Editorial Review

Honk! Honk! It's gridlock and the little red car can't move.The player is a traffic cop in the Rush Hour Traffic Jam Puzzle wherethe objective is to get the red car off the road. To play, pick one of40 challenge cards; solutions are printed on the back of each card.Then set up the cars and buses in a specified pattern on the6-inch-square road grid. Move the vehicles one by one (obey those trafficlaws!) until the red car can escape the traffic jam. There are fourlevels of difficulty. Kids can alternate turns with another player orjust "play in traffic" alone. The game from Binary Arts received anational award from Mensa and is used in elementary school mathclasses. The design includes clear instructions printed on the sturdybox, which can be used both as a playing tray and for storage. The gamecards stow away in a drawer in the road grid. This is a 1999 Parents'Choice recommended toy. --Marcie Bovetz ... Read more

Reviews (89)

Hours of Fun Fun Fun
This is a great puzzle. Since it is a game only one can play at a time, my nieces, ages 6 and 8 and my nephew age 11 took turns getting the red car out of the traffic jams. They even enjoyed watching each other find the solution to each "jam". Incidently the 6 year old is almost through solving the "Advanced" puzzles and I am about to buy both additional card packs. Kids and adults will love this game.

Great "toy"
Add us to the host of folks who love this puzzle toy. I generally consult Amazon ratings before purchasing new items and any item that has this many positive ratings always catches my attention. And it lives up to the promise. My almost 7 year-old son is ADHD and I was AMAZED at the way this toy captured his attention. I expected him to become quickly frustrated and give up. But after a few successes, he was hooked. I coached him a little bit at first (and then I was hooked too!) and before I knew it, he was solving puzzles by himself and doing a better job than me! He did the first 20 in one sitting. I was amazed as I watched him begin understanding which cars had to be where in order for him to get the red car out, then he started working out his plan to get there. You have to think ahead to be successful and he was doing it!

His persistence and concentration surprised me, so if your child is having any problems sitting and concentrating on a task, don't be afraid of this toy! But, alas, as with many ADHD kids, he's also been tested as gifted, so he's already run through the first 3 levels and is now nearly done with the expert level - solving puzzles that I can't do! I have to wait until he goes to bed to even get a chance to play! There's 40 cards in the first pack. The beginning levels are pretty easy to remember the solutions, but as you go higher in difficulty, you could probably do the puzzles more than once and still be challenged. But do be prepared to buy the 2, 3, and 4 Gift Pack (a great deal for $12 on Amazon)

I LOVE the fact that you store the cards right in the bottom of the tray. However,I wish that they would put a more permanent kind of cover on the tray. Also, you cannot replace the cover when you are in the middle of a puzzle, the cars have to be in the tray in a certain way in order for the cover to fit properly. But those are extremely minor drawbacks considering the hours of entertainment my son and I have gotten.

grate!!!
I love this game and so do my familly from ages 6 - 35. you will enjoy playing this game alone at home. the greate part is that even once youv memorized this toy and all the levels (wich you will.) you can buy more cards! it is a grate present for anyone not too lazy to think a bit. everyone has their own level. Also other games such as the one croosing the river from this manufacturer are fantastic! really worth the money!

GREAT GIFT IDEA
We just got this game today and we were all instantly addicted! My 7 year old loved the challenge of the game, didn't get frustrated at all, and wouldn't even think of giving up on trying to solve the puzzles! This is a great gift idea for birthday parties, as it's inexpensive and parents will appreciate the educational value of this puzzle game.

Greatest Game Ever!
I am in the Gifted program in school and it is a lot of fun! I play this everyday. It is very challenging but an awesome game! I would reccomend it to anyone! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

great design, great fun
This preschooler variation of the old favorite Bingo is a real winner.

Zingo cards have a 3 by 3 grid that shows pictures and words. Cards have a yellow side (easier, for younger kids) and a red side for the odler ones. The plastic game piece dispenser is well-designed and fun to use. Players shout out to claim a piece, which is then placed over the appropriate square on the player's card. There are several play variations.

Excellent game for the younger set, and fun for older children and adults as well.

Wonderful toy - kids love it!
My son got this for his fourth birthday and still plays with it regularly (he's now over 5). He'd just started to read when he got it, and the game helped him add many new words to his vocabulary - but more importantly, it was fun! His friends loved it so much that several of them asked for their own sets as gifts. We play until everyone wins and gets to shout Zingo!, and the kids help each other get there. And my son even plays it sometimes by himself. It's really wonderful, very very fun, and would be great for kids from about 3 to at least 6.

game enthusiast
my 4 yr old daughter received this game as a gift. she hasn't stopped playing it! Everyone in the family has fun with Zingo! from my 8 yr old daughter to my mother in law! Great family fun!

