Unusual Gift Ideas For Christmas » Games

ThinkFun Zingo

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:51:44 +0000

4 years & up. Zingo is a simple Bingo-style game, with a fancy plastic tile dispenser that kids just LOVE! Everyone who knows Zingo loves it, kids and parents alike. To play, players try to fill their Zingo! cards with matching tiles from the Zingo Zinger. The first player to fill his/her card wins! Rules can be adjusted to favor more or less competition among players, and to vary length of time that each game takes to play.

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Smart Ass

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:40:29 +0000

Who's the the Smart Ass among your friends and family? Find out with this outrageous, fast-paced party game. Each Who, What and Where am I? card has ten clues. You never have to wait for your turn in this game. Just yell out the answer as soon as you know it. Timing is everything for the true Smart Ass. Jump in too early and you may blow your chance! Wait too long and the smart ass next to you might steal the show. When will you throw your shoe in the ring? For 2 to 8 players. Ages 12 and up.

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Bananagrams

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:37:53 +0000


Bananagrams is a fast and fun word game that requires no pencil, paper or board. All you need is a table. One hand can be played in as little as five minutes. It is a great for family fun as well as being educational. Bananagrams portability makes it perfect for travel. Just grab the pouch and go.

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SET Game

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:25:30 +0000

This award winning card game is for one or more players. It is recommended for ages six and above. The object of the game is to identify "sets" of three cards. Each card is unique in its four features; color - red, green or purple, symbol - diamond, squiggle or oval, shading - solid, striped or open, and number - 1, 2 or 3. A "set" consists of three cards on which each feature is either the same on all of the cards, or different on all of the cards. This game contains complete instructions for play, 81 cards, and a durable plastic carrying case.

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Star Wars Star Wars Science – Force Trainer

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:00:40 +0000


Have you ever wished you could move an object with the power of your mind?Â Now you can, as you control the Jedi Training remote with only your thoughts.Â Jedi Master Yoda guides you through 15 levels of Force training as you develop your powers of concertration.Â discover if you have the skills to reach the highest rank of Jedi Master.

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Quiddler

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:40:56 +0000

The challenge of Quiddler is to arrange your entire hand into words. Draw and discard in turn. Try to use those high point letters, but don't get caught with them uncombined! Quiddler is fast paced because you can play using everyday words. A bonus is given for the most words in each round (so little words can help you win), as well as for the longest word. Quiddler is a delightful challenge for both rookies and word game lovers. Quiddler is for up to eight players.

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The Settlers of Catan

admin — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:27:43 +0000

The Settlers of Catan from Mayfair Games is an award-winning strategy game where players collect resources and use them to build roads, settlements and cities on their way to victory. The board itself is variable, making each game a little different from the next. Each round of The Settlers of Catan is intended to keep three or four players ages 10 and above engaged for up to 90 minutes. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: -15px; } table.callout { font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1. 3em; } td.think { height: 125px; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg.png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; border-bottom: 1px dotted #000000; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 250px; } td.glance { height: 100%; background: #9DC4D8; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding-top: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 250px; } The game map changes every time for an endless variety of play. View larger. Settlers of Catan engages both children and adults, garnering best-seller status in both Germany and the US. View larger. What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Engaging strategy game that's different each time you play The Bad: Requires three or four players In a Nutshell: The Settlers of Catan is fun, easy to learn, and keeps advanced players on their toes At a Glance Ages: 10 and up Requires: Three or four players On the Road to Settlement The game rules and almanac booklet sets out four pages of guidelines for getting started. Don't worry, the rules are straightforward and the four pages include plenty of illustrations. There's a starting map that shows a well-balanced set-up for beginners to follow and directions that allow more advanced players to lay out the map of the island at random. You'll have to pop the die-cut components of the game out of their cardboard holders before you play your first game. The almanac portion of the booklet is laid out alphabetically, so while playing you can find answers to specific questions quickly. Useful entries remind you exactly what role pieces like the robber play, how actions like maritime trade work, and how to set up the board or finish the game. Exploring and Developing Catan The board consists of 19 terrain hexes surrounded by the ocean. Each type of terrain produces a different type of resource: brick, wool, ore, grain or lumber. There's also a desert hex that produces no resources. As the game progresses, players use resources to build roads along the edges of these hexes and settlements or cities on the intersections where three hexes meet. Each player begins the game with two settlements and two roads. Each player's roll of the dice causes certain hexes to produce resources, which you collect if you have a settlement on one of them. On your turn, you'll use various combinations of the resources you've acquired to build new roads and settlements, upgrade settlements to cities, or purchase development cards. The ability to trade resources with other players adds a new level of strategy and ensures that the game includes lots of interaction between players. You can also trade without worrying about other players using an unfavorable maritime trade rate. Elements including a robber piece that lets you steal from other players and a variety of development cards add intrigue to the game. The objective of The Settlers of Catan is to be the first one who collects 10 victory points. Each settlement is worth one victory point and each city is worth two victory points. You can also earn victory points by holding the "Longest Road" card, the "Largest Army" card, or special victory point development cards. Best-Selling Game of the Year It's easy to see why The Settlers of Catan has been recognized as a best-selling Game of the Year in both Germany and the U. S. We found this game to be fun and engaging for both children and adults, and the variable nature of the playing field really made us want to play again and again. When we started pausing to contemplate our opponents' strategy and factoring the probability of different dice rolls into our moves, the game sometimes took longer than expected, but we were so engrossed we didn't even notice until it was all over. Due to the widespread popularity of the original game, several expansion sets (sold separately) are available that allow you to explore new aspects of the game or add more players. The only downside to this game is that you need to have either three or four players to play, so it's great that expansion sets are available that will allow you to add players. What's in the Box Six sea frame pieces, 19 terrain hexes, nine harbor pieces, 18 circular number tokens, 126 game cards, 16 cities, 20 settlements, 60 roads, two dice, a robber and a rules and almanac booklet.

