ones to see others so far ahead, strictly based on luck & roll of the die. There is no real skill or learning here in succeeding in playing the game and winning.

Not as fun as other similar games
It gets frustrating for my 3 year old to roll the dice and not be able to add to his bug. He prefers to play with it as a bug building toy and not as the game itself.

My son likes bugs.
My son who is 4 years loves this game, he likes to count all the pieces that come with the cooties and always likes to make them look different.

Ick! I gave my neice Cooties!
Okay, perhaps this game too, like Don't Break The Ice (another favourite of ours), is a metaphor for life.

How many of us, when we were children, regardless of which side of the Atlantic we were on, were terrified, mystified, or even mildly interested in (in a purely scientific frame of mind, of course) in the phenomenon known as Cooties? Girls had them, of course, unless one was a girl, then, boys had them. It was not a pleasant prospect to rub up against a member of this plague-carrying monster and thus become infected oneself! Of course, no one I knew ever knew what the symptoms and consequences were of catching Cooties. We just knew to be afraid, be very afraid.

Until adolescence, that is. But that is another story.

Of course, most of the 7-8-9-year-olds who are so worried about cooties rarely remember the game of their toddler stage, with the same name, Cooties. I very vaguely remember having one of the big colourful bugs myself as a very small child, and I am certain that I lost most of the pieces to it over time, as I tended to do with everything until I reached the Lego stage (at which time I became a miserly hoarder that would have put Scrooge to shame).

When searching for a gift for my 3-year-old niece which fit within the strict parameters (commandments, with dire consequences for disobedience attached) my sister set forth -- no noise, no batteries, no marking capability, etc. -- I came across very little in the toy aisle that would have fit this description.

Happily, however, the toys and games of my toddler- and childhood are in some cases still being manufactured, and, remembering the good times I had with them, and believing these to be better stimulants of the imagination than higher-technology toys which 'do everything' for the child, I purchased for my niece a Cootie.

She loved the Cootie. She played with it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Taking the colourful bug apart and reassembling in various ways made her giggle and squeal with delight when praised for her ingenuity and originality.

The game was functioning properly. It was teaching manual dexterity as well as creative innovation.

So much for such a low-tech, non-beeping, non-moving toy. And how in keeping with those toys which have proven to be classic. When the power went out at my sister's house, by candle light and flashlight my nieces were able to play with Cootie and Don't Break the Ice!. Of course, the video games, CD players, and various other things would not work.

Kudos for this game! May we all be infected with Cooties for many generations to come. May we never develop an immunity.

Cootie - favorite when I was little
basically it is a game where you have to put all of the body parts on to the bug. It is a great game for little kids. Encourages counting and creativity. It was one of my favorites when I was little. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

It is really fun when you play it with your friends
I am 6 1/2 years old. I like Pig Pile because I can play it with my whole family. Pig Pile can be a little hard when you are learning how to play, but it is still fun. I only had to play it twice to get the idea of how to play.

Universal Favorite - both kids and adults
Whenever we get together to play games with our friends, they almost always ask about Pig Pile. It's a simple game to learn - my little nephews picked it up right away - but there is something deeply fun and satisfying about the dynamic. Plus you get to win cute plastic pigs. Everyone we know loves this game. Another universal favorite is Guillotine, a card-based game that is much more lighthearted than the name might suggest.

A family favorite!
Trust me, this is the BEST, Most FUN game. We bought it to play with our then-7 yr old. We soon were playing it with our family and friends. It is a favorite when we get together. You cannot go wrong buying this game.

Even teenagers like it
It's hard to find games that 16 to 18 year olds will play. Pig Pile has become a household favorite. One of my daughter's boyfriends won't play any other games with us unless we start with his favorite, Pig Pile. I plan on buying one for him to take when he goes to college in the fall. Though the pigs are only used for scoring, they provide entertainment by playing with poses while waiting your turn. The description of play has already been explained by others so I won't go into detail. Suffice it to say, it's great for all ages.

Cute Game
My sister recieved this game for Christmas when she was 6 and we have enjoyed it ever since. The game is sort of like the card game Daihimi, but with more of a twist. You have to play as many cards as you want that are all the same number and of a higher number than the current card on the pile. If you can not play you have to pick up all the cards in the pile. I enjoy the 'Slop Pile' thing at the end where you pick up a face-down card randomly and play it. If you can play it, good job. If you can't you get really annoyed and pick up the pile.

