Players must put on their game caps for a frenzied round of hat matching mania, holding three hat cards in their hand and balancing one on top of their head. The goal is to be the first to match the center hat card and collect the pair. But if a hat is dropped, someone else can yell "Hats Off" and steal a card. Whoever wins the most cards is crowned the top hat.
— “Not only does [this game] work on memory skills trying to match the cards; it also works with improving hand-eye coordination,” Cara Newbitt of Aigner Associates told TDmonthly. This game received a 2007 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. Launch date: February 2007.

Battleground: Fantasy Warfare is a tabletop tactical wargame in which cards, rather than expensive miniatures, represent units. Battleground is non-collectible; each faction comes in non-random Starter and Reinforcement decks. Starter decks include eighteen unit cards, that faction's 30-card Command Deck, two reference cards and the basic rules. Each Starter deck includes a list of two 1,500-point armies that can be built from the deck. Reinforcement decks contain 50 unit cards, including two unit types not found in the starter, and the advanced rules. The game won the 2006 Origins Award for the Vanguard Unique Games category. It “eliminates the three main barriers to most miniature games (high cost, preparation time, low portability), opening the category of miniature wargaming to a much wider audience,” CEO Chad Ellis of Your Move Games told TDmonthly.

This engaging and intriguing card game about the states comes with 50 fact-filled state cards and also has instructions and rules for 49 more games. There are reasoning games, trivia games, math games, matching games and spelling games. State Debate makes a great family home or travel game, and works perfectly in a classroom setting, too. It has received the National Parenting Seal of Approval Award and the 2005 Family Choice Award.

When folks are driving on city streets or country highways, this “sight and say” card game gets the fun rolling. A player deals five cards to each passenger and sets a time limit or mileage distance. The passenger to sight the most items on their travel cards wins the game. It is approved by AAA and Rand McNally. “Participants must put away their laptops and high-tech gizmos and take the time to observe, for their own, the sights that are happening around them,” said Susan Hebblethwaite of Family Games. Are We There Yet? is popular for customers embarking on a long car trip, Owner Tom England of Dancing Bear Toys & Gifts in Frederick, Md., told TDmonthly in spring 2007. His store sells 120 units of the game per year, “mainly in the summer.”

A simple fun game that reinforces nice behavior and good manners. Great set with Good Manners Flash Cards.

In this game by Frank Branham and Sandi West, three to four players compete to be the dragon who summons the rains and saves the villages and the harvests. Points aren’t what they seem, for they’re only scored if specific card combinations are captured. The game features calligraphy and artwork by Jacob Walker. A hand takes 20 to 30 minutes. “Played cards are left face up so that card counting is neutralized. Winning a trick requires giving the other team a card from your hand, so as the hand progresses, the cards are more balanced,” Jim Dietz of Jolly Roger Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: Christmas 2004.

In this game for two to four players by Alan R. Moon and Aaron Weissblum, players compete to become the city’s greatest architect by building the most clocktowers. But sometimes carelessness sets in and animals come to call the towers their homes. Can players build towers without cats and mice, and construct enough to be declared the victor? When the decks are gone, the game is over. Play takes about 15 to 30 minutes. “It can be played with an eye-to-card counting or it can be played as a purely social, quick + light game,” Jim Dietz of Jolly Roger Games told TDmonthly.

It’s Halloween and everyone is throwing parties, but no one wants to make a monster mistake and go to a dead party — their social lives wouldn’t have a ghost of a chance after that. In this game of bluff designed by Bruno Faidutti and Gwenael Bousuin, players send partygoers to other players to see if they are welcomed or rejected. Is the guest cool or a geek? Will they help make a bigger, better party or drive people away? “It is fun for kids to play with their parents — without boring the parents,” Jim Dietz of Jolly Roger Games told TDmonthly.

This fast and furious card-based board game appeals to gaming, sports and fantasy sports fans as well as card players. Play is based on high-hand wins and combines the best elements of several classic card games. One to four players deliberate over playing strong cards immediately or holding them back for a power hand, giving players great control over the outcome. Card Football was named a Top 10 Card Game of 2006 by About.com. “Critical decision making” sets this game apart, President Fabio Del Rio of CSE Games told TDmonthly. “The swings and tensions of real football really come through in this game because players determine their fate by the cards they play.” Launch date: January 2006.

This quick card game features unique mechanics, colorful cards and a simple goal: Two to three players must get rid of their allotment of cubes before their opponent does. In the process, participants utilize power cards, cleverness and good timing to place their Mimic cards onto the arena of play, building sets that can work to their advantage. Game play takes 20 to 30 minutes. “[The] sets are not static, but twist, turn and can be reused throughout the game as players become adapt at manipulating the arena of play. This mechanic makes Mimic a wonderfully strategic and fun game to play for all ages,” Game Designer Douglas Cook told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2006.

In this non-collectible card game of matrimonial evasion, the only way to win is to remain blissfully single. Players use lame excuses to pass ridiculous commitments on to other players and avoid being labeled as “the marrying type.” This fast-play game of 20 to 25 minutes is easy to learn and fun for anyone who has ever dated. Marriage Material “easily spans multiple generations of players due to its funny and relevant content. … [It] is one of the few games that pokes fun at the dating culture and in a non-offensive way.  The game is great at parties, as wedding favor gifts, or for that potential son or daughter-in-law,” Vice President Donald Moffett of Zipwhaa told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2004.

