I purchased this for my son for his third birthday last month after family game night was reinstated a few months ago. After purchasing two other Cranium games for the adults, I saw an advertisement in the game boxes for this game. My son, who loves to be involved in game night but hates the fact he really does not get to play, took to this game instantly.
I am happy to see that the Cranium guys listened to the earlier reviews of this game when it first came out. You now get two sets of cards for the game to use as the child grows eliminating the need to hunt down and pay more for "booster boxes".
AGE FOR PLAY
According to the box, this game is recommended for ages three and up. I would recommend it for three to five year olds. I could see any kids older than that getting bored easy. The balls do pose a choking hazard and therefore might not be a good idea for any kids younger than 3.
THE GAME PARTS
The game consists of two sets of cards - one for beginners and the other for more advanced players. The game board, which is built in to the bottom of the box, is extra sturdy and has the 12 doors to open and look for the balls underneath. The six brightly colored rubber balls and the key to open the doors to find the balls complete the parts.
The beginner cards are made up of numbers (1-4), colors, letters (A, B, C), and shapes. The advanced set is letters and numbers only but more of them. They range from 1-10 and all of the alphabet.
SET UP
Set up is a breeze. You take the lid off the box, put the balls into the holes on top of the board, shuffle the cards, and you are ready to cariboo.
After all six of the balls are used to open the treasure box, you simply slide the plastic lid off that section and drop the balls back into the holes on the board. Shuffle the cards and close the doors and play again.
OBJECT OF THE GAME
The object of the game for both beginners and advanced is to find the six hidden treasure balls and use them to open the treasure box. The player to put the last ball into the "tidepool" will cause the box to open and win.
PLAYING
BEGINNER PLAY -
After putting the six balls into the holes on top of the board, you are ready to play. You then take turns, youngest player first, picking a card and using the card to pick a door on the board. The doors correspond to the cards. An example of one of the doors is a picture of a red castle with the word "castle" underneath it and the castle is shaped like a triangle. You could choose this door if you picked a card with the color red, the letter "c" or a triangle on it. You then take the plastic key and press the button above the door you wish to choose and the door pops open. You look in the hole and see if there is ball hidden in there. If there is, you place the ball into the side of the board known as the "tumbling tidepool". Your turn is then over and the next player goes. The person to place the last ball in the tidepool opens the treasure chest and wins.
If you pick a card that has no corresponding door to it, which happens a lot as the end of the game is closer and most of the doors have already been picked, you do not get another turn, you have to wait and pick a new card on your next turn.
ADVANCED PLAY -
To switch to advanced play all you need is the second set of cards and to flip the cards on the doors over to the advanced side. It is super easy to go between the two. The balls and key are used just like playing a beginners game.
The cards and pictures are a little tougher for the older kids. An example of a door is two green helicopters with the word "helicopter" written underneath it. Because the advanced cards are letters and numbers only, you could pick this door if you got the card with the number 2 or the letter H on it. With more cards and the same of amount of doors as the beginners game your chance of having no door to open is greater, making the game a little longer.
PROS & CONS
I really like this game. It is quick (5 minutes a game), easy to set up again and again, and really easy for my three old to understand how to play and play by the rules.
There are a few cons.
The way the doors open make it easy to see where the balls are underneath them. When one door is open you can see the bottom of the game board where the other balls are. If my son plays this game while he is sitting on the floor hovering over it and one of the doors is open, he can see all the other balls and knows which to pick to get a ball. I remedied this by making him play at the kitchen table and this makes it more eye level and he cannot peer into the bottom of the box through an open door as easily.
Also, I can see him getting bored with the beginners cards soon and moving on to the advanced cards already. I do not think this game will last more than another two years without him getting completely bored of it.
With that said, my son plays this game A LOT. Maybe more than the average kid would. He plays with anyone who will play and when no one will play with him he recruits his stuffed animals to play. He has played all afternoon with this game all by himself.
Overall, I am very happy I purchased this game for my son. He loves the fact he can play a Cranium game like the adults on game night and any other time of day or night and he does not even realize he is learning fundamental skills. You can't beat that!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 7 (sale) Type of Toy: Board Game
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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