The rubber pigs are very cute, but they have no point except to make the game more fun.

Whenever I have a friend come over and we have to include my sister in some of our play, we often choose to play Pig Pile because the rules are easy to explain and it is fun for everyone. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Anyone who's ever done it knows the indescribable feeling--getting Yahtzee in one roll! Of course, this five-of-a-kind phenomenon only happens once in a blue moon. The rest of the time, players must be content with a three-roll full house, large or small straight, or any other combination of five dice. In this seductive game of luck and strategy, players have three tries each turn to roll dice in hopes of obtaining the elusive Yahtzee--or racking up points in one of the 12 other scoring categories. For a real challenge, go for a bonus Yahtzee--two or more in one game! This parlor classic has captivated and vexed players, young and old, since 1956. Game includes five dice, dice cup, 10 bonus chips, score pad, and instructions (English and Spanish). For one or more players. --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (23)

YAHTZEE!!!
Yahtzee is the best roll the dice game I have ever played in my life! Getting a YAHTZEE is fun and it is also fun for the whole family. My family and I love to play it every night! Buy this game!

A Game of Luck
This game is just not fun. Too much of it depends on luck, even if there is some strategy. If you want a fun board game, get something else, this game is just boring.

Classic game, but soon loses it's excitment
While I'm not saying this isn't a fun game, it doesn't have the staying power of word games or logic games. While it does take some skill to determine what item to go for when a roll goes bad, too much of the game is blind luck.

It's certainly helpful with math skills and I recommend it to younger kids that need a fun way to strengthen math skills, when it comes to pure gaming, this one leaves a bit to be desired.

Great game at a great price
We got this game for our nine year old son for Christmas. We only had to play it with him a few times before he and his seven year old brother got the hang of it. Now they can play without any help from us. It is also a great game because it is one their dad and I like to play with them. Our two and four year old can even get in on the action by teaming up with one of us and rolling the dice for us. It is a great family game.

What a FUN game!
This fun, enjoyable game is a great pressent for Christmas or birthdays. If you're alone, you can always play Yahtzee, since 1 or over people can enjoy the thrill and excitment! I own this game and I've used seven of the score sheets (which have 6 games on 1) over the past four days with my friend Imogene.
You also get better at quickly adding up numbers! ... Read more

Editorial Review

The word mancala means "to transfer" in Arabic, and different versions of this deceptively simple strategy game are played all around the world. Each of the 12 pits contains 4 "seeds" or stones. The player chooses one pit from which to "sow" the seeds. All the stones from that pit are placed one by one into the successive pits, counterclockwise around the board. The game ends when all of the pits on one side of the board are empty; the winner is the player with the most stones. This set features a oak-finish wood board with artificial gemstone playing pieces. --S.J. Kurtz ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Check it out moms, dads and kids. Totally Awesome
My son received this game for Christmas 2 years ago. He is now 14. We have had alot of fun with this game over those 2 years. We were playing it the other day and left it out when my 20 year old son and girlfriend came over. They saw it and wanted to play. We taught them how and they just couldn't stop playing it! They came over at 9:30pm and left at 2:00 a.m.. The game is a game of strategy and it's not something you have to think real hard on like chess. My 20 year old is going to buy one! He just loves it. Try it out. Min. age 8 to 100

Mancala is not only from Africa
My Step-son has this Mancala set and he brought it over from his Mom's house to teach me how to play one day and I wasn't sure exactly how to play but after playing it several time I got to remember that Mancala is also played in the Philippines but it's called Sungka there. The rules are pretty much the same but this game is awesome and teaches you counting and thinking skills even at my age it's good to brush up on those skills. I recommend this game and I'll probably buy my own so I can play with my husband bcuz he's a pro at this game bcuz he played when he was a child in the Philippines.

Mancala
Mancala is a game of Marbles,take marbles out and try to be the one with the mast marbles on your side and you will win.Mancala is a game for children,teenagers,and adults,spend hours playing it with family and friends.

Great
This game is fun for kids or adults of all ages. The game is easy to play a first grader taught me how to play it in fact. The kids love the game their ages were from first grade to fifth grade it is a game that doen't get old.

Mancala Madness
Mancala game is the best. You can play with a friend or with a imaginary friend. It is fun either way. this game is acient. It comes from Africa. It is an African Strategy Game. You have to pay close attention to what you do. This game is great for the whole family. Take my word for it. ... Read more