Let's Zingo!
Our children love this game and it is by far their favorite. Though the recommended ages are 4 and up - my 4 year old and my 2 1/2 year old both enjoy playing this game and it is one that they never seem to tire of. The playing pieces are all very durable and well constructed. I highly recommend Zingo.

Excellent game that even parents enjoy!
This game is great. Since the day we got it, it has been played with all the time. The kids love being able to yell "Zingo" when the win. The design is great since you can keep all the pieces neatly tucked in the dispenser.

A great fun, educational game for game nights and rainy days! ... Read more

Editorial Review

The classic carnival game of Whac-a-mole comes right into your house in this energetic and highly silly home version. The inherent cruelty of this game is tempered considerably by how much fun the moles appear to be having while receiving repeated blows to the head with big plastic mallets. It must help that each mole gets to wear a helmet, each a different color. One to four players can join in by whacking the critter in front of them during the "sign in" period at the beginning of the game. The object of the game, naturally, is to whack the moles as they pop up and players can choose to have them light up or not. Parents should be aware of course that they are giving big plastic mallets to very young children and the result will almost certainly be that one kid whacks another before too long. It’s just bound to happen. But if those energies can be re-directed toward the moles, this is a fun and silly way to play inside. --Charlie Williams ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Fun for the entire family!
We bought this for my 6 year old daughter for Christmas and everyone enjoyed it! I was amazed how well she did moving through the easy to more advanced levels. Her enthusiasm was contagious and everyone began trying to do the puzzles. My daughter felt a strong sense of accomplishment when she actually did better than many of the adults! It is a durable, compact, challenging puzzle that is so enjoyable that you will get hooked! In fact, I am looking for additional cards to continue the fun!
This is definitely a 5 star game that has educational value and is also appealing to kids.

A game help children learn to use their minds!
I bought this game for my 5 yr old. She loves it and is challenged by the game. Even some of her older cousins enjoyed playing with it over the holidays.

great toy
We bought this toy for our 3.5 year old son, because he really loved it when he saw it in the store. He's been at it all the time after he got it and needed only minimal instructions to start playing. We really appreciated the fact that the difficulty levels were so appropriately designed. My son simply moved from one level to another with great enthusiasm and would never quit playing the game on his own.

Fun & Educational
I've never played Rush Hour, but the Junior version was a big hit with my 5 and 8 year old kids (and me!) this Christmas. It has 4 levels of difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert, with 10 cards in each level. You pick a card and set up the grid with vehicles as depicted on the card. The object is to get your ice cream truck through the traffic and exit the grid.

The rules are: no moving cars sideways. You have to move them forward or backward based on the direction the vehicles are facing. The beginner cards typically require each vehicle be moved only once before you are able to get the ice cream truck through the traffic. With the advanced cards, you may have to move vehicles a few times as you strategically plan your escape.

This game is not only fun, but helps with organization (setting up the grid) and planning (figuring out how to get your ice cream truck out of a jam). It also gives the kids a sense of accomplishment as they move on to the more difficult cards.

I highly recommend it and we plan on buying the adult version soon!

Great whole family fun!
After reading about Rush Hour, Jr. on this website, I decided to get it for my sons, age 7 and 4. They are both a year older now, and still enjoy it. My oldest is now ready for the "adult" version but the more difficult puzzles of the Jr. game still provide some challenge. An unexpected benefit from this "game" is that my sons love to watch each other play and offer encouragement and sometimes advice, and neither gets discouraged when he gets stuck--how great is it to see that?

It also travels really well, we take it in the car for our frequent long trips and take it on the boat to play during snack time.

Parents--I definitely recommend both Rush Hour versions and the booster cards. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The aMAZEing Labyrinth uses a clever board design to create aseries of ever-changing mazes that one to four players must movethrough. The object of the game is for each player to collect asquickly as possible all seven treasures depicted on their individualtreasure cards. To add to the challenge, players know what the nexttreasure is only after they find the one before it. Before each turn, amaze card is pushed into the maze in a strategic place, helping theplayer make his or her way to the prize. This means that the entiremaze shifts and changes on each turn, confounding some and helpingothers. Players will need to think ahead to choose just the right spotto shift the maze in their favor. This is an excellent game to get lostin. A simpler version can be played by younger children. --LeeStrucker ... Read more

