May 2010 Notable Toys — Family Games

Starwords is a cooperative word game in which players make words to cover as many Star Spaces as they can. Each word must be about what players see in the picture. The picture changes, letters get recycled, and letters are given away. Players can discuss, share and compare ideas in a natural, friendly way. Word wizards can play the Advanced Version in which dice are rolled to see what kind of word has to be formed. The game includes a 13" x 17" board, die, reference chart, 100 letter tokens, and a collection of unusual pictures. Jim Deacove, president of Family Pastimes, told TDmonthly, "Our games foster the spirit of cooperation. Players help each other climb a mountain, make a community, bring in the harvest, complete a space exploration... They are never against each other." Launch date: 1983.

In this coordination game, teams must imitate the robot movements shown on the cards. The team that is the best at controlling their 'robot' teammate with gestures and reaching the robot position faster than their opponents wins. Asmodee Marketing Manager Ruby Nikolopoulou told TDmonthly, "The price point is interesting for gifts." Launch date: October 2009.

Roll the LEGO® Dice to select one of four exciting building categories (vehicles, buildings, nature or things) in this interactive game for three to eight players. With three levels of difficulty, this game allows families and friends to test their imagination, creativity, building and guessing skills. Game includes one buildable LEGO Dice, one LEGO minifigure, one LEGO microfigure, 96 cards, 1 rule booklet and 341 building pieces. Launch date: 2010.

Players are charged with the challenge of rescuing a baby dinosaur stuck in a canyon threatened by a flash flood. Players must work as a team to save little Dino by lowering the water level until he is dry and also help give him his favorite food. Bambino Dino is simple to grasp, with color-coded dice that indicate when to pick a helpful Tool or some Food and also when to build the Water higher and higher. The game includes a 6" x 12" board, water pieces, rules, bucket and food cards, dice and stickers. Launch date: 2001.

In this game, a winter storm hits Little City. Granny and Grandpa, Uncle and Aunt, Mom and Dad, and Best Friend's Family have things to do, places to go and errands to run. Players must help them complete these tasks together by driving to the places on their lists and returning them safely home. Deep snow? Bad ice? Players decide when and where to do some plowing or spreading of sand while the weather constantly changes. The game includes one 12" x 12" board, weather reports, errands, cars, places, snow and ice, and service trucks. Launch date: 1994.

DGA-TV is a co-operative game about running a TV station. Players are producers who run 7 Studios, featuring everything from children’s shows to current affairs, working together to bring award-winning programming to the viewing public. They must deal with the critics, ratings, sponsors and the actions of people behind and in front of the cameras while putting together as popular a TV program as possible in order to avoid cancellations and earn awards. The game includes eight player game boards, rules, six movers, seven success markers, a program marker, 41 thumbs up and 45 thumbs down cards, and a rules summary chart. Launch date: 2006.

This board game is designed particularly for young children who have an interest in stars, planets, astronauts and space travel. Players are among a team of astronauts sent out into the universe to find another planet with new sources of energy, food and minerals as a suitable environment for earth's growing population. Dark and Dangerous Skies includes two more games of increasing complexity, making it a game youngsters can start off on and then grow with, well into adult years. Jim Deacove, President of Family Pastimes, told TDmonthly that one of the notable features of the game is that one can "play as friends, not as enemies!" The game includes a 12" x 12" board, four explorer craft, four matching astronaut movers, a die, rules, and 10 equipment, 19 danger and 12 info tokens. Launch date: 2006.

Players train their sense of balance & discover their body's flexibility with lots of fun exercises in Jungle Jive, the "eggciting" balancing game. In this party game, players challenge each other to see who has the best balance, concentration, flexibility and coordination while imitating the monkey's moves on the cards with the amazing egg in hand. There are 36 Exercises and 3 levels of difficulty players can choose from. Launch date: 2010.

A party game where each player is given a card with a unique hand symbol they must watch out for. Everyone starts the beat and if an opponent makes another's symbol instead of the clap in the beat, that person must respond with their symbol and then one of another player. The game teaches rhythm, strengthens observation and encourages social interaction. For four to twelve players. Launch date: 2010.

Name 5 is the new party game that asks the easy questions you know the answers to. Players are asked to name five items within a specific category. Sample questions include: Can you name 5 of the 7 dwarfs? Tom Hanks movies? Pizza toppings? TV Dads? Playable in teams or as individuals. Launch date: 2010.

LEGO Games has developed the first collection of buildable games with changeable rules and a unique buildable LEGO Dice. In this game, the Mummy King Ramses is planning on conquering all of Egypt with his army of mummies. Players must unlock the crystal coded layers to climb to the top of the pyramid and defeat the Mummy King in this family game of memory, skill and cunning. An entertaining game for 2 to 4 who can play as a team or opponents. Includes: 1 buildable LEGO Dice, 13 LEGO microfigures, 1 rule booklet, 1 building instruction. Launch date: 2010.

Aliens are on the loose and it’s up to the players to capture them. Everybody’s got aliens, but there are only two capture markers. The goal is to catch as many aliens as possible before the next player grabs the capture marker. The first to capture all of his or her aliens wins the game. Launch date: July 15, 2010.

Three bands of pirates have discovered an island brimming with treasure. The goal is to conquer the island by capturing the gold and silver, or by eliminating the enemy pirates. Players must position their pirates carefully, as enemies are all around and they are hungry for treasure. "Unique pirate figures make the game very attractive out in the store," Leah Sugar, VP Marketing, Out of the Box Publishing, told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 15, 2010.

