Games & Puzzles Hasbro Games Are Big Fun for Little People
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he Game of Life Junior, from Hasbro, is a fast-paced game that is similar to the originial version with cooler vehicles. Kids can choose from the Blue Wheeler, the Pink Cruiser, the Yellow Speedster, and the Green Rider, and start going on life adventures as they try to collect stars along the way. The game is designed for two to four players ages 5 and up. Crocodile Dentist is a game of daring dentistry. Kids must try not to get chomped as they take turns pressing down on the crocodile’s teeth. If a player presses the croc’s sore tooth, he’ll snap his mouth shut and that player will get chomped. The last player to get chomped is the winner. In The Mashin’ Max Game, players must take turns scurrying around the board collecting berries to store in their tree stumps, but if a player sets off Mashin’ Max, he’ll spin around the board and slam his giant fists down to capture him or her. The player to collect the most food and avoid Mashin’ Max wins the game. Jenga XL is an extra-large version of the classic Jenga game. The game features 30 foldable cardboard blocks that come together to form a giant tower that stands more than 30 inches tall. Players push, pull, and stack Jenga XL game blocks to build the tower higher and higher. The first player to make the tower crumble loses the game. Jenga XL
Thames & Kosmos Gets Kids Thinking with New Game Line
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hames & Kosmos introduces Dohdles, an artistic and silly guessing game for three to six players. One player must use modeling clay to create a Dohdle, or an approximate shape based on an object or a living thing, while others guess what the Dohdle is. Players can ask the sculptor yes or no questions, or they can ask for a letter of the word to help guess the shape. The harder a shape is to identify, the more points a sculptor gets. If players think they can guess a Dohdle, they will throw guessing cubes into the sorting funnel, and the player’s cube that comes out the fastest gets to guess first. Points move players around the game board, and the player who makes it around the board first wins the game. The special clay will not dry out or harden, and it can be used again for multiple games. Unongo is a geometric puzzle game where players race against the timer to work out a puzzle of interlocking shapes. The faster players solve the puzzle, the more gems they will get. The player with the most valuable gem treasure after nine rounds of solving puzzles wins. Thames & Kosmos also welcomes Dimension, the spherical, stackable, fast-paced puzzle game that enhances multi-dimensional thinking. All players try to position the spheres on their trays to earn as many points as possible. The task cards indicate how the spheres must be placed to earn points. For example, two orange spheres must be on the same tray, blue and black must touch each other, and blue must not touch white. Players must race to complete these tasks against a timer.
152 • THE TOY BOOK
FEBRUARY 2015