Games and Puzzles

Outfoxed is an excellent cooperative deduction game.  Someone has stolen Mrs Plumpert's prize pie and you and the other players have to work out which fox is the guilty one. At each roll of dice, you get a chance of finding a clue or revealing a suspect.  If you are unlucky or you make a mistake, the fox moves three steps closer to getting away.

Children like this game because it's fun.  Parents like it because it also encourages the children's logic and memory skills.

Each game takes about twenty minutes.

Age suitability: 5 +

2-4 players

Here is an excellent review on Youtube from Tom Vasel of the Dice Tower:

The smartest version of Scrabble that we stock.

Comes with a 1950's graphics, wooden tiles and wooden racks, all in a brushed aluminium tin.

2 - 4 players

Age suitability: 10 +

A simple matching and memory game.  Each player has a board with 6 dinosaur pictures on.  The picture cards are placed faced downwards on the table.  Players take it in turn to pick a card.  If it matches one of the pictures on their card, they keep it.  If not, the card is returned to the table face downwards and it's the next player's turn.

The winner is the one who completes their dinosaur board first.

2 - 4 players

Age suitability: 3 - 7 years

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Orchard Toys is a Norfolk-based company designing and making their games in-house. They have been going for years and have a reputation for producing good, honest games which are both fun and educational.  All the games are fully tested by teachers and of course by children so they are totally safe and dependable.

Most of the games are aimed at the 3-6 year olds.  To an adult the games will inevitably seem somewhat simplistic but they really know that age group so I never have any hesitation about recommending them.  Obviously children develop at different rates so some children may not be able to follow the instructions at first but that doesn't seem to matter as they enjoy playing with the colourful cards.  As the child develops, it isn't long before they fully appreciate the game and they benefit from the educational aspects whilst enjoying themselves.

Abalone is like chess played with marbles but thankfully the rules are more simple and straightforward.  It is two-person game that bright seven year olds will be able to play.  There's even an Abalone world championship.

You have a hexagonal board with 14 white marbles set up against your opponent's 14 black ones. When it's your turn, you move one of your marbles, or a row of two or three marbles, one step in any direction. When your marbles meet your opponents, on your next move you can push them backwards, forwards or sideways.  The aim is to push your opponent's marbles off the board and into the gutter that surrounds it but your column of marbles has to bigger than theirs.  So you need two of your marbles to push one of their marbles, three of yours to push two of theirs. The winner is the first to push off 6 marbles.  For most people, the game will last about 20 minutes.

Here's a video explaining it:

This is the brain game that everyone knows.  Voted one the best 25 toys of the last twenty five years and approved by Mensa, it deserves to be so well known.  Personally I find it infuriatingly difficult, so much so that when demonstrating it, I have had to memorise how to do one of the easier challenges and then hope that no one asks me to show them how to do any of the other challenges.

You set the board up as detailed in one of the 40 challenge cards.  Then you have to slide the other vehicles out of the way so that your little red car can escape.

Single person brain game.

Age suitability: 8+

 23 x 20 x 6 cm Approx.

Test your brainpower by manoeuvring the squirrels around the board so that they drop the nuts in the holes.

Single player brain teaser game for children aged 6 onwards.  There is a booklet with 60 different challenges.  The early ones are relatively straightforward but the harder ones will stretch many an adult.

To see more, please watch the video:

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Single person brain game for children 6 years old and upwards.

There are sixty challenges, easy ones at the beginning and getting harder and harder.  Position the four penguins as indicated on the challenge and then try and fit in the ice floes around them. There may only be four ice floes but it's really quite tricky.

The board is about 15cm across and comes with a lid, making it a great travel game.

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Single player brain game for children age 6 upwards with a booklet of 120 challenges that start easy and get harder and harder.

Single player brain game for children age 6 upwards with a booklet of challenges that start easy and get harder and harder.

Escape from the tower to the exit steps by finding your way across the board using the designated blocks. 

Single player puzzle game.

Great logic game, contains a booklet with 60 challenges. This is one of the harder Smart Games. The early challenges are relatively easy whilst the later ones are hard.

The board is about 15cm across and comes with a lid, making it a great travel game.

Age suitability: 8 years to adult.

Please watch the video for more information:

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Slide the asteroids around the board to allow the spaceship to escape.

Single player puzzle game.

Great logic game, contains a booklet with 60 challenges. The early ones are relatively easy whilst the later ones will stretch many an adult.

The board is about 15cm across and comes with a lid, making it a great travel game.

Age suitability: 8 years to adults:

Please watch the video for more information:

SG426

 

 Play the centuries-old strategy game on this wooden board.

Comes with 48 colourful acrylic 'stones'.

Two-player game for people of almost all ages (not suitable for the under 3 year-olds - small bits - choking hazard).

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