Players should gather their sunglasses, snowshoes and mosquito spray for travel to the Americas. Players use destination and transportation tiles to chart a course through North, Central and South America and the Caribbean — touring by airplane, cruise ship or on foot. With a little luck and clever planning, they just might outmaneuver their fellow travelers and be the first to make connections for a complete 10-day journey. It's "exclusive to the specialty market, great for families and educational settings," Leah Sugar, VP Marketing, Out of the Box Publishing, told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 7, 2010.

Wits & Wagers Family takes the unique trivia-betting game play of Wits & Wagers and makes it more family-friendly, for three to 10 players. The simplified, faster game-play and kid-friendly questions are designed to level the playing field and provide instant fun for all ages. "Previously found in hobby oriented board games, meeples have been gaining in popularity as gaming pieces. These cute wooden pieces serve as the perfect family-friendly replacement for the poker chips found in the classic Wits & Wagers game," Matt Mariani, Director of Marketing, North Star Games, told TDmonthly. Awards: Parent's Choice Award 2010; Mom's Best Award 2010. Launch date: March 2010.

Musical Circles is a game where players compete to stay in the game and be the last one standing. Players move around the outside of the mat as music plays and scramble for a spot when the music stop. The mat is 96" x 36". There are six blue circles labeled "NOT SAFE", six green circles labeled "SAFE," and one red circle in the center labeled "SAFEST." Players line up on the outside and move in the direction of the arrows as music plays. For 2-14 players.
Awards: 2010 Creative Child Magazine Excellence Award

Challenge oneself and each other to spell words. Use adjacent letters on the mat to move about by spelling words. This game consists of a mat that is 96” x 72” that you lay out on the floor. There are 14 columns and 13 rows containing 182-letter circles. There is one letter per circle. Players compete to spell words moving from the “START/END” points (stepping on the letter circles) while moving to the far side and then return to the “START/END” points. The first one to return is the winner. Level I has the easiest level of difficulty.

This game consists of a mat that is 96” x 72” that you lay out on the floor. There are 14 columns and 13 rows containing 182-letter circles. There are two letters per circle. Players must spell words consisting of four or more letters using any letter combination from the circles they choose. Players compete to spell words moving from the “START/END” points [stepping on letter circles] while moving to the far side and then return to the “START/END” points. The first one to return is the winner. This is the moderate level of difficulty. This game can be played indoors or outdoors. The fabric is washable. For 2-4 players.

This game consists of a mat that is 96” x 72” that you lay out on the floor. There are 14 columns and 13 rows containing 182-letter circles. There are three letters per circle. Players must spell words consisting of six or more letters using any letter combination from the circles they choose. Players compete to spell words moving from the “START/END” points [stepping on the letter circles] while moving to the far side and then return to the “START/END” points. The first one to return is the winner. This is the most difficult level. This game can be played indoors or outdoors. The fabric is washable. For 2-4 players.

This family game allows three to four players to join in the fun and suspense of the top-rated TV game show “Let’s Make a Deal” for “what’s inside the box” or “behind the curtains” in their own homes.

Do Tell Family game takes five minutes to learn and requires no knowledge of anything. The game sets up quickly and the average play time is about an hour. In this game, players get to reveal themselves using both words and actions, some thought-provoking, some side-splitting. DO cards invite you to step into the spotlight and demonstrate your talents, TELL cards invite you to share your thoughts and feelings, RISK cards add excitement to the game, and WILD cards shake things up. Contents include four decks of cards, eight tokens, two dice, scorepad, pencils, timer, and instructions.

What's the best plan for climbing Mt. Everest? How about the worst plan for making a million bucks? Find out in this party game that's all about giving outrageous advice. Select a card containing a piece of advice that best fits the judge's chosen activity. Score points if the judge takes your advice, but keep in mind that plans change with the roll of a die… You might have to give out bad advice, your grandma's advice, or even advice from a psychic! Includes 300 advice cards, 100 to-do lists, 8 wooden pawns, 1 custom die, 1 game board, and Rules of play. For 4-8 players. Launch date: Spring 2010
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010, 2010 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Gold Seal, Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award, Major Fun Award, Dr. Toy’s 10 Best Games, Tillywig Laugh Out Load Award, Parents’ Choice Approved.

Dare to discover Forbidden Island! Join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise. Your team will have to work together and make some pulse-pounding maneuvers, as the island will sink beneath every step! Race to collect the treasures and make a triumphant escape before getting swallowed into the watery abyss. Includes 58 playing cards, 24 island tiles, 6 pawns, 4 treasure figurines, 1 water meter, 1 water level marker, and Rules of play. For 2-4 players.
Awards: 2010 Mensa Select, Creative Child Magazine Game of the Year, FunFare All Star Award, FamilyFun Magazine Toy of the Year Award, Parents’ Choice Recommended.
Launch date: Spring 2010.

In Sumo Ham Slam, players step into the fierce and furry world of full-contact Sumo hamster wrestling. Using magnetic force, maneuver a Sumo hamster and try to knock the other player's hamster out of the ring. The player that wins the most rounds claims the title of Sumo Ham Slam Grand Champ. Includes 1 elevated game board, 1 custom die, 1 champion chip, 2 magnetic wands, 4 sumo hamsters, 4 scoring pegs, 60 food tokens, and Rules of play. For 2-4 players. "Sumo Ham Slam is a skill and action game featuring adorable sumo wrestling hamsters!" Gamewright Marketing Coordinator Emily Nichols told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award, Tillywig Sterling Fun Award, Major Fun Award, Dr. Toy’s Best New Products Picks