The Children’s Library has a large selection of board games, card games, puzzles, and toys available for you to check out. Click here to browse our collection. The following games were played and reviewed by a Westfield teen.
Codenames
Details: For 2-8+ players, ages 10+, average gameplay is 15 minutes. Created by Czech Games Edition.
About the game: “Codenames is a fun and challenging social word game with a simple premise. Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their CODENAMES. Teams compete to contact all of their agents first. Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. Their teammates try to guess words of the right color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. Everyone wants to avoid the assassin.” (from Codenames box)
The review: This is a fun and quick word game but will take a while to understand the somewhat complicated rules. For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend it for younger children. It can be played by as many people as you want but I would say that four is the best number of players. Overall, this game is very enjoyable and is great to play because each round will only take a couple of minutes.
Qwixx: A Fast Family Dice Game
Details: 2-5 players, for ages 8+, average gameplay is 15 minutes. Created by Gamewright.
About the game: “This quick-playing dice game will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end! Qwixx is simple to play but each decision is crucial – the more numbers you cross off, the more points you score. With no downtime between turns, you’ll have a chance to gain from each and every roll. Just one round of this thrilling game and you be caught up in Qwixx-fever!” (from Qwixx box)
Review: This is a fun fast paced dice game that is great for any occasion with any group of people. The rules are pretty simple, and the games don’t last too long. It also doesn’t have many parts to it and is extremely easy to set up, making it ideal to bring while traveling. Overall, this is a fun, simple, and entertaining game.
Suspend
Details: 1-4 players, for ages 8+. Created by Melissa & Doug
About the game: “Hang a piece and the puzzle moves, the balance shifts and everything changes! Suspend looks different with every turn, but the challenge remains the same: DON’T KNOCK IT DOWN!” (from Suspend box)
Review: This game seems simple at first, but it can get really difficult. It is all about balance and patience. It is good for people who like games similar to Jenga. It starts out with everyone having the same set of sticks, and the game involves balancing the metal pieces on top of each other to create a very unbalanced structure. An all-around fun game to play and good for the whole family (not the littlest ones though).
Colorku: The Color Sudoku Puzzle
Details: 1 player, for ages 8+. Created by Mad Cave Bird Games.
About the game: “Play Colorku alone or with others, using logic and deductive reasoning. To start, choose a puzzle and place the colorful wooden marbles where shown. Solve the puzzle by placing the remaining marbles to obtain one of each of 9 different color marbles in each column, row, and 3×3 square on the board. Transform any Sudoku and imagaine the problem differently by looking at the board from different angles or by counting the number of the same color ball remaining. Over 100 included puzzle cards range from easy to really tough.” (from Colorku box)
Review: If you like Sudoku, you’ll like Colorku! As it says on the box, “It’s Sudoku in color!” It has a wooden gameboard with colorful wooden marbles. It comes with cards to set up different puzzles, allowing you to play the game over and over. The puzzles range from easy to extreme. This game is for ages 8 and up; not good for little ones as the pieces look like candy and are choking hazards. Be careful not to lose the pieces as they are small, and you need all of them to play. This game can even be played by yourself.
Check back for more game reviews this summer. See something you like? Call the Children’s Library at 413-568-7833×5 and we would be happy to put it aside for you.