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Mindflex Game

admin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:46:29 +0000

Mindflex--featuring a headset that reads your brain waves and a levitating foam ball--is the kind of game that must be seen to be believed. Recommended for players aged eight and older, the game begins when you strap on the headset so you can use your powers of concentration to move the ball around the game console and through a mind-bending obstacle course. A dial-in console lets you to keep the ball lifted on a cushion of air, but raising and lowering the ball must be accomplished by alternating concentrating and relaxing your mind. At a Glance Ages: 8+ Requires: 4 "C" and 3 "AAA" batteries (not included) Screwdriver for battery installation What We Think Fun factor: Durability: Ease of assembly: Educational factor: Novelty factor: The Good: Adults and kids guide a foam ball through obstacles using the power of their minds. The Challenging: Players unable to perceive a relationship between their minds and the ball's height may grow impatient. In a Nutshell: Foam ball really does rise and fall, and choice of games and obstacle courses provides hours of amusement. Your telekinetic fantasies becomes a reality with the Mattel Mindflex. View larger. The challenging obstacle course will hone your mental focus. View larger. Headset Measures your Brain Waves Tired of games that depend on the roll of a die or lucky draw? With the help of advanced technology, Mindflex introduces a whole new way to play--by using the power of your mind! You'll feel like a character in a science fiction movie as you strap on the headset, connect the clips to your ear lobes, and align the metal forehead sensor just above your left eyebrow. But even this strange accessory won't prepare you for the sight of a foam ball quivering five inches above the game console! Move the Ball with the Power of your Mind Skeptics will be quick to point out that the console's moveable fan nozzle holds the ball aloft on a cushion of air. However, as players learn to alternately focus and relax their minds, the ball will respond by rising and falling. An instruction manual provides various concentration and relaxation techniques to try such as math problems or visualization and practice exercises. Once you feel like you've mastered the art of telekinesis, you can test your mental acuity with five challenging games designed for groups of one to four players. Use the game console to select your game, set the difficulty level, and track your scores. Design a Mind-Bending Obstacle Course A variety of hoops, hurdles, funnels, and a teeter-totter can be positioned however you choose on the game console. Players use their minds to move the ball under, over, or through the obstacles. Several games test speed, while another challenges players to lift a ball up and through a funnel, shooting it across the game console to score points. While Mindflex's advanced technology is sure to intrigue, mastering the games may prove difficult for some. Because concentration techniques will vary from person to person, the game rewards patience and a willingness to experiment. Fans of mazes and brain teasers will appreciate the mental challenge, and creative types will like designing the obstacle courses. Mindflex's game console requires four "C" batteries (not included), and the headset requires three "AAA" batteries (not included). The four foam balls should be handled with care to keep their ability to levitate. Fortunately, the game console features an inner compartment for safe ball storage. What's in the Box Game console, headset, four foam balls, and various obstacles. (Batteries not included.)

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Qwirkle Board Game

admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 07:39:58 +0000

Our tactile wooden block game combines the logic and strategy of SetÂ® with the creative multi-maneuver game play of ScrabbleÂ®. Easy-to-learn rules mean youll be creating columns and rows of matching colors and shapes in no time! Look for opportunities to score big by placing a tile that touches multiple pieces and matches both shapes and colors; the player with the most points wins. 108 blocks.

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