Rat-a-tat Cat

Number of Players: 2-6
Length of game: 5-10 minutes
Publisher: Gamewright
Price: 7.50 (time well spent)

This was one of our new games for Christmas and it has been a big hit. Each player starts with four hidden cards in front of them. You start by looking at your outer two cards. This will be your only free look at them so you must remember what and where they are. The other two cards remain a mystery for now. On your turn you can choose to take the top discard or draw a card and either replace one of your cards or discard it. The object of the game is to get the sum of your cards to be lower than anyone else. When you think you are the winner you say rat-a-tat cat. Everyone else gets one more turn and you reveal.

There are number cards and three special cards to add some variety. There is a draw 2 card. A peek card allows you to peek at one of your cards that you don't know or don't remember. A swap card allows you to swap one of your cards with another players. The catch you can't look at your card or the card your swapping for.

This is a fun very quick game. Whenever we sit down to play we usually play at least 5 games

It is a fun variation on the memory theme. You have to remember not only where cards are but when you or the fellow players exchange them. I like that there is a decision to be made with every turn. It is also a fun exercise in reading other peoples face and body language to pick the right time to say Rat-a-tat Cat.

My 5 year old really likes this game and is usually the first to say Rat-a-tat Cat. I suppose he is less cautious than I am. Sometimes that pays off for him and sometimes it doesn't. The manufacture suggests an age of 6 and up. I think 5 or 6 is a good minimum. You need to know all your numbers through 9 and understand greater than or less than to enjoy the game.

From an educational stand point this game is great for increasing awareness of the numbers and their value. Adding the score up at the end is also great for practicing simple addition.

My take, this is an inexpensive fun game. Also it is popular enough you may be able to find it at a local toy store. Pick this one up you won't be disappointed.

Clue Jr. Case of the Missing Toys

Clue Jr Case of the missing Toys
# of players 2-4
Length of game: 10-15 minutes
Published by: Parker brothers
Cost: 11.99 (amazon)

I am a Clue lover so when I found this at a garage sale I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately as with most Jr. games this was a disappointment. This game is not much more than a roll and move game with very little decision making.
There are 10 different toys in the game and you are attempting to discover what the two are that are hidden in the tree house. The rest of the toys are at different areas around the board and under all the players. You roll the dice and attempt to land on one of the spots with a hidden toy so you can discover what it is and eliminate it from being in the tree house.
Essentially it is simply a race to move to all the spaces where toys are hidden. The only decisions to be made are to remember what locations and people you have been to so you do not return.
My five year old does enjoy this game. He feels like a real detective and is all sneaky with his detective pad hiding what he has discovered. So it was worth the $0.50 at a garage sale but I wouldn't have bought it new. Manufacturer recommended age for this game is 5-8. I think the game could be played at age 4.

Marrakesh

# of players 2-4
Length of game: 15-20 minutes
Published by: Haba
Cost: 12.83 (maukilo)


I picked up this game for Christmas after the recommendation from this site. Unfortunately this game is going out of print. We just played our first game of this today. I enjoyed it. Haba does a great job with their component pieces and game ideas.

In the game each player controls 4 camels that they are attempting to navigate through the dessert to the market. On your turn you draw a tile from a bag. There are three types of tiles, a movement tile a sandstorm or an exchange. Sandstorm tiles make the path to the market farther away. Movement tiles allow you to move a camel. Exchange pieces allow you to improve the position of your camels or hinder your opponent.

The game played quickly and easily with a fun theme my 5 year old enjoyed. My three year old was also able to play the game with a little help. From an adults perspective it is an enjoyable game with decisions to be made. I am sure it will be a frequently played game.

Carcassonne Hunters and Gatherers

# of players: 2-5
Playing time: 30-45 minutes
Published by: Rio Grande Games
cost: 16.20 (Time Well Spent)


This was one of our new games for Christmas. It has been a big hit with the 5 year old and the adults alike. In this game you are building the board putting it together like a jigsaw puzzle. Each tile has any combination of the three components in the game meadows, rivers and forests. Game play is simple on your turn you draw a tile and place it to build the board. Forests much match with forests, rivers with rivers and meadows with meadows just like a puzzle. You can then decide if you want to place a meeple on your tile or not. You earn points by having your meeple on completed forests and rivers and on the meadows at the end of the game.

This games is a definite improvement on the original Carcassonne. My 5 year old likes both games well but from an adults perspective this version is an improvement. The board is more divided without forming huge meadows (farms. It also has another level of complexity with some bonus cards. When you complete a forest with a gold nugget in it you get an immediate bonus tile. Some of these bonus tiles have special powers. The Meadows score in a creative way that is especially fun for the kids. In the meadows there are Woolly Mammoths, Deer, Aurochs and saber tooth tigers. The first three are worth points but every saber tooth tiger in your field eats one of the deer.

My 5 year old loves to play this game and asks to play it all the time. We got it less then a week ago and have already played it half a dozen times. This game also plays well as a two player game which is an important qualification for us. He has yet to win the game. He is yet to win the game and usually goes for the quick points instead of investing in larger points to be scored latter in the game. He also likes to just complete the forests and rivers even if it doesn't benefit him. This can add some randomness to the game.

I highly recommend this game. The manufacturers suggested age is 8 years old. I disagree with this age. I have played the regular Carcassone with several 4 and 5 year olds with very positive results. Give this one a try you won't be disappointed.