Spring and Summer have arrived, so it’s time to break out the outdoor games! Gamewright has been our favorite source for games for the past year and a half, and with its new releases, it looks like that trend will continue. (and not just because they send us games for review!) We spend the winter (and evenings) playing games from Gamewright, so it is only fitting that we are playing one of their new games, Boochie, outside!

Read the rest of the review

The nice folks over at MomCentral sent us 2 new products from the new division of Cranium called Cranium Bloom. We love Cranium, and received almost one dozen Cranium products this holiday season, so we might have a bit of a positive bias. However, I think even folks who haven’t binged on Cranium previously will love these, and then they’ll be hooked.

Cranium Bloom is a new division of Cranium games that are encouraging imagination and non-competitive game experiences for ages 3+. We tested the two
Cranium Bloom products we received with gamers ages 4, 7, 9, and 36. I’ll get to the specifics of each one in a moment, but my overall impression is very good - they are both products that are open-ended, cooperative, and can be played on more than one level. The ability for 4 year olds and 9 year olds to play the same game is a joy. My girls have also brought out the games to play without an adult, which is another joy! Read the review

We spent our morning putting together a Simpsons pieceless puzzle we received from the manufacturer, Ceaco. So cool! (Check out the video of the puzzle on their site!)  

Here’s our review of the puzzle.

This is a Wordless Wednesday Post - see more here

Happy Hanukkah to everyone who celebrates!

As we are in the midst of shopping for holidays, be it Hanukkah, Yule/Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or another winter holiday, there are all the fears about toy safety, and then there are also the desires to have a toy that is loved and accepted by the family.

In my families, we had drawn names for gifts for years. If your family does gifts for families, or if you want to give a gift that will be appreciated all year, I suggest board games or card games. I don’t have *sob* my game review archives right now, but I’ve put many of our favorite games in the AGoG Game Store. I also have a copy of my June article on Family game night up at Boston Now.

Board games and card games might not be the toy that is instantly hugged, but it will be the game that is played with long after the first toys are put aside. Playing board games can become a wonderful weekly family game night (something much loved in our house!), and something to do during the holiday togetherness once all the gifts and wrapping paper have been cleaned up.

Giving games is a great way of being cheap saving money thinking of the whole family unit - give one gift that will be enjoyed by all! Plus, if you choose a good one, it’s a gift that means you’ll be remembered happily every time they play the game. You’ll also bring a lot more joy to the family than with an, oh I don’t know, talking stuffed animal… More long lasting joy for the child, and the joy of fewer noise-induced headaches for the parents!

For a great deal on a ton of great games, check out Amazon’s board game sale. They have some great games at great prices. One of my favorites, Clue, is marked way down - that’s a great one for families with older kids. Two of the few little kid games I like are also discounted - Hungry Hungry Hippos and Cranium Cadoo. There are a ton of other great games, including the one I want - Blokus! If, however, you must give a little-kid game that will make the parents eyes bleed (and I put any game desecrated by turning it into a character version), at least you wouldn’t be paying full price for the Chutes & Ladders Dora The Explorer Edition

Check back later for a few product and book reviews. I’m still working hard to recover the recipe and review archives!