January 2010 Notable Toys — General Games

The Climbers is an all-wooden, 3-D strategy game for two to five players. The object is to move your climber pawn to the top of a stack of colored blocks first. On your turn, you move one of the blocks and then climb up if you can, using your ladders for the larger steps in your climb. You must stay on surfaces that are your color or gray. You can also use your blocking stone to keep a block from being moved or occupied. Most games last 30 to 45 minutes. "If you have an open box, customers will be drawn immediately to the colorful blocks, the delicately crafted ladders, the simple rules, and the high replay value," Mark Salzwedel, president and CEO of Strategic Space, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 15, 2009.