Wednesday, January 15, 2020

More Great Games from Amigo Games!

A few months ago, the wonderful folks at Amigo Games sent me several games to review.  (You can find that review here: Great Board and Card Games from Amigo Games Inc.) My family and I really enjoyed those games! And I felt that they were made of quality components as well! So I was THRILLED when Amigo Games sent another box of games!




Let me tell you what I love about Amigo Games in general:
1.) They have something for everyone!  From preschool to adult, they have fun games for the entire family!  And they have games with all sorts of themes!
2.) The components are well made! All of the games have quality game pieces!  Even games like Cafe International that use cardboard type components - the pieces are sturdy and well made!
3.) The box lids are tight! OK, this may sound like a weird thing to love. But as a family with lots of games, one of my biggest pet peeves is lose box tops!  It makes it impossible to store a box standing up without risking the top slipping off and spilling all the contents.  ARGH!  But these boxes all have very tight, secure box tops!   So they can be stored lying down OR standing up, which makes this mama VERY happy!

OK!  Now to the games!

1.) Ring-A-Ding-Ding - (Ages 4+, 2-6 Players)


My kids really enjoyed this one!  The game comes with 72 little bands (similar to ponytail holders), 32 pattern cards, and 1 bell.  Each person takes a card and attempts to make the pattern on their own hand as quickly as possible.  The first to finish rings the bell.


What I love:
1.) Its colorful!  This game is so bright and colorful!  That may not seem like much, but it makes it very inviting!
2.) It helps little ones with pattern recognition and hand-eye coordination!
3.) It can be played without an adult! - Its so helpful to have games that the kids can occasionally play alone if I need to work on something else - like the never ending pile of laundry that is slowly taking over my house!  As long as your child(ren) are old enough that they wouldn't be tempted to put the little bands in their mouths, this is a great independent game!


2.) Caterpillar Crawl - (Ages 4-10, 2-4 Players)


This is another one my kids loved!  And even though the box says "Ages 4-10," I enjoyed playing too!  The game includes 4 caterpillar heads, 24 colorful caterpillar sections, and 3 color dice. You roll the dice and try move your caterpillar and finish first.


What I love:
1.) Once again, the components are colorful and beautiful!
2.) The components are made out of wood instead of plastic!  They seem very well made!
3.) Because of the dice rolling component, this game adds a bit of strategy!  You have to decide whether to take what you've got or keep rolling. (You get 3 rolls).  This helps kids practice simple decision making, choosing the best option, etc!
4.) It can be played without an adult! - Again, as long as the dice aren't a choking hazard, this game is easy enough to be played by kids alone!

3.) Connect the Thoughts - (Ages 5+, 2-4 Players)


This game includes 80 cards and 1 bell. Players race to make a row of 5 cards with "connections" on them.  Connections are matching pictures. But you can also use your reasoning to make a non-match connection.  For example, you could match a dog and a penguin (both animals).  But be prepared to explain the connection!


1.) It can be played without an adult!  This is another one that kids can play alone!
2.) It makes you really think! - Not only is it a game of speed, its also a game tat makes you really think in order to make some non-match connections.
3.) It has 2 levels of play (matches and non-match connections), which makes it a game that works for many ages.
4.) Helps kids with visual recognition skills.

4.) Engine Engine No.9 - (Ages 5-105, 2-4 Players)


My kids really enjoyed this game!  And I had fun as well! The includes 1 game board, 3 track-switch panels, 1 color die, 2 number dice, 12 toy trains, and 12 repair tokens (expansion pack).  Race to get your trains to the finish first!  But be careful because the track panels move!


What I love -
1.) TRAINS!  This game comes with 12 little train pieces!  If you have little ones, that alone makes this game appealing!
2.) Great way to work on problem-solving, spacial recognition, and strategic thinking.
3.) It comes with a little expansion, which adds a second level of play!  This makes the game stay fresh, even after your little one begins to master the first level!

5.) Double Down - (Ages 8+, 2-8 Players)


This game is a great little math practice and a fun card game all rolled into one!  It contains 55 Cards and 25 chips.


