My kids received the fun card game, Kaboodl, in their Easter basket this year. The game can be found rather inexpensively in the game department. We found this game packaged with a bonus back of UNO cards at Target for just $6.00.

The English word caboodle means a collection of something and the phrase kit and caboodle comes to mind. That’s pretty much the idea behind this game, to get the whole kaboodl. Kaboodl is not a word so I’ll have to assume based on game play.

The game is recommended for ages 7 and up though since it doesn’t require any reading our 5 year old was able to follow along quite nicely. Anyone who can match should be able to participate in this game.

There are 103 cards in the stack but the 12 kaboodl cards are removed from the deck before shuffling. The kaboodl is easy to separate because they are the only cards that are marked on both sides. The kaboodl is arranged in the middle of the table in no particular order. The rest of the deck is shuffled and each player is dealt 7 cards and the remaining cards will be the draw pile.

There are several different types of cards in the deck. There are 24 solid color cards, 18 cards with only dots, and 24 cards with only a creature on the card. There are only four creatures: Birdbeak, Fishlips, Lizarbelly, and Snakehead. There are three additional command cards which add a little flare to the game. There are 10 wild cards which enable the player to use in substitution of color, dot, or creature. There are 10 K’baam cards which have a picture of a hand with a card in it. The player yells, “K’baam!” as they steal another player’s Kaboodl card. There are 5 K’bosh cards which counteract the K’baam cards. The word kibosh in English means to stop. The card must be played by the person having their card stolen. For effect, they are to say, “K’bosh!” before the play is over.

Game play is very easy to learn. Your goal is to collect the kaboodl which is the 12 cards face up in the middle of the table. You’ll need to find cards in your hand that together make that card. For instance, if you see a red one dot snake in the kaboodl you’ll look for thee cards in your hand. You’ll choose the basic solid red card, the card with one dot, and the card with the snake. You will put your set of 3 cards is the discard pile and take the snake from the kaboodl display. You can also match up like cards like putting down 3 red cards. During your turn you can collect as many kaboodl cards and play as many command cards as you need. You refill your hand up to 8 cards on the next turn so you have fresh cards to consider.

Most card games are played with whoever goes out first wins the game but it’s not so in this game. Once all of the kaboodl is gone the scores are tallied and the one with the highest score is the winner. You can incorporate a little educational benefit to the game by letting your child be the scorekeeper. A player gets 5 points for each kaboodl that was collected, 5 points for set of 3 of a kind cards, and 10 points for each set of 4 of a kind that were collected. A point is subtracted for each card that remains in the player’s hand.

The cards are similar to any other deck of cards, thin with a slick coating. My kids didn't have any problems holding or sorting them. The cards are bright colored and very easy to see. The base of the cards is red, yellow, blue, or green, or gray. The characters are large and very unique eliminating the risk for confusion. The dots are large and easy to count.

This is a great game and very easy to learn. It has a unique game play that we haven’t run across yet. I’m struggling to find a game to compare it to because it’s really quite unique. There are only a couple things going on in the game. The player concentrates on building a set which is a little more challenging than just collecting like colors. An added thrill to the game is stealing and fending off your opponents. Some games allow others to take your good card but very few games incorporate a block for the player to use to prevent the person from taking the card. This number of steal and block cards are proportioned nicely so that it adds excitement to the game without ruining the fun.

We enjoy playing this games because it gets the whole family involved. Since reading isn't required the younger children are able to play along. There is very little concentration and not much of a strategy to the game so it plays quickly. The backing is yellow in color and the whimsical characters on the picture cards make this a gender neutral game that either a male or female would like.

General Information
Mattel, Inc.; El Segundo, CA 90245
Phone: 1-800-524-TOYS
Website: www.mattel.com
Players: 2-6
Age: 7+


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 6.00
Type of Toy: Game
Age Range of Child: 6 to 8 Years