[MyLittleSandbox] Played It - Three children's games
I have a bad op shop habit; I work around the corner from a couple of fairly decent Salvation Army and Good Samaritan stores and I would usually visit each store at least three times a week. There are a few slightly more distant stores that I'll hit once every fortnight, and a few more that get monthly visits.
I am of course on the hunt for boardgames. Most of the time I leave empty handed, but on occasion there's something worth grabbing and every now and then I come across a real gem (like a copy of long out of print 'grail' game Up Front).
Almost all of the children's games I own are secondhand. Some really are not worth the shelf space, others look more interesting... but the only way to find out is to play them.
Animal Olympics box art
Animal Olympics (Ravensburger, 1989, age 7+, 2-4 players, 5-10 min)
This is part of a Ravensburger small box line. I'm an absolute sucker for games in small boxes. Components are thirty-nine small cards, numbered 1-39, each featuring an animal athlete. Players are trying to build a sequence from low to high. Once a card is placed it cannot be moved - so you have to make smart choices about where to leave gaps.
It's simple, with one or two neat mechanics and I quite enjoy it as a quick game. I'm not sure 6YO quite 'got it' - or else she suspected dad's ulterior 'maths practice' motive - she wasn't especially enthused.
Reiner Knizia's Amazing Flea Circus (R&R, 2003, age 6+, 2-6 players, 10-15 min)
Flea Circus box art
This one I picked up on sale at a toy shop (and it's nicely reviewed by Neil Thompson if you follow the link ) for a few dollars. An over-produced card game with some take-that mechanics and toy cat and dog pieces to keep score with. I found it a very dull experience with two, I suspect it would be more fun with four or more. 6YO on the other hand enjoyed it - partly because she liked the cats and dogs and partly because she won easily. I'll probably play it again with her as she needs practice at holding a hand of cards (she tends just to lay them out in front of her), and because she didn't grasp all the rules the first time. Perhaps with a couple more kids her own age or slightly older and see how she goes coping with a game that lets you steal points from other players.
Lilly's 3 For All (Gamewright, 1998, age 4-8, 2-3 players, 10 min)
Lilly card art (image by Amy O'Neil)
Gamewright (again follow the link to a Neil Thompson review) have a sizable catalog of children's games, many of which make their way to op shops - and then to my shelves. This is another card game, three separate card games in fact, with relatively simple symbol matching gameplay. I played the first game with 6YO, who found it a little too simple and pretty uninteresting. I'll see if she finds other games to be more interesting - but I suspect she was put off by the card art as much as anything, feeling that the game was a little babyish.
So - no complete stinkers among the three, but a reminder that sometimes it's factors other than the game play that make a game fun (or otherwise) in a child's eye.
Originally posted (with links and images intact) at http://mylittlesandbox.blogspot.com/2012/10/played-it-three-childrens-games.html
I am of course on the hunt for boardgames. Most of the time I leave empty handed, but on occasion there's something worth grabbing and every now and then I come across a real gem (like a copy of long out of print 'grail' game Up Front).
Almost all of the children's games I own are secondhand. Some really are not worth the shelf space, others look more interesting... but the only way to find out is to play them.
Animal Olympics box art
Animal Olympics (Ravensburger, 1989, age 7+, 2-4 players, 5-10 min)
This is part of a Ravensburger small box line. I'm an absolute sucker for games in small boxes. Components are thirty-nine small cards, numbered 1-39, each featuring an animal athlete. Players are trying to build a sequence from low to high. Once a card is placed it cannot be moved - so you have to make smart choices about where to leave gaps.
It's simple, with one or two neat mechanics and I quite enjoy it as a quick game. I'm not sure 6YO quite 'got it' - or else she suspected dad's ulterior 'maths practice' motive - she wasn't especially enthused.
Reiner Knizia's Amazing Flea Circus (R&R, 2003, age 6+, 2-6 players, 10-15 min)
Flea Circus box art
This one I picked up on sale at a toy shop (and it's nicely reviewed by Neil Thompson if you follow the link ) for a few dollars. An over-produced card game with some take-that mechanics and toy cat and dog pieces to keep score with. I found it a very dull experience with two, I suspect it would be more fun with four or more. 6YO on the other hand enjoyed it - partly because she liked the cats and dogs and partly because she won easily. I'll probably play it again with her as she needs practice at holding a hand of cards (she tends just to lay them out in front of her), and because she didn't grasp all the rules the first time. Perhaps with a couple more kids her own age or slightly older and see how she goes coping with a game that lets you steal points from other players.
Lilly's 3 For All (Gamewright, 1998, age 4-8, 2-3 players, 10 min)
Lilly card art (image by Amy O'Neil)
Gamewright (again follow the link to a Neil Thompson review) have a sizable catalog of children's games, many of which make their way to op shops - and then to my shelves. This is another card game, three separate card games in fact, with relatively simple symbol matching gameplay. I played the first game with 6YO, who found it a little too simple and pretty uninteresting. I'll see if she finds other games to be more interesting - but I suspect she was put off by the card art as much as anything, feeling that the game was a little babyish.
So - no complete stinkers among the three, but a reminder that sometimes it's factors other than the game play that make a game fun (or otherwise) in a child's eye.
Originally posted (with links and images intact) at http://mylittlesandbox.blogspot.com/2012/10/played-it-three-childrens-games.html