Reviews (4)

Croquet Gimmick
If you wanted this to be advertised as a "desktop toy" you sould not have advertised it as a "Backyard Croquet" I expected a backyard croquet set and when I recieved this piece of CRAP, I was thouroughly shocked and disappointed as were my family who were really excited about playing it.

Dawn Havunen

RIPOFF
This isn't what you think it is- you don't need a backyard to play this- you can use it in your bathroom if you want. They say a picture says a thousand words but not in this case, they should have used a few mor words in their description like MINIATURE croquet set, would have saved all of us some trouble.

What a ripoff!
I also bought this for my daughter to play in our "backyard". It was one of the two things she asked Santa for this year, and I paid for two day shipping! I was quite perturbed when I received this tiny DESKTOP size toy!

Careful...this is a miniature set!
Ok...perhaps I should have looked more carefully at the dimensions of the package this is shipped in.When something is titled "backyard croquet set" I assume it is indeed a full size set.I didn't expect it to be particularly sturdy at this price, but I do feel the name is misleading.Imagine my surprise to hear from my daughter that the set I bought for them to celebrate their new back yard came in a 5 INCH square box.Very cute, perhaps, but not what I had in mind for the family to play with!BUYER BEWARE ... Read more

Editorial Review

The equipment is housed in a box at least three times biggerthan its contents, but if ever a game could confidently live by thatadage about good things coming in small packages, it'd have to be Fourin Line, a gravity-fed strategy-fest for two opponents. It's liketic-tac-toe played inside a coin collection display frame, as playersalternate dropping one of their 22 plastic chips into one column of aplastic grid six holes deep and seven holes across. The chip dropsuntil it hits bottom or lands atop a previously played chip; get fourof yours in a row--horizontal, vertical, or diagonal--and you win. Witha short paragraph of rules printed on the bottom of the box, andall-plastic construction of the chips, grid, and grid base, Four in Line isa triumph of simplicity, if not elegance. But the complexity surfacesduring the addictive hours spent playing this campaign of climbing andblocking. Not to mention the time spent cussing out Sir Isaac Newton.--Tony Mason ... Read more

Editorial Review

What do brain surgeons do in their time off? They keep theirfingers steady with Stak Attack. This game of balance asks you to slideunpainted wooden blocks out of a tower of 48 and place them on top;while it's simple at first, the game gets progressively morechallenging until one player inevitably topples the blocks. Each gameis different and challenging for all ages, and the plastic case makesit simple to set up blocks and put them away. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Editorial Review

Show your steady hands and elementary structural knowledge in abattle against gravity when you play Jenga, a game of luck andprecision. First, assemble the 54 rectangular, hardwood blocks--smoothand shaped just right for stacking--into a three-piece-wide, 18-storytower. Then take turns removing the three-inch blocks one at time,using caution to keep the structure intact while stacking the removedpieces back on the top of the tower. As the tower rises, its basebegins to teeter--one wrong move and it collapses in a heap! Gameover.

Jenga allows adults to play architect and children to perfecttheir stacking skills and hand-eye coordination. There is no limit onthe number of participants--it can even be played solo. Butbeware: Jenga can be addictive. The instructions declare a 36-storystructure to be the mark of a real pro. How tall can you go? --CateBick ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Don't make the blocks fall
Jenga has always been one of my favorite games to play since I was a kid. You have to construct a vertical tower using 54 wooden blocks by putting 3 on each row. Then that's when the fun begins. Everybody who's playing has to take turns taking away one of the wooden blocks from anywhere on the structure, and then putting that block that has been removed at the top of the tower. Whoever makes the building fall is the loser.

Jenga can be a lot of fun for anybody of any age. It's one of the funnest games out there and if you're bored it's really great, you'll never get tired of playing Jenga. I recommend anybody to get this game.

Fun for Groups & Families
Not only is this toy extremely durable (how can you really break those small blocks of wood?), it's incredibly flexible as a toy. My brother at twelve (and I at 21) played this game for hours. When I went back to my computer/book/sleep, he'd stay occupied with the game -- playing it alone, stacking and re-stacking the blocks, creating houses and encampments as if the pieces were designed as building blocks.

As an adult, I don't enjoy card games or board games much, but I still appreciate having this game around the house. It's a game you can play with just about anyone, and although it does take some concentration when you're the one pulling out that precarious block, you can still converse and cavort while playing (as long as you've got the game on a stable surface!).

Jenga also helps teach hand-eye coordination, precision, patience, forethought ("what will happen if I pull out this block?"), and just a bit of physics -- some of the blocks are rougher, some are smoother, so friction comes into play.

I highly recommend this game to everyone, regardless of age!

Jenga
Jenga is so much fun! I just love removing and restacking the pieces. As it gets higher, the intensity also gets high. My cousin and I don't just use Jenga as a stacking game, we use it to play dominoes. Although Jenga is not an educational game, it is still the best stacking game for players of all ages. The wood pieces are very durable, clunking them to the ground won't snap or break them. Throwing the wood pieces against the wall also won't break them. Jenga is a durable and fun stacking game.

wow!
i have to say...this game is great! i am 13 years old and at my birthday party there was nothing to do! i pulled out jenga and everyone was having a BLAST within 5 minutes. i was so worried that everyone would hate my party but it turned out that it was all that my friends talked about the next week at school. i wanted to just say thank you so much for advertising this game because there was nothing, and i mean NOTHING to do at my party but when i took out jenga...that all changed! thank you so much again!

