It’s often difficult to find a game for preschoolers that my daughter and I both enjoy. Either the game lasts way too long for me to get any enjoyment out of it, or my daughter puts so much stake in winning that she cries if she appears to be behind at any juncture! Thank God for Cranium Caribou. Cariboo is a game for ages 3 and up. The manufacturers recommend 2-4 players for maximum fun and minimum confusion. I had seen this game advertised on some of the websites I shop on and it was getting rave reviews. It also is a Parenting Magazine Toy of Year winner as well as making Dr. Toy’s 2002 Best Toys for Children list. So, for Christmas last year I decided to pick it up. My daughter, Daddy and Mommy all love it.

Cranium’s Cariboo is basically a matching game. The creators of this game (and the pother Cranium brand games) are very creative and the design is original and fun. It comes with a stack of cards that have either a number (1-4), a shape (circle, triangle, square), a color (red, blue, green, yellow), or a letter (A,B,C). The box doubles as the game board and has 15 squares with various objects that incorporate each of attributes on the cards. For instance, there is one square with ONE RED BOAT in a TRIANGLE.


You begin play by putting all six rubber colored balls in the chutes at the top of the game board. They roll around and position themselves under individual squares. The first person chooses a card and has to pick an object that matches the characteristic. If the card with a red swatch is drawn, the player picks up the plastic key, and inserts it into a hole above that square on the board. The square will flip open revealing whether a rubber ball has settled in that position. If a ball is found, it is pulled from under the square and placed in a chute on the side of the board. When all six balls have been put into the chute, the top of a treasure chest springs open and reveals a gold treasure.

The game takes at most fifteen minutes to play and so there is enough time for 3 or more games before Mom or Dad gets tired. In fact, this Mom enjoys playing Cranium Cariboo and can handle playing much longer than with such games as Candyland. Also, the game includes a treasure map that sparks the imagination to create variations on the game. The only improvement I would recommend would be the ability to change the objects on the individual squares.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 16.95
Type of Toy: Game
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years