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Gifts for Sharp Nephews and Smart Nieces

Recommendations

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Ticket to Ride

Updated Jan 8, 2007

3 people recommended this item

Description

Having seen that Ticket to Ride was recommended by several people who like Settlers of Catan, I decided to purchase it for my son for Christmas since he love Settlers of Catan. Ticket to Ride was a perfect game for us. It's much simpler to set up and learn than Settlers and the play moves much more quickly. You don't know who's going to win until the end (unlike Settlers). Other than that, it's nothing like Settlers of Catan except that it does involve building things on the board by playing cards that you have accumulated.

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Blokus

Updated Jun 17, 2006

1st to recommend

3 people recommended this item

Description

Blockus is a board game that combines logic, strategy, spatial perception and a healthy dose of laughter. It's one of those rare games that is challenging and fun for everybody in our family from our 3 year old daughter and 8 year old son to the aunts and uncles.

Though the rules are simple to learn, no matter how good you are, it seems that you can always think of new strategies to try. The thinking that goes into this is unlike other spatial games which brings an extra element of excitement into the playing.

This is one of those games we carry with us and introduce to others. In fact, we need to purchase another copy as the last family we shared it with loved it so much we left the game with them.
There is also a travel sized Blokus for packing on long trips. (Warning: Don't lose any pieces!)

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Maple Landmark Color Cube

Updated Nov 30, 2006

1st to recommend

2 people recommended this item

Description

This color cube from Maple Landmark is a small (about 2 inch) wood version of the Soma Cube which I think every child should have a chance to play with. I still remember the time I spent trying to put the Soma Cube together to make different shapes and how it taught me about the various 3-dimensional combinations of cubes. My kids are getting this one for Christmas this year.

Here's a page that shows other shapes you can make with the Soma Cube pieces: http://soma-shapes.notlong.com

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Khet / Deflexion Laser Game

Updated Nov 9, 2006

1st to recommend

4 people recommended this item

Description

It's cool, because it has lasers. It's fun because this game combines geometric thinking, tactics, and strategy and many unexpected move opportunities taking advantage of your own and your opponents pieces.

My son has pointed out quite a few parallels between the tactics of Deflexion and the tactics of chess including: pins, forks, interposition, and discovered attacks.

We are just scratching the surface of figuring out longer term strategies and defense, and our games usually end in a surprise win, which for now just adds to the suspense and fun. (via ThinkGeek)

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Quarto

Updated Oct 25, 2006

1st to recommend

4 people recommended this item

Description

This wood board game stresses pattern recognition combined with a bit of geometry (straight lines). It relates to the game "Set" in the multi-dimensional pattern aspects and reminds me of Tic-Tac-Toe or Connect Four with how you win.

However, there are a couple of twists which make it a unique and challenging game: The pieces on the board belong to both players; any of them can be used by either player to win. Furthermore, when it's your turn to place a piece on the board, your opponent chooses which piece you will be using!

Though the rules are easy to learn, it is very tough to master as you have to keep thinking through deeper and deeper levels of what could possibly happen with the next move, and the move after that, and...

This well-made and attractive wood game set is suitable for leaving out as decoration and a conversation starter.

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Snatch Word Game

Updated Jan 6, 2007

1st to recommend

3 people recommended this item

Description

This game will appeal to the Scrabble and Boggle lovers but is much easier to learn than Scrabble and more interesting than Boggle. Games can be as fast as you want, or you can spend minutes trying to figure out how to steal words that others have built by reordering and adding letters.