Editorial Review

As one of the winners of Dr. Toy's 10 Best Games award, theSurvival/Extinction Dinosaur Game will be a hit with playfulpaleontologists everywhere. Players in the game learn about dinosaursfirsthand by themselves becoming the creatures. Each of the 16player-dinosaurs must make his or her way through the prehistoric world insearch of food and struggling for survival. Winning the game meansgetting to the finish with at least one food token. To do this, playersmust remember his or her dinosaur's habitat, sources of food,intelligence, speed, and size. Natural disaster cards also teach thehazards associated with everyday dinosaur life. Players will learnabout these giant creatures with every fateful step of this creativeboard game. --Lee Strucker ... Read more

Reviews (17)

highly educational and fun at the same time!
My students of 2nd through 4th grades loved this game.Survival And Extinction is a very unique game which gives the child the perspective of being a dinosaur who faces so many challenges for his survival. The child has to make intelligent decisions and understand the characteristics of the dinosaur he represent at the time. I found this game to be highly educational and fun at the same time It is one of the few games my students ask to play over and over again. Highly recommended for teachers and parents alike!.

Awesome educational game!
My 4 year-old, now 5 year old, loves this game. There is a lot of reading required for the game but that doesn't hinder my son's enjoyment. The game challenges him to make good decisions and he likes choosing which dinosaur to be. I cannot recommend this game highly enough. Excellent.

Illustrations by Rick Spears
...make this a game worth snapping up. Spears injects life and behaviors into his paleo artwork, so kids imagine how the prehistoric beasts lived and died. The game is a little complicated, but in that respect it has more lasting value because the boredom factor doesn't slip into place too soon. And kids learn real science as they play. Fun game, great illustrative contributions by Spears.

Boring
My son's are 9 and 12 yrs old. This game couldn't hold their attention, nor mine. It's incredibly boring, slow and unimaginitive. Small pieces got lost and mangled. When we moved, I threw this game in the trash! Please don't buy this item. There are so many other choices for family fun time.

Dinosaur game
My family use this game on the weekends instead of watching TV, great fun for a family get together ... Read more

Editorial Review

This is a strategy game with a twist--if you lose, you'relunch. You've taken your trusty Safari Rover deep into the bush; nowmaneuver it through the maze of hungry animals and get back to camp inone piece. An 8-by-7.25-inch plastic game tray forms a kind of grid foryour vehicle and the 3-D plastic animal pieces (including elephants,rhinos, and a termite mound). Draw one of 50 cards (10 of which areextra-easy, for younger players) to determine the initial board setup.Then move pieces, according to strict rules, to make your escapethrough the only exit. A cloth bag for all the game pieces is included.--Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Fun but bulky
Our family truly enjoys the Rush Hour game and tried this one as well - it is bigger and bulkly and convenient for travel. I alos find the puzzles to be a bit easier. The pieces don't slide as well as Rush Hour.

Good toy for everyone
I knew this game at a friend's house and love it even I was 30 already at that time. I bought several when I went back to visit my family and they all love it. When I told my mom that I would give my brother's 1st grad boy a set, she told me he won't like it since he doesn't like the brain games. But he loves it soon after my sister explain to him the rules and he enjoys to do it. My little one, almost 23 months old now, likes those animals and loves to put all of those animals to the board one by one and kind of learn the size and arrange the place. It's not only for 8 and up.

Great game; an attention grabber
I bought this for my 6 year old. She played with it for an hour the first time. It is a game she can play solo. After using the Junior cards, she went on to the beginner. She is still progressing. This is a great thinking game. I highly recommend it.

The best Rush Hour game ever!
This game is so much fun!Let me tell you a secret about this game.You can look on the back of the cards to get clues to beat the level that your playing if your stuck.So this game is so fun!

