USD ($)
EUR (€)
[PSA, this was written in December... not posted until the New Year... sorry!]
It’s that time of year when Santa is checking his list, not once, but twice. The elves are busy in the wrapping room, and the reindeer are chowing down on oat filled energy bars in an effort to carbo-load for the big night! Not every gift can come from the big guy, however. And with so many great games here at Zatu, we thought we would give you a few ideas for the kiddos in your gaming groups!
The Fuzzies - Hannah Blacknell
Have you ever played Jenga? Do you remember the excitement of trying to pull out your chosen block without causing it to tumble to great whoops of delight from your fellow players? What about the flurry of pride as you managed to get through your turn unscathed despite the odds?
Now dial up that to eleven. And there you have The Fuzzies. Instead of a tower of blocks, you have a tower of small fuzzy balls. Instead of using your fingers you will be mostly using a pair of small tweezers. You have to remove a ball of the colour showing on the top of the card deck. Then it must go higher than where you took it from (note this does not mean to the top). If you manage that, you take that card and reveal the next colour for the next player. And if any fuzzy balls fall off during your turn, then you will be drawing challenge cards that make the game a whole lot trickier for you next turn.
The loser is the person who causes the tower to tumble. As more and more balls are removed from the base, the tower will become incredibly unbalanced. As such, more and more precarious moves will be required. You'll find yourself holding your breath throughout your turn. Indeed, don't breathe near the tower too much as I have knocked the tower over with too hearty a breath of relief!
The Fuzzies is brilliant and is suitable for all the family. As it takes only a few seconds to set up and put away, it’s a whole lot easier to organise than its wooden inspiration!
Dodo - Favouritefoe
Our kiddo loves dexterity games. Oh and memory games. Ah and co-operartive games too. Okay, okay, he basically loves all games. But one which has captured us all is the absolutely brilliant DODO by KOSMOS Games. In DODO you’re working together to save the daft dodo bird’s wibbly wobbly egg. And when I say wibbly, wobbly, I’m not joking! This thing stops, starts, rushes, and crawls unpredictably down the cardboard bridges! It’s a super fun race against gravity.
The rules are super simple. The egg is released from the nest at the top of the mountain and dice rolls determine what tools you need to place a bridge along the sides. You’ll be flipping over tokens to (hopefully!) find the right stuff so you’ve got to remember the whereabouts of the matching tool icons on the table! Better make sure someone is paying attention when tokens were flipped last turn as eyes will always be drawn to the wibbly wobbly egg’s descent!
And I’m not surprised! The way in which the wibbly wobbly egg speeds up and slows down as it makes its way down towards the watery depths below is both mesmerising and mega exciting! It’s so tempting to stick a hand out to stop it or to slow it in time for another bridge to appear. And as the egg balances precariously on the edge, it’s hand in your mouth tense in the most fun way! Even as it nears the bottom, you’ve still got the challenge of ensuring there’s a boat moored in readiness to catch it! DODO is one of those games where parents and older kids will be having just as much (if not more!) fun as the younger ones, so it’s perfect for Christmas and every other time of the year!
Grabolo - Sophie Jones
When you’ve got a family of various ages and abilities, it’s hard to find a game suitable for everyone at Christmas.
However, Grabolo is here to save the day. This quick game is super easy to learn and get to the table (or any play surface which isn’t taken up by roast potatoes!). It also takes less than a few seconds to teach. The premise is simple; empty the contents of the cylinder, mix up the pieces, and then roll the dice. The dice dictate which colour and which piece needs to be grabbed. The pieces consist of cute animals, trees, cars and gingerbread men.
Players then take it in turns rolling the dice and grabbing the pieces in a futile attempt to win. It’s a huge free for all as everyone's hands shoot into the middle. In a 2-player game, you must collect 10 pieces to win. For 3 players you need 8 and for 4 players you need 6. Sounds easy enough, however, there are ways to lose your pieces.
If a player rolls the dice and the piece has already been collected, all players may point and say who they think has it. The first player to say the correct answer can steal the piece. Of course, if the player with the piece says it first, they get to keep hold of it. But be warned! Accuse the wrong player and you will forfeit a piece from your stash. This leads to a game fraught with mayhem, slapping, and laughter. Its fast pace will have you playing again and again. I would mention that due to Grabolo’s nature, it isn’t really accessible to those who cannot differentiate colours. But if that is not a consideration and you want a game which is quick, chaotic, portable and great for those aged 4+, then look no further as Grabolo is a festive delight.
