Here you will find some of our recommendations for nontraditional
board games. These are some of the top rated board games out there with
very unique twists and strategies. If you want to find out more about a
game, see a review, or purchase the game, just click the name and you will be
led to Amazon.com for more information. If you are interested in reviewing
some of the more traditional board games, click here to visit our page on
traditional board games! Good luck in your game search!
Zooloretto
Each player uses small, large, wild and exotic
animals and their young to try and attract as many visitors as possible to their
zoo. But be careful - the zoo must be carefully planned. Before you know it, you
have too many animals and no more room for them. That brings minus points!
Luckily, your zoo can expand. A zoo of a family game in which less is sometimes
more ...Ages 8 & Up
Qwirkle
Mix, Match, Score and Win! This game combines well-thought
strategy with quick-thinking challenges. Qwirkle is played by creating rows and
columns of matching colors and shapes. Since the simple play requires no
reading, the whole gang can connect shapes and colors making the strategic
multiple-tile moves that earn maximum points. 108 wood blocks. For 2 to 4
players. Ages 6 and up.
Mystery Garden Game
One player draws a card showing a picture of an object on the
playing board, and the others try to guess the object by asking questions that
can be answered "yes" or "no." Ages 4 and up.
For Sale
Going once! Going twice! Sold to the highest bidder! Bid and
bluff your way to purchase the most valuable properties for the lowest amount of
money, then turn around and sell those properties for cold hard cash. Be the
richest real estate mogul at the end of the game to win! Players: 3-6 Ages: 8
and up.
Which Came First? Chicken or Egg?
A fascinating trivia game for the whole family! Which came first'
The Chicken or the egg' Coffee or tea' Ages 8 and up.
Mayfair Games Hey That's My Fish
Look for hungry penguins in this fast playing and exciting
boardgame. Hey! That's My Fish! is highly suitable for families and strategy
gamers. At the pole your Penguins are jumping from ice floe to ice floe
hunting fish. They re also trying to block other Penguins and secure the best
fishing grounds for themselves. The Penguin colony that catches the most fish by
the end of the game wins. Ages 8 and up.
Travel the worldby land, air and sea,
gathering knowledge of nine different species of dragons.
Board game based on the New York Times
bestselling book, Dragonology
Be the first dragonologist to master
knowledge of three dragons and advance to the Dragon's Eye
Use ancient spells and dragon charms to
complete your quest
Includes 6 exquisitely detailed,
three-dimensional dragon playing pieces
9 types of dragons to research and 81
knowledge cards
30 transportation tickets, special Secret
Envelope and full instructions
Play as Dr. Ernest Drake– or one of his
distinguished colleagues– and find out once and for all who
deserves the title of "Master Dragonologist." Ages 8 and up.
Rio Grande Game TransAmerica
A very simple railway game. Each player has a set
of 5 cities strung across the US that need to be connected by
rail. Players place either 1 or 2 rails each turn. The player
who can make the best use of the other players' networks is
generally victorious. Ages 8 and up.
Enchanted Forest
Find "once upon a time" fairytale
treasures&inherit the kingdom! Cinderella's glass slipper,
Aladdin's lamp, Puss' boots, the Emperor's crown, 13 magical
surprises hidden in the Enchanted Forest. Explore the lovely
forest, peek at treasures. When the king asks for help, race to
the palace to become the next to take the throne. Lovely classic
illustrations. 2-6 Players. Ages 6 and up
Smart Mouth
The quick-thinking word game where players go
head-to-head in a fast-paced, hilarious game ofaction.
Individually or in teams, players slide the Letter Getter device
forward and back to reveal two lettered tiles. The first player
to spot and shout out a word of at least five letters, beginning
with the first letter tile (orange) and ending with the second
letter tile (green), receives those two tiles. Player(s) with
the most tiles at the end wins. Ages 8 and up.
The Settlers of Catan - New 4th Edition One of the most successful games of all time, Settlers of Catan
is a trading and building game set in the mythical world of Catan. Players roll
dice to determine which resources are generated each round and then must
strategically trade those resources with other players to get what they need to
build their settlements, cities, and roads. With multiple ways to gain victory
points and a board that changes in every play, Settlers of Catan is a game that
can be played hundreds of different ways. The base of a hugely successful
franchise, with multiple engaging expansions, Settlers is the core game of many
collections, and is a wonderful way to spend time with family and friends. Ages
10 and up.