-shaunna, California

The Cheapo Version of Jenga
Wood blocks for the Milton Bradley jenga are not finely finished like I have seen from other manufacturers. Jenga blocks traditionally come in a wooden box that acts as a holder for assembling the blocks. Milton Bradley's loading platform is made of thin cardboard. This low quality detracts from normally fine experience of playing jenga. ... Read more

Editorial Review

This engrossing puzzle contains five pieces that look like red bricks attached in different configurations. The object is to arrange the pieces to form cut-out wall sections of different shapes (pyramid-like, V-shaped, and so on). Athough the accompanying cards that display different designs is highly entertaining, feel free to experiment. By the time you've made your way through the stack, it's unlikely you'll memorize most of the solutions, so there's plenty of mileage in this activity. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Addictive fun for all ages!
This game is so much fun! I purchased it years ago, and raced through it! I am 23 years old, and still like to pick it up once in a while - it challenges me to this day. The cards you are given look easy, but as you work your way through the deck you realize it's not as easy as you think. People of any age group will find it fun, but addictive. As you play, you learn to visualize things in a new way, which is useful in real life. The back of the cards have hints in case you get stuck - one hint shows where a few pieces go; the other hint shows the rest. You can use whichever hint you feel you need more. All around, this is a fun game that doesn't take long to learn and can be enjoyed by everyone!

Brick by Brick by Binary Arts
Being a school grade teacher, I am often looking for games that will challenge the mind. My children and I found this game both challenging and fun. It does cause younger children a bit of frustration, but they don't want to give up. They just keep trying harder!

great fun for the spatially inclined
My 7 year old daughter and I play the dual set brick by brick and race to see who can build the puzzle the fastest! The puzzles are all challenging and great for those interested in mathematical concepts-geometry, espcially and for the spatially-inclined!

We recently had adult guests for dinner and my 7 year old entertained them the entire evening with this game and Rush Hour (also by Binary Arts)

This is a very good toy for gifted kids.
This is one you want to add to your cart. If you have a gifted child, he/she would love it! Basic details follow these lines: You have a card with a brick pattern on it. You have 5 brick pieces. You have to match the pattern on the card with the plastic bricks. Easy enough? Sure! I have it in my classroom and you should too! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One of my favorite games
This is a fantastic game. As a teacher it is a great tool for teaching shapes, colors, and attributes. There are three ways to play this game depending on the level of the players. This has also been a great game at home with our own child. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great game for teaching math and strategy
Not enough kids get taught games like Cribbage, I highly recommend it over some of the fancier board games that sell based upon an appeal that soon disappears.

Cribbage is a great game, played with a standard deck of cards and although it's got lots of strategy and thinking, it's simple enough that most 8 to 10 year olds should be able to pick it up with a patient teacher.

This is a two player game, so it's not for parties or family game night, but it's a really good game and lots of fun. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

What A Find!!
At Christmastime I was looking for last minute stuffers and came across this game at a local dime store and thought it would be good for my 10 yr. old. I had no idea it would be such a hit! My 13 yr old will actually join in on family game night! It is so much fun! My 5 yr, old is learning to spell. She just asks us to double check her spelling and off she goes. My kids friends have played and now I am trying to find it for birthday gifts. They all want it and I can't find it! My whole family highly recommends the game and what a find it was!

From the Manufacturer
Tri-Virsity is a 2003 Teachers' Choice Award Winner and a 2002 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval award recipient.

From the Manufacturer
Tri-Virsity is a winner of the 2003 Teachers' Choice Award and a recipient of the 2002 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval Award. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A plywood puzzle with a difference: the idea is to get the pieces out after you put them in. The11.75-inch by 8.50-inch aquatic scene (mainly in blues, oranges, and browns) includes such pieces as a sea horse,various fish, a crab, and a starfish. Though the pieces are wood, each has a metal "button" in the middle;attach a magnet to a line and practice "fishing" them out before reconstructing the puzzle. (For anespecially interesting challenge, try "fishing" them back in.) --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Great Puzzle!
We bought this for my daughter's third birthday and it was a hit! She loves fishing for the puzzle pieces, as does my 2 year old daughter. I think it has really helped improve their hand-eye coordination and their small motor skills. I would defintely buy this again!

Too cool!
Even though this is recommended for ages 3 and up, my 15 month old really enjoys this interactive puzzle game. I believe it develops small motor skills, hand and eye coordination. It's thrilling to watch him catch a fish! I recommend keeping a close eye on the youngsters while playing with it and putting it away when they are done. The fishing rod is made of a wooden stick with a long string attached to it and the hook is a small magnet which could be harmful if a small child is not watched. I would also like to add, this is found to be entertaining even to my five year old.

Good for a 2 year old and a 4 year old
I got this for my 2 year old niece for her birthday. Both she and her older 4 year old sister absolutely loved it. I should have purchased 2, one for each of them. This is a simple but great toy!

Fun and durable
This was the first puzzle I ever put down in front of my son (he was under 2 at the time) and almost 4 years later he still loves it. In fact all of his friends do. It's really lasted. It's also a fun way to teach the names of various sea creatures. The pole part of the fishing pole got lost, so now we just use the string with the magnet. This puzzle is worth the money.

Buy it, buy it buy it!
OH what a terrific idea! This is by far the best puzzle I've ever seen! It comes with a fishing rod to take the fish out of the puzzle and return them to their proper positions. It teaches great manual dexterity and shapes. It's just so much fun and keeps our toddler busy for quite some time. What a great purchase! ... Read more