Super Mario – Blow Up Shaky Tower - David Ireland
A classic Super Mario challenge. One of Bowser’s towers is being climbed by our favourite Nintendo heroes. Super Mario Blow Up Shaky Tower is a game that requires skill and dexterity to not be the player who knocks the giant ball off of the top of the tower taking all other players out in the process.
This game is perfect for introducing younger children to board games. A simple set of mechanics combine to get players taking it in turns to place a playing piece onto Bowser’s (wobbly) tower and not knock off the giant ball at the top. It’s great for getting young children to work on their fine motor skills and coordination as well as being highly competitive for everyone else participating. If you are the player who makes the giant ball tumble and knocks all playing pieces off of the tower, you lose.
It's also an ideal little game for introducing the concept of winning and losing, something so important in learning and development. My children get super excited when the ball tumbles and they have quickly grasped the notion as to whether they won or lost. It doesn’t even bother them either because, and most critically, they had fun playing.
There is also the classic Nintendo theme and look of this board game which I love. All the pieces are great. The minis are already painted and look exactly as they should. You get to choose the piece you place on the tower, and they are all different sizes and weight, adding to the challenge of figuring out the best piece to play. I highly recommend this game for Christmas for those of you with younger children. Have a great one!
Stomp The Plank - Pete Bartlam
When Nelly the Elephant packed her trunk and said goodbye to the Circus, off she went … and joined a pirate band. Apparently. With three large, grey chums to try and seek out much treasure whilst avoiding plunging into the Spanish Main! At least that’s what Stomp the Plank seems to think. This incredibly funny and chaotic family game from The Flying Games is the hottest and silliest family game this Christmas.
Stomp the Plank is a well-designed and well produced masterpiece. It comes in a sturdy box full of cutsey, cartoon graphics with a window through which you can see 3 of the most lovable animal meeples in the business (don’t worry there is a 4th one, on its own inside the box). The box doubles up as your pirate ship by turning it upside down. Four planks are then positioned on top, held in place magnetically and here’s where your bold adventurers are placed to wait in trepidation. Finally you have a deck of cards depicting 7 different types of treasure and some wooden weights.
Gameplay is simple. You turn over cards, one after another until you either choose to stop, draw two treasures the same or, lucky you, draw six different treasures and win the game outright. If you stop after drawing at least two cards you will add an increasing number of weights to all the other players’ planks.
If, on the other hand, you draw two the same you have to inch your chubby chum forward to the next set of footprints making an ocean plunge more likely! Turns are quick as you only have 1 decision to make: Stick or Twist. If no one makes the 6 different Treasure run you also win by being the last one standing.
Note: No Elephants are harmed in this game because they can swim underwater using their trunks as snorkels!
Cockroach Poker - Nick Trkulja
Cockroach Poker is a simple bluffing game that lasts about twenty minutes. In the box you get sixty-four cards and a small rule book.
It makes a good game to play with your kids because
Lovely Cards. Cockroach poker includes eight sets of eight cards. Each set displays a different “critter”, for instance a rat, bat, scorpion, toad etc. However, each set of eight cards has different artwork, so your deck includes sixty-four individual designs.
Simple rules. The rules of cockroach poker take about one minute to explain. I would suggest playing one dummy round too. The starting player takes a card for their hand and slides it, face down, to another player declaring that the card is, for instance, a spider. They then have two options:
Accept the card and call out true (it is a spider) or false (it isn’t a spider). If the call is correct, the card goes in front of the person who passed it. If incorrect, the card goes on front of the receiver of the card.
Pass the card on. The receiver can look at the card and then pass it on to another player with a declaration of what the critter on the card might be. They could say that it is a spider, or pick any of the other seven critters. The new receiver then has the same options to accept or pass the card.
This continues until one player has four critters of the same type in front of them.
Lots of gameplay for about £10. Do you think your kids know when you’re lying? Do you think you know when your kids are lying to you? This is a game that is an awesome way to find out. It generates those laugh out loud moments when your seven-year-old bluffs you, and you end up with your fourth stink bug!
Happy holidays everyone and wishing you all a peaceful and prosperous 2024!