The Toy Review

Here’s another fun looking game! Stratego is a war game for ages 8 and up. The object is to capture your opponents flag while protecting your own. One of the reviewers compares it to chess, and that was my thought after reading the description. I may have to get it and try it out just to see if that classic war game can be improved upon.

It’s time for another adult toy. Toy for adults. Whatever, you know what I meant. I currently had a Creative Zen VPlus, but I would really love to trade it in for this Mozaic. I outgrew my 2 GB the second time I added things to the player. And mine is black, not pink! I want PINK! And if I got it, I would have plenty of room for whole downloadable audio books, instead of having to load half, listen, delete, load the second half, which is my current, less than desirable method.

Here is a game I have never played, but am interested to learn. Tere’s just something so dangerous sounding about a game called Risk, like maybe you need to get a life insurance quote before you sit down to play, ya know?

The game is marketed or those 10 and up, and from the reviews, all ages enjoy it. I guess one never gets tired of trying to be Charlemagne, even all these centuries later. Pacifism out, world domination IN!

Ooooh, this game looks like lots of fun! Ticket to Ride is a cross country train adventure that’s for the whole family, provided that the family members are all eight and above. The players own choices dictate how the game plays out, so the game will be new each time it’s played. Played by 2-5 players, games will last 30-60 minutes, and once you are ready for a new experience, there are other editions to try.

If you are *coughcough* just a little bit older than me, and you like Monopoly, then this Beatles Monopoly Game will probably appeal to you. Like most -opoly’s, it plays like regular Monopoly, but the tokens and houses and hotels are different. The one has takens based on 6 of the most popular Beatles songs, and the house and hotels are called listening parties and concerts. The properties are the Beatles albums! Pretty nifty, huh?

Surely everyone remembers the Rubik’s Cube. I had so much fun and frustration with this thing back in the day. I doubt there is a child of the 80’s who can resist picking one up when they see it. The premise is quite simple: take the nice little colored cube, twist it up thoroughly to mix the colors, and then put it back. It’s more fun if someone else twists it for you, depending on your definition of fun, of course. I kept one of these on my dresser all through high school and it was a source of endless frustration and fascination. I did find one fool proof method of solving the puzzle, though. It worked every time, but you can’t use it too often. Not sure I want to tell you what it is, though….. I’ll have to think on that a bit more. The traditional Rubik’s Cube is recommended for ages 8 and up.

And then, there is this:

That’s just real close to scary, isn’t it? Because I thought I was all that when I could do the small one, I’m not sure I want to tackle the Large Rubik’s Cube. The manufacturer says it’s also for ages 8 and up, but I’m thinking that might be enough to give you an evening’s peace from a teen, if you tell them they have to be pleasant until they solve it.