Our staff reviews games to help your family find new games to play that are worth your time and money! Please see our review policy for more information.
Qwirkle: Colorful Strategy
7/10
Reviews
SNAP Review – Tiny Ninjas
Duel to the death with a cast of unlikely-looking ninjas in Tiny Ninjas, a portable game of cards and dice by Ryan Leininger.
» Read moreMy First Castle Panic: So Easy a Child Can Do It!
7.5/10
Playing Castle Panic (a fantastic game) with my 4-year-old felt more like giving instructions to an unwilling robot. He wasn’t enjoying himself, and I wasn’t enjoying him not enjoying himself. Would My First Castle Panic be different?
My First Castle Panic is a cooperative tower (castle) defense game for 1-4 players ages 4+ that plays in just 20 minutes. Team up and protect the castle from monsters coming to knock it down! Throw the monsters in jail and save the castle!
» Read moreSNAP Review – Fluff: Liar’s Dice for Cunning Critters
Fluff, from Bananagrams, is actually the two-hundred-year-old game Liar’s Dice, with adorable but shady looking critters and clever dice cups. Claire tells you why we like it.
» Read moreHanamikoji: Elegant Choices
8/10
Hanamikoji is a beautiful compact game for two players from Deep Water Games. Win the favor of geisha by playing their favored items, but choose carefully! You’ll also have to give cards away to your opponent.
» Read moreSNAP Review – Shikoku: The Middle Path
In Shikoku, you learn that coming in first isn’t always the best. We try to tackle this game with rules that are easy to learn, but hard to explain, in about 8 minutes of audio.
» Read morePalm Island: A Game in Hand is Worth Two on the Table
8/10
Palm Island is a 17-card game designed and illustrated by Jon Mietling, published by Portal Dragon Games. It needs no flat surface at all; the entire game is played in one hand.
» Read moreSpell Smashers: Crushing Expectations
9/10
You’re the most capable heroes in the land. Squash terrifying creatures, disintegrate their wills, and splinter their ranks. But how do you do it? With words, of course. Words like Bravery! Like Righteous! Like… Hamster? Spell Smashers, from Renegade Game Studios, supports 1-5 players, ages 12+, for 60 minutes of word-building (and world-building) fun.
» Read moreSNAP Review – Get the MacGuffin
Get the MacGuffin from Looney Labs is a fast-playing game of player elimination. It’s silly and incredibly quick, even at the maximum of 11 players. Can we find the MacGuffin or were we disappointed?
» Read morePoetry Slam: A Boardgame for Beatniks
7.5/10
We’d recommend Poetry Slam to any hep cat. It’s fun for strategy gamers as well as fans of more casual word games.
» Read moreSNAP Review – Bad Doctor: Chronic Chaos
Bad Doctor from Mayday games gets our prescription for a fast and fun tile-laying game with easy-to-learn rules. The humor is slightly coarse, so you might want to stick with the recommended 10+ age.
» Read moreCaverna: Cave vs. Cave – Hidden Treasure
8/10
The constant push and pull to acquire the right resources and rooms to ratchet up your victory point and gold total is a fascinating puzzle for me. If you enjoy the careful balance of tight resource management games you will enjoy Cave vs Cave.
» Read moreSNAP Review – Sparkle*Kitty: Powerful Princesses in Peril
Be a pretty princess and save yourself with sweet spells in Sparkle Kitty, a silly word game from Breaking Games. Hear our thoughts in 5 minutes with this audio review.
» Read moreSNAP Review – Deblockle: Strategy of Tips & Turns
Deblockle is a beautiful and elegant game of abstract strategy that’s durable enough to keep on your coffee table – even with kids!
» Read moreOrc-lympics: Winning Gold!
7.5/10
Six mythical races are vying for Gold. Build a team of creatures to battle to try to earn the most points and win medals at the Orc-lympics!
» Read moreSNAP Review – The Champion of the Wild
The Champion of the Wild is a voting and negotiation game for 3-8 players. Coach your animal(s) to victory in a series of competitive events. Listen to our thoughts in about 5 minutes.
» Read moreScarabya: Excavations that Missed the Beet(le)
6.5/10
It is up to you to find the most Scarab relics! From the desert to the rain forest, from the Bermuda Triangle to Antarctica, these golden beetles are scattered across the world. Set up camps and mark Excavation Areas. Can you find the most Scarabs and uncover the mystery of Scarabya?
» Read moreSNAP Review – Fry Thief: A Deliciously Good Time
If your friend orders fries, you may experience regret. But what if you stole some fries from your friend? They won’t notice, right? That’s the idea behind Fry Thief, a quick game for two hungry players.
» Read moreSports Dice Football
9/10
“What I love best about Sports Dice Football is that it plays in real-time; there are no commercial breaks or risqué half-time shows. The best roll makes the play. Rules are simple, making it appealing for new players.”
» Read moreSNAP Review – The Potion
In this group game, predict and out-think your opponents’ choices. Discard all but one of your ingredients and win. Listen to our wizards’ impressions in 5 minutes.
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