Games & Puzzles PlaSmart Challenges Kids’ Strategy Skills
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rop Shot, from PlaSmart, requires attention and strategy as players work their way to the top, navigating both vertically and horizontally to avoid the gates that opponents have positioned to block their progress. If anyone rolls the Drop Shot Ball (the yellow ball on the die), that player must release the Drop Shot Ball down the tower. The Last Chance Drop may send those at the top right back to the beginning. Drop Shot is designed for two to four players ages 6 and up.
Blue Orange Games Makes a Splash
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lue Orange Games will add easy-to-learn, fast-playing games to its collection. Doodle Quest is a unique drawing game that takes kids on a deep sea adventure to fulfill underwater quests with the power of their pens. Each quest card has a detailed illustration and drawing instructions. On a separate transparent sheet, players complete the drawing and then place them over the quest card to score the success of their sketch. With 36 quests and two levels, the game can be played with one to four players ages 6 and up. Kids ages 6 and up can enter the world of WuzzIt and watch to see what magical monster they will morph into next with this illustrated card game. The WuzzIt population is divided into five families, but the mischievous WuzzIts like to combine with one another to create a confusing cast of characters. To unscramble them, players strategically exchange bottom cards and top cards to match up a monster and earn points. The first to build three full WuzzIts ends the round. The player with the highest score after three rounds wins. Puzzle Battle gives kids ages 5 and up a whole new way to play with puzzles. Two players race to put together two jigsaw puzzles depicting very similar images. All of the pieces are chosen from a mixed-up pile, so players must make fast, but careful, decisions to find the right pieces for their puzzle. Puzzle Battle will debut with two designs: pirate and fairytale. Spot it! Splash is the new waterproof addition to the Spot it! family. Kids can play all five game variations any time with the waterproof plastic cards. Players try to spot the single match between the most card combinations to win. The game features summer-themed symbols and includes a waterproof bag for storage. The game can be played with two to eight players ages 7 and up. Set in the Imperial Garden of Classical Japan, Niya is a two-player game that centers on a dark political conspiracy between two influential clans. On every turn, players ages 7 and up replace a garden tile with one of their clan tokens. The next player can only exchange a token for a garden tile that has an element in common with the previously chosen tile. The first to position his or her clan in a row, square, or blockade wins control of the garden and power at court.
110 • THE TOY BOOK
FEBRUARY 2014