There are a lot of memory games, but there are not nearly as many which use memory in a thematic way to create a great kids game experience. Reviewer Mark Jackson says that Dish It Up! -- in which players are waiters and waitresses in a greasy spoon diner -- is one of the proud, the few... the thematically rich memory games.

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The first two expansions for Small World are now available. Cursed! introduces the Kobold and Goblin races along with five special powers: Cursed, Hordes of, Marauding, Ransacking, and Were-. The Grand Dames of Small World features the Priestesses, White Ladies, and Gypsies, along with the Historian and Peace-Loving special powers. Each of these Small World expansions sell for about $10.

In Small World, players control a variety of races -- including dwarves, wizards, amazons, giants, orcs and humans -- as they attempt to earn points by conquering territories and maintaining control. It was named 2009 Game of the Year by Games magazine.

The 2009 World Scrabble Championships are scheduled to begin one week from today in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Over the first three days of the event, players will compete in 24 games of Scrabble. The best-of-five finals will take place on Sunday, Nov. 29. Nigel Richards of New Zealand, the 2007 world champion, is among those expected to participate. More information is available at the World Scrabble Championships web site.

Game publisher Days of Wonder recently announced the upcoming release of a new mini-expansion for Memoir '44 (a World War II game designed by Richard Borg), the Vercors Campaign. The full-color expansion will be given free to customers who purchase any Memoir '44 product (including the base game or any of the existing expansions) from participating retailers or from the Days of Wonder web site.

The Vercors Campaign includes five new scenarios created by Jacques "jdrommel" David, highlighting the Maquisards of the French Resistance and their battle against SS forces on the Vercors Plateau in the summer of 1944. As with all Memoir '44 campaigns, victory is earned by winning multiple battles with the outcome of each scenario determining the circumstances of the next.

The Vercors Campaign will be available starting in December. Players will need a copy of the Memoir '44 base game, the Terrain Pack expansion (for some scenarios) and the Campaign Book: Volume 1 (for the campaign rules). The Air Pack expansion is recommended, but not required.