What I love -
1.) Its pink and black!  - I know that's trivial, but this game is so unique looking!
2.) Up to 8 people can play! - We have 5 people in our family, so its always great to find games that easily work with more than 4 people.
3.) It's a great way to practice addition and recognition of doubles! - In the game you have to add your up the cards as you lie them down.  If you lay down a card that makes the total go to a double (44, 66, 99, etc.) or number higher than 99, you lose a chip.

6.) Take5/Take A Number Bonus Pack - (Ages 8+, 2-10 Players)


These are 2 more great games for math practice! This box includes 2 complete games!  Take5 comes with 104 Number Cards and Take A Number comes with 100 number cards and 7 row cards.  Take A Number is basically Take5 with some added rules, so it's great to start with Take5 and then move to Take A Number once you've mastered Take5.


What I love -

1.) Its 2 games in one box!  I love getting a bonus!  Games that come with expansions are great, but a box that comes with 2 COMPLETE GAMES is fantastic!
2.) Up to 10 people can play! - Both games can accommodate 2- 10 players!  That makes them great for small group play as well as large group play!
3.) They're great math practice!  In both games you have to place your card next to the card that is closest to yours (but more than yours) numerically.  This is a great way to practice number recognition and numerical order!

7.) Cafe International - (Ages 10-Adult, 2-4 Players)


Have you ever waited for a long time for a table at a restaurant and thought, "I could manage this seating thing better!"  Well, here's your chance!  Haha! This game is the winner of Europe's top game award - the Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year)!  And its a great strategy game for kids and adults!  The game comes with 1 game board, 48 female diner tokens, 48 male diner tokens, 4 multinational diner tokens, 5 replacement tokens, 1 token pouch, 60 black scoring chips, 30 red scoring chips, and 10 blue scoring chips.


What I love:
1.) The game board and diner tokens are really nice and sturdy!
2.) It comes with replacement tokens! - Every game knows the horror of losing a playing piece!  But Amigo has made that horror a little lighter by including 5 blank token pieces that you can use as replacements if needed!
3.) The game is strategic, but laid back. - In the evenings (when my homeschooling mama brain is fried) I like to enjoy a good game!  But I often don't have the wherewithal to to deal with an insanely difficult game.  Its just too much trouble!  This game is perfect because it is strategic and you have to think, but its not overly complicated! My husband even enjoyed a game while we watched a football game on TV!

8.) Heimlich & Co. - (Ages 8 - Adult, 2-7 Players)


This is a simple, but fun game where everyone gets to be a secret agent!  The game includes 1 game board, 7 secret agent playing pieces, 7 scoring tokens, 1 die, 1 safe playing piece, 8 playing piece stands, and 1 expansion pack of 26 tp secret cards.


What I love:
1.) The game can be played by 2 people or up to 7!  - I love a game that my husband and I can enjoy alone, but that can also be enjoyed by the entire family!
2.) Its simple enough for kids to play! - There isn't a lot of deep strategy in this game.  Its a fun race around the board!  (Adding the top secret cards expansion adds more strategy). This game is similar to another Amigo Games game called Escape from the Hidden Castle.  It's simple enough for kids to play, which makes it a fun family game!
3.) The components are well made. - The playing pieces are sturdy and it even comes with little stands!
4.) Its not a super long game. - Sometimes you just need a relaxing, fun game that its super long.  This game takes 30-45 minutes, so its a great game for some after dinner fun.

9.) Saboteur: The Duel - (Ages 8+, 1-2 Players)


This is a 2-player version of Amig Games' popular Saboteur card game!  It comes with 36 path cards, 18 action  cards, 18 goal cards, 2 dwarf cards, 8 dwarf counters, 2 keys, and 2 dwarves with bases.


What I love:
1.) Its a 2-player game! - I love a fun card game!  But often you need at least 3 players to play them.  That's the case with the popular Saboteur card game!  So the folks at Amigo Games made this awesome 2-player version!
2.) It has a solo play option! - Sometimes you just can't find a second player. Its sad, but it's true. So it's awesome to have a game with a solo player option.
3.) Its portable! - Because it's small, it's very easy to throw in a bag and take with you! You'll need a little room for gameplay, but it's a great option for vacation, etc!
4.) It's not a super long game. - At approximately 30 minutes, its neither too long, no too short!


I received these games, free of charge from Amigo Games, in exchange for my honest review.






















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