Goliath Games and Pressmen Toys have joined forces to create some of the most unique, fun, and interesting board and card games for a range of ages. Below are ten games that would make ideal gifts this holiday season:
Googly Eyes: A family game, Googly Eyes comes with a set of funky over-sized green glasses that require players to look silly while attempting to think fast in order to win. The game requires several players. Bespectacled players take turns drawing clues for their teammates to guess. But, the glasses change the way they see by altering their vision which makes it harder to guess what they have drawn. A timer is included and should be used to set a faster pace, although the timer can also be left out to reduce frustration and anxiety for players who need more time to complete the clues. The game retails for $19.99.
Rummikub: One of the most popular family games offered by the company, Rummikub is easy to learn and fast moving, it’s different every time it’s played, it combines luck and strategy, and it changes quickly so every player has a chance to win until the very end. Moreover, with over fifty-million units sold, Rummikub is one of the world’s best-selling, and most-played, games. Players take turns placing numbered tiles in runs (consecutive numbers of the same color, like 2, 3, 4 in red) and groups (three or more of the same number in different colors, like a red 9, a blue 9, and a black 9), rummy style. It’s easy to learn, but packed with strategy the “board” changes all the time as players adjust the tiles on the table. The “Joker” tiles add to the fun; they can be any color or number. The object is to be the first player to play every tile on your rack. Players keep track of who wins each round–the player who wins the most rounds wins this time-tested tile game (there’s also a point system for use as a tie-breaker).
Rummikub is ideal for people of different ages to play together, and it’s great for a game night too. When kids play, it reinforces Stem and Steam concepts such as sequencing, pattern recognition, and planning skills. It’s got lots of exciting moments, but it’s also designed to bring people together, with plenty of opportunities for talking, chatting, and sharing with family and friends. Rummikub includes 106 high-quality plastic tiles, 4 plastic tile-holder racks, and illustrated instructions. It is intended for two or more players ages eight and up.
Stuff Happens: The ultimate stocking-stuffer for adults and teens, “Stuff Happens” is a hilarious card game about misfortune. Every card features an unfortunate event or incident (such as being attacked by bees). Players deal out the cards and the must decide who has been dealt the worst hand. For instance, is a third-degree sunburn better or worse than seeing your father naked? Is it worse than dropping your phone in the toilet? Rank the card, and if the game’s “Misery Index” agrees with your assessment, you get to keep it. The player who ranks ten cards correctly first wins the game. This PG-13 game retails for $20.
Lucky Ducks: An adorable game for small children, “Lucky Ducks” is a matching game that combines developmental skills for young children with the fun of a “My First Game”. This game offers all of the benefits of a memory game in a format that’s easier for little fingers than cards. It comes with a rotating board (that looks like a pond) and twelve adorable yellow ducks. Each duck contains a shape and color at their base (a red circle, a blue star, a green triangle, and a purple square). There are three ducks for each side of the board. The player who collects all three of the ducks that match their side of the board first wins. Intended for kids ages three and older, the game enables parents and toddlers to play together and retails for $25.
Pop the Pig: A funny game for children and/or families, “Pop The Pig” features a “board” in the shape of a pig character who is dressed up like a chef. Each player takes turns to roll the die to see how many chomps of a specific type of food the pig will take and then the player must push down the pig’s head to chomp the burger. With every pump, the pig’s stomach will get bigger, bigger, and bigger…but don’t feed him too much because if he pops, you lose! It retails for $19.99.
Greedy Granny: Another very humorous family and/or kids game, “Greedy Granny” features a granny figure instead of a standard board. Granny is sleeping with a tray of treats on her lap. Players must take turns attempting to remove the pieces from Granny’s tray as carefully as they can without waking Granny. But Granny is a light sleeper – someone may disturb Granny and send her teeth flying! If her teeth fly at you, you lose. The last player remaining who has avoided Granny’s teeth wins the game! It retails for $24.99.
Doggie Doo: Doggie Doo is yet another family and/or kids game that uses a figurine–in this case a dog–in place of a traditional board to have fun. Originally from Europe, this game requires players to “feed” and “walk” the “dog” but, if he makes a mess, you have to clean it up. Every time the dog’s leash is squeezed he makes a gassy–and funny–sound that gets increasingly louder until he eventually poops. The first player to clean up after the dog three times wins. It retails for $22.99.
Catch the Fox: Arguably the most bizarre–and the downright funniest–of all the family and/or kid’s games in the line, Catch the Fox features a fox character who is wearing oversized green pants and–as it turns out–chicken-patterned boxer shorts. The basis of the game is that this greedy fox has gotten into a hen house and is readily snatching up the chickens and stuffing them into his pockets. Alas, once there are too many chickens in his pants, his trousers will promptly fall to the ground, subsequently revealing his fancy underwear and enabling the chickens to escape. Players must roll the die to see how many chickens to add into the fox’s pockets and push his head one time. Before you know it, the fox will lose his pants and the chickens will roll everywhere! The players must the rescue the chickens and return them to their chicken coop. The first player to fill up their coop wins. It retails for $22.99.
Mastermind: An excellent game for slightly older kids, teens, and adults, Mastermind tests player’s code-cracking prowess. This challenging game of logic and deduction requires players to crack a code in ten moves or less. With more than fifty-five-million units sold, Mastermind is a great strategy game… and one of the world’s most popular games ever. It’s easy to learn and fast to play, and with more than 2,000 possible codes it’s different every time.
The game needs two players ages eight and up. The “Codemaker” sets a secret code and then the “Codebreaker” tries to match the code using logic, deduction, and maybe even a little bit of luck. After each move, the Codemaker gives clues to the Codebreaker. Make the code even more devious by using multiple pegs of the same color or by leaving one or more peg holes empty. With so many possible code combinations, every game is guaranteed to be a brainteaser. All of this mind game’s components can be stored in the game board. The set includes a game console with built-in storage tray and code peg shield, 108 code pegs in 6 colors, 30 key pegs in two colors, and complete instructions. It retails for $14.99.
Tri-Ominos: Ideal for people ages eight and up, this classic triangular domino game asks players to score points by matching numbers on the three-sided pieces. The set contains fifty-six plastic playing pieces with brass spinners and four plastic racks. It is classic, perfect for travel, and requires two to four players. It retails for $14.99.
To learn more about Goliath Games, see here. To learn more about Pressman Toys, see here.