A Wonderful Way to Play Together or Challenge a Child
My 7-year-old daughter loves this activity. There are so many active toys available, but Binary Toys has the best strategic-play games around. We play together often with this toy; I find it as much fun as she does. But, she would just as soon sit at the kitchen counter playing it by herself. We take it on trips, and all the relatives enjoy it, too. Since the "solution" shown on the back of each card is straightforward to follow for an adult but not for a child, she is never tempted to turn the card over and "cheat." Instead, through trial and error, she eventually escapes the safari and moves to the next card. Having the wide range of skill level cards helps keep everyone interested. Having the handy cloth case for storage is appreciated as well. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Great way to get to know people better
My name is Rhea Zakich and I am the creator of the Ungame. In the years since I developed this effective communication tool I have heard from people all around the world whose lives have been changed by playing it. All of the questions are designed to invite players to share things about themselves that might not come up in ordinary conversation. In this day and age when it is hard to find time to build or strengthen relationships, playing the Ungame can accomplish it in a game-like setting. Young children, teens, parents, all ages seem to enjoy it. Players can only speak on their turn so there will be no interruptions, criticisms, putdowns, or challenges when one is sharing his/her answer. On the gameboard, there are spaces that allow interaction, however, it has been discovered that people are more apt to share honestly if others promise to listen and accept their answers. It's not only a super family game, it's great for parties, social events, and classrooms. Family teachers, counselors and therapists recommend it highly. I didn't intend to be a game inventor but when my children were little, I was stricken with a throat condition that caused me to lose my ability to speak. The doctor's thought it would be permanent, so I was desperate to find a way to communicate with my husband, kids and friends. I was not prepared to live as a mute. One night, after crying out to God for help, I sat at my kitchen table and began to doodle as I reflected on all of the feelings and thoughts that I would never be able to share. I began to write down questions I wished I could ask those I loved. Then I wrote questions that I wished someone would ask me and wait as I wrote my answers. (Most people did not talk to me when I couldn't speak. If they did, they often walked away while I was writing my response). I had no idea that my doodles and questions would someday become the world's most popular communication game with more than 2 million sold around the world. God answered my prayer in an amazing way. I have since regained my voice and now lead workshops on communication around the country.

Communicating without pressure
I was a teenager when my mother first learned about the Ungame and purchased it for us. Being a typical adolescent, I wasn't all that interested in communicating, but I loved to play games. From the day we bought it (it was just a small wallet with two stacks of cards then) it went everywhere with us: in the car, to restaurants, to the park, to my slumber parties... We laughed and joked and answered questions until we were too exhausted to keep our eyes open any longer. My friends adored it, my extended family loved it and I learned to answer my mother's questions.
Now that I am a mother myself, the Ungame will be a fixture in my own house. I can't imagine not having so much fun getting to know my son (and vice versa).

Ungame Is wonderful
... Ungame has been wonderful in helping my child to express her feelings, and become a more verbal person.

It's a great tool
As an elementary school counselor, I've used the ungame for the past 11 years. I've never run across a student yet who hasn't enjoyed playing the game and many of them ask to play on return visits. I've read the other reviews and was surprised to see some of the critical comments. The game isn't intended to transform a family or someone's life. It is a tool to use in a variety of situations. Students new to school, students I'm speaking with for the first time, students who tend to be competitive, students who are shy...(I could go on)....the game gets people talking. If you're looking for something fast paced, then go for Hungry Hippos or Perfection. But if you want to open lines of communication in an easy, natural way, try the Ungame. Make sure you are purchasing the game for your intended audience as there are many versions!

Healthy Fun
This is a healthy game for all ages to play and to interact with each other. It builds self esteem and helps each family member understand more about the feelings of the other players. There need to be some set rules to encourage the players to share their feeling. Such as, No one can talk except the person whose turn it is. When it is your turn, you cannot challenge what another player has shared. It is so warm and fuzzy to hear what the children and the adults are willing to open up in front of the other players. After teaching three children (ages 7, 8 and 9) how to play, I encouraged them to play with each other while I sewed nearby. It was incredible how they made sure each person was complimented on something. One child has been homeless for several years and is just now in an apartment. Her answers were a real eye-opener for the other children. They listened intently and were very supportive. It's a great game! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Learning FUN!
I highly recommend this game! Very fun while still being extremely educational. The best way to learn is while your having a good time doing it. My son (4 years) has this game and we have given the Jr. version as a gift. The Jr. version is appropriate for pre-readers.

Great for all ages
My son started playing this when he was 3. At 4, he can name all the states, abbreviations, capitals and most of the state birds. He can tell you where the major points of interest are without looking at the map. It helps to teach the concept of distance, such as "which state is closest to Maine". It also teaches the concept of compass direction, such as "which state is north of Texas". The game can be played with or without a board for portability. All in all a great educational game for children as well as adults.