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Razzle Dazzle

Updated Apr 25, 2007

1st to recommend

Description

The rules to Razzle Dazzle can be described in about three sentences, so it's extremely easy to learn the basics. My son and I have been playing it a couple days, though, and we are still trying to figure out what the best offense and defense strategies might be. At this point we're pretty sure that it's easier than chess, but not sure if it's harder than checkers. Razzle Dazzle combines chess-knight moves for the wood pieces and chess-queen moves for a marble that jumps between the wood pieces. It's a unique combination that makes for a fairly quick, enjoyable diversion. So far, Nicholas has won all of our games by seeing combination moves that I wasn't able to detect. It must be his chess training at work. (via Firebox)

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Roger's Connection® Magnetic Building Set

Updated Nov 19, 2006

1st to recommend

Description

My son played for weeks with the Rogers Connection Magnetic Building Set when we bought it for him a couple Christmases ago and, truth be told, so did I. Now my daughter is getting old enough to enjoy them, too, and we haven't even lost that many pieces.

I think these are a must have after your child has started to slow down in playing with the standard wood blocks. I also recommend buying as many sets as you can afford. The more pieces you have to play with, the more interesting the structures that you can build--er... I mean... that your child can build.

We've also fooled around with the sets with shorter rods that are available at the standard toy stores, but for some reason, these longer rods seemed to allow for more creative designs. I'm not sure it makes geometrical sense since all the rods are the same length, but there you have it: I prefer Rogers Connections.

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TIPOVER Crate Game

Updated Nov 2, 2006

1st to recommend

Description

I guess toys must sell better if you call them a "game" instead of a "puzzle". TIPOVER is really a series of puzzles that can entertain a single person for quite a while, or you can work together to try to solve them.

If you follow the challenge cards in sequence starting with the easiest, they do a great job of letting you discover the principles of the various solution tactics and use these patterns in progressively harder and more complex puzzles.

TIPOVER is challenging for adults and kids enjoy solving the easier levels and may surprise you with how far they get on the tougher ones.

Check out the sample puzzles online to see if you like the general principle, but it's definitely nice to have the physical "crates" to tip over.

This can easily fit in your game closet and can be pulled out when you have puzzle loving friends over.

This page has some bonus challenges you can download and print: http://tipover-challenges.notlong.com

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Rush Hour Traffic Jam Puzzle

Updated Nov 20, 2006

5 people recommended this item

Description

My 9 year old son and I are working our way through the various puzzles presented by this game. In many ways this game reminds us of the TIPOVER Crate game. Both are a series of puzzles in increasing difficulty. Both involve a small board with a set of cards that show you how to set up each puzzle. Both involve geometric tactics and changing the configuration of the pieces on the board to accomplish a goal. And, both are very, very fun. (via David)

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SET

Updated Jun 17, 2006

1st to recommend

2 people recommended this item

Description

If you're tired of waiting for your turn, try SET. Everybody plays at the same time and the quickest thinker wins.

Though it can be very challenging to find sets of three cards following the specific rules of the game, your kids may surprise you with their ability to learn and their speed at perceiving patterns.

This game takes little room (just a pack of cards) so it's easy to take on trips. It also can be played for as little or as much time as you have available, so it can fit into your lifestyle.

Plus, it's gotta be good exercise for those kids' growing brains (not to mention their parents' slowing brains).

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Five State Rummy Game Cards

Updated Nov 13, 2006

1st to recommend

Description

Though it is obviously intended as an educational game Five State Rummy is also a fun diversion.

There's a little strategy involved and a lot of luck, and you will learn things about the geographic relationships of the US states that you didn't know before.

The cards have facts printed on them like the state capital, bird, flower, etc, but we generally don't pay much attention to those. You could probably tweak the rules a bit to reinforce any of those facts that you wanted the kids to learn (e.g., require saying the state capital out loud when discarding a card).

. (via Uncle Mark Gift Guide & Almanac)

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Settlers of Catan

Updated Nov 9, 2006

1st to recommend

10 people recommended this item

Description

This complex strategy board game requires extensive set up, lots of time to learn, starts off very slow, and takes an hour or three to complete a game.

And yet, it's somehow addicting. I've seen adults and kids both spend hours upon end playing Settlers of Catan and not get tired of it.

Just make sure you have a large empty area (preferably a flat table) and a couple hours free before you pull it out from the games cabinet.

