cindykay58

The Game of Life has become a classic in the 50+ years since its development, but it is still fresh and fun to play. It makes the trials, tribulations and challenges of life as fun as the more rewarding aspects of being an adult.

Through the game a player can choose college or a career just as in real life, and just as in real life the choices ones makes affect the outcome of the game. Along the route are challenges found in life. Players accept these challenges, make changes, and overcome difficulties while having fun as they progress around the board.

I recommend The Game of Life for family gaming – especially for those kids who can’t wait to be all grown-up. It gives a funny, but somewhat realistic view of what’s to come.

Pillars of the Earth is a tabletop game based on a novel by Ken Follett. It’s a wonderful historical novel set around the construction of a cathedral in 12th century England. Knowing that information might make you wonder how a game could possibly be based on this book. However, the game not only stays true to the novel, incorporating major characters, but it uses the building of the cathedral as the basis for the rounds of the game. However, one doesn’t have to have read the novel in order to play and thoroughly enjoy the game.

The game has nice graphics, durable wooden playing pieces, and decorative yet historically accurate character depictions on its cards. It takes a while to learn to play, but once you have learned the rounds progress rather quickly toward the game’s conclusion. Beginners can play alongside more advanced players, and the game is actually easier to learn by playing with gamers who know how to play.

I recommend the game for gamers interested in history and in games emphasizing building strategies.

Scrabble is the classic word game – spelling, definitions and strategy are all important aspects of the game. It’s educational, but the fun overrides that aspect.

Players choose letter tiles worth varying point amounts and use them to spell interlocking words on a game board decorated with squares like a crossword puzzle form – some of which can increase the point value of a tile or entire word. The game hasn’t changed in the 50+ years since it was developed, but its continued popularity attests to the fun and challenge it offers to players.

I have been playing Scrabble since the 1960’s, and it has been and continues to be one of my all-time favorite games.

I recommend Scrabble to gamers who enjoy reading, spelling, and word challenges.

Risk is a strategy board game where players choose their countries/areas, place their troops, and fight one another to take over the world.

I have been playing Risk since 1971 – first with my friends and then with my children & their friends. It was the first game I ever played where the players didn’t just use their playing pieces to follow one another around a set pattern on the board. It was as if someone had melded the strategy of chess with the flexibility of mental puzzles and the graphics of a board game. I have played at least 5 different variations of the game – all of them fun and challenging.

The board graphics and playing pieces have changed through the years for the variations. The rules have even changed to add more difficult challenges for more advanced players, but the game is still one of the best strategy games ever developed. The basic game is easier to learn than some of the more modern board games, but unless you know how long Risk has been around, you would believe it is one of the modern board games. Some of the variations are set in historical eras, but none of the variations is dated. Risk has truly stood the test of time to become a classic game.

I recommend Risk to any gamer who enjoys strategy games or war games.

All of us who have ever had to move know that moving is NO fun! Pack & Stack is a moving game, but it is loads of fun for all ages.

The game is recommended for 10+, but we have had much younger players in our gaming group. Because there is no reading required to play, our younger players have had no difficulty in learning & playing the game – needing only minor help with the addition/subtraction at the end of each round.

The playing pieces are colorful, and the wooden “boxes” of differing lengths and colors make it easy to play. The durable cardboard “moving truck” cards also have nice graphics. The game is fast-paced, so it keeps your interest, and it is easy to determine the winner.

I recommend Pack & Stack for family gaming and parties, but it would also be a great classroom game because it increases spatial awareness, hones basic math skills, and improves money counting skills.

Last Night on Earth is really a great tabletop game. The board graphics are nice, and the changing board is a good touch to keep the game interesting and different each time you play – a huge plus for avid gamers.

The game is complicated enough to keep your interest and not so complicated to be difficult to learn. The choice of starting heroes and the ability for players to play as heroes or zombies make the game more adversarial and compelling than many board games. The photographs of actual people instead of just drawings for characters give the game a more realistic aspect than many fantasy games. It’s easy to see that a great deal of thought went into the design of the game.

The game play options included in the rules and the encouragement to develop house rules for the game as well are also a huge plus for avid gamers. I recommend Last Night on Earth for gamers interested in fantasy and horror games.

The Dice Town Expansion adds great play value to the original game – already a fun romp through the Old West complete with cowboys, bandits & Indians.

The additions to the game added to the fun, but not to the game’s difficulty – a huge plus. I run monthly gaming groups for a library, and Dice Town is extremely popular with the Family Game Night group, so it was especially helpful for us to be able to have more players in the game. As with the original Dice Town, we have players younger than the recommended age of 8, and the Expansion didn’t make the game too difficult for the younger ones to play.

I recommend the game for family play and group play – fun for parties. I can see a Western theme party with Dice Town & its Expansion as a major portion of the party.

Dice Town is a great family game. It has the “cowboys and Indians” aspect which appeals to little boys and girls and an almost nostalgic appeal for parents and other grown-up players. The graphics are good, the rules are clear, and it’s easy to play. As with many tabletop games, it does take a while to learn to play, but the repetition of the steps in each round of the game make it easy for beginners as well as more advanced players. A big plus for my gaming group is that it is easy for beginners to play alongside more advanced players without slowing down the game and lessening the fun for the more advanced players. It’s great for players of all ages because it doesn’t take much strategy to play.

I’d recommend the game especially for family play. We have played with players much younger than the recommended age of 8, and except for needing some assistance making the best poker hand from their dice, the younger players had no difficulty. Everyone enjoyed the pieces of gold and the Old West aspects of the game.

I played this game at GenCon 2011, and I really enjoyed it! It’s complicated to learn as so many tabletop games are these days; however, it’s well worth investing the time to learn. It has nice graphics, good playing pieces, and clear rules. I’d recommend it to any gamer who enjoys rail strategy games.