Elfenland In Elfenland, young elves have to pass a very special test before
they are accepted as grown-ups. All elf girls and elf boys receive a map of
Elfenland, and they have to visit as many famous towns in Elfenland as possible,
using the common types of transportation- dragons, unicorns, giant pigs,
elfcycles, troll wagons, magic clouds, ferries and rafts. These types of
transportation, however, are available in limited numbers and can only be used
in specific regions. Thus, an exciting race starts among the elves to find out
who will make the best use of the available transportation. The one to visit the
most towns will win the game. Ages 10 and up.
Rex Game Idol Quest Board Game
Idol Quest, the exciting 3-D board game of capture and escape. The
strategy game of capture and escape. In the middle of deeplake in the
jungle and ancient idol sits atop an ancient tower. The objective is to
build a path across the lake using stone blocks, capture the priceless
Idol and have your explorer escape to a waiting boat before another
player beats him to it, or be forced back to the starting point, or
worse, be "buried" under stone blocks. While of the objective appears
simple, there are many twist that can quickly change the dynamic of the
gamae. Idol Quest is a fast-paced family game for two to four players.
Ages 7 to adult. Includes: A folding game board depicting a colorful
jungle lake scene, a a removable tower, a plastic Idol, 12 colored
plastic Explorer pieces, 26 simulated stone blocks, a deck of 35 cards,
a single die, storage tray and instruction sheet. Ages 7 and up.
Travel ManiaAn
award winning and fun way to learn geography! Players travel the globe
answering questions about world geography, culture, and history while
collecting passports and visa stamps. Contains over 2,000 multiple
choice trivia questions with 7,866 interesting and humorous answer
choices. The cards include 1,473 added facts and commitments to help
along the journey. Travel Mania is designed for 2 to 20 players. Ages
7 and up.
Nexus Ops
From the Manufacturer Deep Space explorers have discovered an abundance
of Rubium on a distant moon. Gaining authority over this very rare and
valuable resource is imperative to the Company - and that's where you
and your mercenary strike force come into the picture. Your drop zone is
a few clicks away from one of the moon's Monoliths, where the heaviest
concentrations of Rubium are located. Seize control of the area and
establish the Company's claim to the Rubium. Your can expect heavy
resistance from opposing corporate forces, so enlist the aid of any
indigenous life forms you encounter. Just get the job done - by any
means necessary. This tiled board game blends Euro game-style mechanics
with aggressive war tactics in a futuristic theme. Nexus Ops is for 2-4
players and takes 60-90 minutes to play. Product Description Deep-space
explorers have discovered an abundance of rubium on a distant moon.
Gaining authority over this rare and valuable resource is imperative to
the Company - and that's where you and your mercenary strike force come
in. Your drop zone is a few klicks away from one of the moon's
monoliths, where the heaviest concentrations of rubium are located.
Seize control of the area and establish the Company's claim to the
rubium. You can expect heavy resistance from opposing corporate forces.
So enlist the aid of any indigenous life forms you encounter. Just get
the job done - by any means necessary. Game comes with 164 plastic
figures, 90 cards (mission, secret mission, and energize cards), 98
tokens, 16 game board tiles, 1 monolith hex, 4 reference charts, 8 dice,
and 1 rulebook. For 2 - 4 Players. Ages 12 and Up.
Questionary: The game of smart questions- By Spark Games, LLC Made in USA and winner of multiple awards, Questionary is
not only the funniest party game you have ever played, it is also
educational for young minds. The basic concept is very simple. You pick
a card that has a word on it. Your team has to guess the word within 90
seconds by asking you any question and as many questions as they like.
