More on games

We couldn’t cover every game we have played in our column so here are a few more of our favorites. First off, we confess that most of our games were bought from a thrift store. All but a few of them are still available from retailers or online, but almost all of what we have we collected from the thrifts. Many games which retail for $20 or more can be had for as little as 99 cents. Of course, thrift stores only have a limited selection at any one time, but hunting for them is a sport in itself.

Everyone in our family liked “Rally Sport,” a race car game. In it, players first have to “buy” their car. This is done by spending the first several turns working at a gas station. Movement is along a track full of hazards like tacks that give flat tires, icy roads, out of gas, etc. At the end of the track, near the finish line, is a clear plastic square that overlays the movement track. A die roll rotates the square a quarter turn, which moves all the cars that are on it so that the one in first place is now third and third maybe is now in first. It’s a novel idea we have not seen in other games. “Rally Sport” is available online at aaabcuz.com.

A game that is good for children is “Bonkers.” It can accommodate up to six players at a time. Players have to follow a track around the board by the roll of dice. The unusual feature is that the directions next to the spaces on the track can be changed by the players. So it is possible to set traps for following players or better position yourself for advantage.

We played a number of card games while the children were young, and still do today. “Cribbage” is a classic game that teaches strategy and counting. “Phase 10” is a good one for several people to play. Players have to be the first to build collections of various cards, which becomes more difficult as the game progresses. The game is played in 10 rounds, thus the name.

One game that we actually bought for full price was called “Take off.” In it, players maneuver their airplane token around the world on a large roll-up map. There are many ways to go and the players have to choose their route based on their die roll and strategy. Cards come up occasionally (based on the die roll) which may order the player to go to a certain location, usually out of their way. We played this game a lot. We liked it because it is full of action, moves quickly, and teaches children about world geography.

“Nectar Collector” is a game we played when the children were small. Players have to play the part of a honey bee and collect honey, in the form of amber beads, on their way around the board. It’s harder than it sounds, and everyone learns a lot about honey bees.

We had a lot of fun with all the games we played. Of all the ones we dragged home from the thrift stores, only a few were of lasting value. Most of them we played a couple of times and then quit. Many of those ended up going back to the thrifts as donations some time later. The important thing is to make time for each other and have fun!