July 2010 Notable Toys — Family Games

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.