After reading some comments by others on this game, I was only mildly interested in Alien Hotshots. I could tell in reading about it that the game itself was nothing special, but it looked like it had some educational value and some cool artwork on the cards. I probably would not have purchased this game at all.

However, I received this game as part of a sort of grab bag of card games that was sent to me as a thank you gift from someone. Since I got it for free, I figured I might as well play it with the kid.

What You Get
*38 Alien cards
*16 Power cards
*1 "Powers at a Glance" card
*Rules

How to Play
As the title of my review indicates, this is basically a variation on the game "War" that we all probably played way too much of as children. You know, that game you would never ever play again now that you are an adult. Right?

Shuffle and deal out all of the cards. Do not worry if a player gets an extra card since this may or may not happen depending on how many players you have. All players need to stack their cards face down in a pile in front of them.

The Basics
As in regular War, all players take the top card from their piles and place it face up in the center of the playing area. A winner is determined based on the cards laid down, and that player takes all of the cards in the center and sets them beside himself in a winnings pile. When players have gone all the way through their draw pile, they then shuffle all of the cards in their winnings pile and that becomes their new draw pile. Play continues in this manner until one player is in possession of the entire deck. That player is the winner.

Who Gets the Cards?
If all cards turned over in a given hand are aliens, then the highest numbered card wins.

If two or more players turn up matching cards, and if those cards beat all other cards just turned over, then a war is on. The players who matched each lat 2 cards face down, then a third face up. The player with the winning card from the new face up cards takes all of the cards in the center and puts them in his winnings pile. Should the war result in a tie, then another war is played out in the same manner, until the result is not a tie.

Power Cards
The 16 Power cards come in several varieties: Odd Eaters, Even Eaters, Plustoids, Minusaurs, Space Germs, and Black Holes.

If an Odd Eater is turned over, it will eat any odd numbered Alien cards but is powerless against even numbers. The same can be said of the Even Eater for Even Aliens, except for the Alien card 2 which is labeled "inedible."

When a Space Germ card is turned over, all other cards in the center immediately are tucked under this card in the center and all playes must throw new cards. The winner takes all cards, including those underneath the Space Germ. However, if an Alien card 4 (Alpha Centurion Medical Center) is turned up it cannot be paralyzed and always wins against a Space Germ card.

Plustoids and Minusaurs when initially turned over are set aside, declared "in orbit" and the player can use them at any time to add or subtract from either their cards or opponents cards in order to win. They can even be used to make an odd card even or an even card odd so it can be eaten.

When a Black Hole card is turned up, all players must take the top two cards - without looking - from their draw pile and place them in the box or elsewhere out of play for the remainder of the game. The player who threw the Black Hole card turns over a new card. The winner takes all cards, including the Black Hole.

What We Like

The Artwork
The artwork on these cards is absolutely fabulous. It's really colorful and humorous, and almost makes the game worth buying all by itself. I'm such a sucker for pretty.

The Black Hole Card
When I played "War" with a regular deck of cards as a child, I remember it could go on seemingly forever. In fact, I had a great deal of difficulty talking my family members into playing it with me because it took so darn long and was boring to them, though not to me at the time. Thankfully, this game really does seem to take the advertised 20 minutes. One of the main reasons for that is the Black Hole card. There is only one Black Hole card, but it does turn up pretty reliably (unless it is a face down card during a war). And when it does, it always takes between 4 and 8 cards out of the game, depending on the number of players. And, it never goes away. Thus, the game can only last so long.

Educational Value
This game reinforces basic math skills like addition and subtraction, and helps solidify a young child's understanding of even and odd numbers. There are a lot of games that help with adding and subtracting out there, and many of them are more fun. However, this is the first game I've run across that specifically drills kids on evens and odds.

The Kid Enjoys It
Our 7-year-old enjoys this game. All by itself, this would be a fine reason for purchasing the game.

What We Don't Like
The obvious thing not to like about this game is that it's "War." All kids seem to enjoy "War." Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't all adults come to hate it?

Price
This game sells for about $10. That seems about reasonable for a game like this. The cards themselves are of better durability than those of a game like the Spiderwick Chronicles Creature Capture Card Game which is a few dollars cheaper. It also comes with a nicer box. And, the artwork is really exceptional.

Age Range
As is often true of games, particularly of Gamewright games in my experience, the age range on this one is screwy. The box says for ages 8 and up. If you want your child to get the most out of this game, 8 years old is almost too late. Educationally, this game is ideal for a 1st grader. The play is quite simple and the math concepts are just right for that age. I would say most 6 and 7 year olds could benefit from this game and have little trouble playing it. Even if they have no idea about odds and evens yet that can easily be explained and illustrated during game play.

Final Thoughts
I don't really enjoy this game. But, as an educational game it suits a specific purpose, and I like that. Also, kids at the right age will enjoy this game. So, although I don't really look forward to playing it myself, I am glad I got it as a gift and I am happy to play it with my kid occasionally.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): Free
Type of Toy: Game
Age Range of Child: 6 to 8 Years