Once you (or your kids) get addicted, you may be tempted (begged) to purchase some of the extensions and add on sets that make the game take even longer to finish.

Minimum age for kids to enjoy this game is probably around 8-10.

. (via Alain, Joe)

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Maze

Updated Oct 25, 2006

1st to recommend

Description

Billed as a "Co-operative Strategy Game", Maze is a poorly named, but challenging game that will stretch your mental abilities when played at the middle or hardest levels.

You can ignore the claims that it is comparable to chess. The similarity ends at having pieces that move on a grid.

Since both players are working together to solve a common goal, it's really more of a puzzle you are trying to solve together; and it's a different challenge every time because of the random setup phase.

The pieces and instructions have that "built in my garage workshop" quality, but that seems to be attractive to a certain "back to basics" market segment. (Is my wife going to read these reviews?)

The minimum age for kids to enjoy this probably starts around 8-10, but even adults may want to stick with the rules at the easier levels unless you have a lot of time to plan your winning strategy.

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Digit / Pick-It / Stix

Updated Jun 17, 2006

1st to recommend

Description

This card and sticks game challenges your ability to recognize and transform shapes with rotation and mirroring thrown into the mix.

Taking turns you each try to convert the current shape of the 5 sticks into a shape that matches one of your 5 cards by moving only one stick. It's not always possible and certainly not always easy, but the person who succeeds the most wins.

This simple but challenging game is enjoyed by adults and kids, and we've found that children as young as 4-5 can get a thrill in figuring out a way to create a match for a pattern.

If you're tired of playing the same games with your kids, try to find a copy of this one and stretch your minds in new ways.

This difficult to find game is known by several different names including Digit, Stix, and Pick-It. It comes from a company named Piatnik in Germany and also used to be sold through Discovery Toys. I can find it today on Amazon.de, eBay, and funagain.com (currently out of stock).

The concept is simple enough that if you had a copy of the basic rules, you could probably create your own set of cards to play with 5 toothpicks. Figuring out the 55 ways that 5 sticks can form a shape might be a game in itself.

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Analysis Chess Set Combo

Updated Oct 25, 2006

1st to recommend

Description

This is a great, inexpensive chess set for starting out. The board is easy to roll up and the pieces can be tossed in the provided zip-up bag. The small 12"x12" board fits easily in smaller places. I keep one on my desk at work and one tucked in the door pocket of my car.

Note: This set is *not* suitable for using in a USCF chess tournament. For that purpose, you will need a full size 20"x20" board with suitably larger pieces.

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Connect Four

Updated Nov 24, 2006

1st to recommend

3 people recommended this item

Description

Somewhere around the time your child is starting to figure out that Tic Tac Toe always ends in a cat's game with good players, they will be ready for the classic Connect Four game. This phase will also pass as they grow older and become interested in more challenging games, but make sure they get the chance to experience it.

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Discovery Toys Super Marbleworks

Updated Dec 5, 2006

1st to recommend

Description

If your kids stop to watch those moving ball structures in many US malls, they may enjoy this toy. I remember creating my own structures to roll marbles down when I was a kid. I think I used things like empty paper towel tubes, books, and rulers with the grooves on the top and I had a blast. When our son was about 4-5 my wife got the Discovery Toys Super Marbleworks (or a set very much like this one) for him and we had a blast creating structures to roll the marbles down. There is something hypnotic about watching and hearing the marbles move down, across, and around the various paths you have set up.

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Cuboro Marble Run

Updated Dec 5, 2006

1st to recommend

Description

We had a set of marble blocks very similar to this Cuboro Marble Run. Our son had a lot of fun setting up different structures for the marbles to follow. Though it is similar in concept to the Discovery Toys Marbleworks you need to use a different thought process to set up these wooden blocks than for the plastic pathways.

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esh
Anvilon
Campus Explorer
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Father of a 9 year old boy and a 4 year old girl. more
About this list
These games will not only be fun for the young folks you give them to, but you will enjoy playing them, too.
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