But the catch is, you can only answer in "Yes" and "No". A few more
answers like "May be" or "I don't know" are allowed too. If your team
cracks the word, it wins and rolls a dice to move its pawn on the
scoreboard. There are bonus points for difficult words! Words have been
very carefully selected to be fun and challenging. There is nothing to
draw or perform and even the shyest people want to play Questionary
again and again!Awards:* Game of the Year Award by Creative Child
Magazine, 2007* Best Product award by Dr. Toy, 2007* Honors award by
NAPPA, 2007* High Potential Recommended Toy by National Association for
Gifted Children, 2007* Seal of Approval by The National Parenting
Center, 2007* Excellent Product award by iParenting Media, 2007* HOT
Product award by iParenting Media, 2007* Preferred Choice award by
Creative Child Magazine, 2006* Highest ranking game in word based
category by MENSA, 2006 Ages 11 and up
Bendomino Bendominos
play just like regular dominoes but their innovative curved design gives
you much more control over the game. Full of challenges, Bendomino
offers passionate games in which strategy, luck and good times are
always combined. A great Game for all generations. Ages 5 and up.
Fantasy Flight Games Ingenious Ingenious is the new abstract placement game from
internationally-renowned game designer Reiner Knizia. Players place
colored tiles on the hexagonal board, scoring points, blocking opponents
tile placement, and trying to protect themselves from being blocked by
their opponents. Marvelously elegant and compulsively replayable,
Ingenious is an excellent introduction to German-style abstract board
games. It's ingeniously simple, and simply ingenious! Ingenious is
suitable for up to four players, as well as for solo play. Ages 8 and
up.
Cartagena Board GameThe game recalls the legendary 1672 escape of a large
group of pirates from the dreaded fortress of Cartagena. Each player has
a crew of 6 fugitives which he tries to hurry through the long and
tortuous underground passage that connects the fortress to the
waterfront. But the task is not easy, because to move pirates forward in
the passage you must play appropriate cards, of which you have only a
few, while to replenish your cards, you must move pirates backward
again... To balance these conflicting needs requires good timing and
judgement. First player who succeeds in bringing his 6 pirates to the
end of the passage and aboard a waiting sloop wins the game. The rules
of the game are simple and easy to learn, and they offer two ways of
playing: a faster way that gives more scope to luck and a tactical way
that requires more skill. Players can choose which way they like best.
Ages 8 and up.
Safety Brainiac - Junior Edition In Safety Brainiac, children learn how to
stay safe against the dangers and threats they can encounter everyday.
The 360 questions educate and entertain kids while providing them with a
diverse variety of safety tips and techniques that will help them stay
safe. As questions are answered correctly, they earn tokens which they
cash in for the puzzle pieces needed to complete their Safety Brainiac
puzzle. Once the puzzle is complete, the child races back to the center
square to answer a final question. After answering a final question
correctly, the child is awarded a Safety Brainiac Winner's Certificate
and Coupon for showing great safety smarts. Ages 5 and up.
Blokus Strategy Board Game Blokus encourages creative thinking and has received a Mensa
award for promoting healthy brain activity. The goal of this game is for players
to fit all of their pieces onto the board. When placing a piece it may not lie
adjacent to the player's other pieces, but must be placed touching at least one
corner of their pieces already on the board. The player who gets rid of all of
their tiles first is the winner and strategic thinking helps as you block moves
from your opponent. Blokus sometimes comes to an end because there are no more
possible moves.
Four players make this abstract game especially fast and exciting; however, it
can be just as fun for two or three players. Blokus has come up with a number of
different ways to play the game to make it more thrilling when playing with less
than four players. Draft Blokus allows a player to use more than one color and
Reverse Blokus reverses the entire game so that the person who places the least
amount of tiles on the board is the winner. It can even be played in a solitaire
version when one player attempts to place all of their pieces in a single
sitting. A game of Blokus typically lasts a 30 minutes. As a practical feature,
raised edges on the board help keep the tiles in place and allow convenient
clean-up. This game includes 84 pieces in four vibrant colors, an instruction
guide, and one gameboard with 400 squares.
Blokus is simple to understand, but the game's complexity is revealed shortly
after everyone begins to play. It can be addictive, even for those not normally
into abstract games. Blokus is a catalyst for spatial thinking, as players form
images in their mind before placing the pieces on the board. Children and adults
can play together for hours of competitive family fun. As Europe's 2003 Game of
the Year, Blokus is adored by many and even played in professional tournaments.
Ages 5 and up.