In this hilarious card game, each participant plays a high-school student trying to get his or her clique to take over the school. Players can hook up with other students, spread vicious rumors about their rivals and forge fake bonds. They can earn yearbook signatures by going to special events or receive student standouts such as cutest couple and most artistic. Players start as freshmen, but the one with the most yearbook signatures at the end of graduation wins. High School Drama! “was designed to be played in mixed company because guys and girls equally love making fun of the high school experience,” Game Designer Boyan Radakovich told TDmonthly, also noting that the satirical game is popular with tween girls. Launch date: May-June 2007.

In this trick-taking card game by Dan Baden, two to seven players seek to finish secret recipes by capturing tricks (ingredients) played by other players. The catch is, sometimes players have to take ingredients they don’t need, which can set off a chain reaction that destroys everyone’s secret recipes. Play takes about 30 minutes.

The Whizizzle Phonics Series teaches the building blocks of reading — phonetic sounds — with an easy game that uses sight, sound and color to help kids learn. The three-deck series advances in level as skills improve. Two to eight players can participate, and play takes five to 15 minutes per game. Addition and Multiplication varieties are also available. “Most educational phonics and math tools available are flashcards. Whizizzle … takes learning to a new level with games that help kids retain what they learn while they have fun,” Director of Marketing Jean Rivaldi of Wiggity Bang Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2008.

In this fun, fast-paced game, a quick mind, fast reflexes and a good memory will help you stay on top. The goal is to be the first to play all of your cards before someone can discombobulate you with one of 10 distinctive Discombobulation™ challenges. Discombobulation challenges put you head-to-head against other players to compose rhymes, sing popular songs, make lists, mimic others, remember nicknames and much more. Mess up, you draw more cards.

This game of strategy, creation and destruction challenges players to be the first to build the most molecules and score the most points to win. Science geeks and regular folk alike will enjoy Reaction’s fast pace and competitive spirit, along with the high-quality materials. It includes 100 cards, a dry-erase marker to “multiply” elements, instructions and a chart of common molecules.

Shuffle Up Playing Cards are easy to read and made of durable ABS plastic in a two-tone blue, come in an all-leather carrying case, and are perfect for taking on a trip, playing in a RV or taking camping. They provide the quickest way to shuffle, and each set includes 52 playing cards and two jokers. Players can enjoy their favorite card games of Poker, Texas Hold 'Em, Blackjack and more. Binh Quach of Shuffle Up pointed out that the cards are scratchproof, waterproof and windproof, and can be enjoyed “month after month without worrying that you have bent or dirty cards.” The patent-pending product “provides a new and unique way of playing various card games,” he told TDmonthly, and “a designated dealer is optional since you can pick your own cards.” Launch date: January 2007.

The outrageous card game starts with ten cards. Hand by hand, the number of cards (and options) reduce until at last, a player has one card. Players record the number of tricks they plan to take each round, scoring points for their accurate bidding. Sound easy? The outRAGEous action cards will keep players guessing. Launch date: Spring 2007.

In this game, the Flippit frog accompanies children as they earn points by spelling words. Using colorful alphabet cards, children flip cards and reposition each letter in their proper spelling sequence. The more cards correctly repositioned, the more points acquired.

Memo-Hearts is a fun little memory game that comes in a heart-shaped tin. Players make pairs out of the thick heart-shaped cardboard cards. Whoever collects the most pairs wins. Memo-Hearts is a great way to pass the time while traveling. It comes with 32 cards and a 5" by 5" tin. It's designed for two to four players and is made in Germany.
— "Those are very popular," said Brandy Lindstrom, manager of Little Blue Choo Choo in Scottsdale, Ariz., about the memory game from HABA.

The Strike card game consists of 52 uniquely designed playing cards. Each player has to match his/her playing cards in sequence, ace through 6 in the same suite with or without the same suite hot (wild) card to win the hand. When a player has acquired his/her sequence cards he/she must call aloud the word "Strike." The striking player will then show all other players his/her cards and will receive points from all other players' non-Strike cards. The only points the winner of that hand cannot get is all players' cards that are called Saves. For 2-7 players.

Know the feeling of getting out a Ouija board at midnight? Or of playing Truth or Dare after school? FRED™ is a game with that same spirit of mischief. It’s an hour of harmless bad behavior and foolishness. Inside is a Deck of Tests that contains seventy-eight challenges. Some involve nothing more than stretching out and relaxing. Others require acts of humiliation, torment, and revulsion. The last player standing wins.

In this fast-play card game, dragons are celebrating and the magic is out-of-hand, so it can take time to sort things out. With luck, a swift eye and good teamwork, these dragons will leave the party with the same wings and tail with which they came. The non-collectible, team-based game is for four to eight players. “Children focus on the matching and simple teamwork, while adults like the fast play and the use of signals between partners,” Vice President Jamie Chambers of Margaret Weis Productions told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2006.

This card set includes four fun games and allows players to learn in English and Spanish. Kids can discover 36 reptiles and amphibians, by collecting frogs, snakes, crocodilians and more. Fabulous photos capture the spirit and personality of each animal. This product received a Spring 2007 Parents' Choice Approved Award. Launch date: February 2007.

This fun and educational card game is based on wine and how to pair it with food. Players use cards with three questions on three difficulty levels, fact cards in five categories (Grapes, Regions, Wine Making, History and Food Pairing) and six types of wild cards. They answer questions to earn fact cards and coins that they can use toward a winning hand. A die is included for randomized question selection. This interactive game offers “an entire course on wine” and comes with an informational brochure and maps of wine regions, Storm Forman of VitiVini told TDmonthly. “It is beautifully designed, made of high-quality materials, and simple to play.” Additional discounts for 5,000+ units; drop ship available. Launch date: August 2, 2006.