Great for Adults!
You don't need the board to play this game, just take the flash cards with you to travel, etc. Make up your own rules, as you'll have fun 'refreshing' your memory of states, capitals and landmarks. I'd even recommend it for kids ;)

Love this game
I've enjoyed playing this as much as the kids. Very educational and fun. The kids don't even realize they're learning, but their interest in and knowledge of geography has improved immensely! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Like well-illustrated books, Tell-A-Story offers worlds forchildren to enter. In this game, 50 picture cards teach memory, reading,and storytelling skills as children invent stories to match thepictures. Whenever a player collects five cards with the same character,he or she arranges the cards to create and tell a story. Parents mayneed to help little ones lay out the cards, but once they're launched,kids will want to return to the same story over and over again.--Lynne Sampson ... Read more

Reviews (5)

I will be selling this game because my kids loved it!
My kids love this game so much, I decided to offer it in my online store for horse gifts, horse t-shirts, and now a horse game! My store is called Saddle Happy, and can be found at http://www.saddlehappy.com . I will sell the game for $24.99, so if you are unable to purchase it here, please visit my store and purchase it there. Gallop home is the ONLY board game my kids are playing these days!

Finally! A Good, Fun Horse Game!
Yes! Finally, a good horse game. It is very hard to find a horse game that is fun and not on the computer, but here it is! In Gallop Home, you roll a dice and go around a board, collecting points for training your horse and taking care of it. You can choose from four horse bust pawns, there is a Arabian, Thoroughbred, Freisan, and a Paint. Beautiful little things! They look so lifelike. The board is beautiful and well put toghether, a nice theng to look at. The only downside of this game was that it is just a little confusing, but if you have younger kids, they have simpler rules than the originals, and once you play a full game the rules make sense. Overall, I give this game a 10!

Horse Play
GallopHome is a game for children aged 7-10 years old. We have 2 horse crazy girls who have played GallopHome every day since buying the board game. What a delight. Its a great toy and even better gift for a birthday party.

Fun for the whole family!
My seven year old daughter received this as a Christmas gift and we've really enjoyed it. Her older brother even enjoys the game! It is well-made. It's also an interesting game, in that finishing first doesn't necessarily mean you've won!

Our kids LOVE this game!!
My 6 year old daughter and her friends have played this game for hours since we purchased it. We are horse fanatics and we searched high and low for a good equestrian game, this is it!

The horse bust pawns are a nice feature, our daughter always wants to be the 'Paint' horse!
Even if you're not a horse freak like us, it's a great game for the whole family. ... Read more

Editorial Review

So many children's games require an adult to help out or setthings up. Not this one. The Snail's Pace Race is a simple game thatproceeds at a child's pace. Everything is based on colors, including thedice, without a printed word in sight. Players roll the dice to seewhich two of the colorful wooden snails they'll move forward one spaceon the board. No matter how many children play, all six snails enter therace. The goal is to guess which snail will be the first--or thelast--to cross the finish line. --Lynne Sampson ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Surprising fun
I bought this game because my youngest (3 yrs old) was feeling left out of the games her older siblings were playing. Well, she love it and my 5 and 8 year old loved it too. Since, the outcome is dice dependent, sometime the youngest can win over her older siblings and she likes that. Also, though a little junvenile for the older kids, they like playing a game that everyone can play.Very simple, but it is engaging. I recommend making a 'big deal' out of racing snails, it adds to the drama. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

My Children love this game
I purchased this game a few years ago. My 7 year old daughter still loves this game and it has become a favorite game for my 5 year old son. The nice thing about this game is that there is no winner. The game play continues until all players have reached the finish.

A plus for imagination building
We bought this game five years ago for our then 3 yr old son. Not only was it his favorite game, but it is now the favorite game of his little brother, who is four. In fact, he even plays it with his imaginary friend! The game is basically charades for kids who can't read yet. It's relatively non competitive. On each turn, a player spins the spinner, advances the number of spaces to a colored spot on the board, draws a card of the same color, then has to act out whatever picture is on the card (a bird, a flower...). It is great fun to play with your child-- hilarious what they come up with to "act out" on their turn. (Imagine a 3 yr old acting out a refrigerator!) Frequently we have to cheat and look at the card while they are acting, to make sure we can figure out what they are doing. Our whole family enjoys playing this with the little ones.

Love this game
I bought this game for my then 3 year old for Christmas, based on recommendations here. When we first played it I thought it was very simplistic, but my daughter loved it and still does (she's now 4 1/2). The lack of complicated rules allow the kids to do what they do best.. act out! I would recommend stealing a glance at the cards they draw, however, since it's sometimes tough to figure out what they are pretending to be. My only complaint is that a couple of the cards have begun to peel, but that is probably due to overuse! Buy this game!!

great game
We have loved this game! My daughter got it when she turned 4yo and we have played it constantly for the past 1.5yrs (she is in kindergarten now). It is great for pre-readers since the word and the picture are on each card. there is nothing funnier than watching your child try to be a "computer" or a "refrigerator". I highly recommend it! ... Read more

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