Spotlight

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!

Boochie is a game that reminds me a bit of horseshoes, a bit of bocce, and a bit of Calvinball (games with rules made up on the spot by kids). The game is designed for children 8 and up, but my 4 1/2 year old was able to play it reasonably well, and it was fun for all of us. Unfortunately, the game is designed for four players andwe have 5 people in our family, but you can play in teams, or have one person be the judge/scorer.

The rules of Boochie are pretty simple. Every player has a wrist counter, a ball, and a hoop of the same color. Someone tosses the large, multi-faceted ball, then each player tosses their ring and their ball towards the multi-faceted ball.

For scoring, there are points awarded for being closest to the Boochie ball, and for being farthest away. The ball itself has scoring that changes each time you toss it - you never know what bonus scoring you’ll get! Once you’ve noted your points on your wrist counter, you go back to the line to toss again. Only now the wrist counter has some new trick for you - can you throw laying down? on your knees? under your leg? with the opposite hand? Everyone will be challenged!

Our family has really enjoyed our games of Boochie. They were fun, and competitive in a way that continued the fun rather than making someone thing they weren’t going to win, so they should give up. Boochie will be a great beach game this summer, and it’s a great game for spring when you’re starting to enjoy going outside again. We give it 5 spotlights out of 5, and are looking forward to playing it again soon (after Daddy mows the lawn).

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