Following are some of the many board and card games and companies expected to be featured at the 2004 American International Toy Fair in New York City. In most cases, the descriptive text is slightly edited from press releases.
Birdcage Books
The Van Gogh and Friends Art Game, and other art-related games.
Crazy Birdz
Basic math facts are taught through fun, easy-to-learn card games with a whole new twist: holes in the cards. See the excitement as kids squeeze cards together to see number families appear through Crazy Birdz' egg holes. Younger kids can get accustomed to playing educational games with Rainbow Rummy. Prepare middle and upper grade-level kids fractions and algebra with Cardvarks 'N' Goonie Birdz.
Don't Quote Me
The adult board game Don't Quote Me is being joined by Don't Quote Me -- TV Guide Edition. The new licensed game combines TV Guide's iconic 50-year history of covering television entertainment with the dynamic Don't Quote Me board game. Don't Quote Me -- TV Guide Edition harnesses the popularity of quotes in a unique board game that rewards strategy, collaboration, reasoning and good memory for pop culture fans of all ages. To round out the brand, Don't Quote Me offers an innovative website where visitors can play the game online, search quotes for personal research, send customized e-cards, and subscribe to Daily Quotes for Free.
Educational Insights
Educational Insights launches more than 100 new products combining fun and learning. The introductions span six categories: Early Learning, Electronic Learning, Family Game Time, Learning Fun, Sea Monkeys, and Science & Discovery. Among the new items are DeoSafari Geo Quest USA and Rumis in Family Game time.
Endless Games
http://www.endlessgames.com/
Endless Games makes wonderful throwback games like Password, Family Feud, Pyramid and Concentration.
Enginuity Games
Enginuity Games is launching their new Spicy Dice dice set with a game invention competition. Spicy Dice are sets of custom dice that come with instructions for six new games. The competition encourages individuals to invent even more new games using the dice. Enginuity, which publishes a line of family board games, card games, and puzzles, will buy and publish the best entry in the next edition.
Enlighten Games
Enlighten: Take A Spiritual Journey Around the World is intended to inform players as they travel around the game board answering questions about the six major religions and three historical/geographical categories. Once individuals or teams complete their spiritual journey around the world, they enter the "Enlightened Path," where they must identify notable quotes from major religious and philosophical leaders. For ages 16 and up.
Fame Products
A supplier of quality traditional games such as dominoes, mahjongg, chess, backgammon, and cribbage.
Fleet Games
Fleet Games, maker of Fleets: A Game of Galactic Conquest, has licensed the Stargate SG-1 series from MGM Consumer Products to create the Stargate SG-1 Board Game for kids 10 and up. Stargate SG-1 recreates the action of the science fiction television series that follows the adventures of a top secret Air Force team, SG-1, as it travels through portals called Stargates. In addition, Fleet Games is diversifying its product mix, with online gaming. The company has partnered with CCG Workshop, an international online gaming company, to produce Fleets for Internet online game play. Fleets places players in command of a fleet of starships, moving to and capturing star systems, going through wormholes, attacking enemy starships, building and placing new starships, and guarding their own star systems to conquer the universe.
Forty-Ninth West Games
Gambling, risks, high stakes negotiations and big billionaire money make Explorium more than a board game. Do you have the grit to gamble on gold? Will you monopolize the silver market? Explorium: A High Stakes Mining Extravaganza is a ground-breaking new board game. Take your company to the lush jungles of Brazil, the vast deserts of the Sahara, or the desolate bitter regions of Siberia. Enter the high-flying world of international mining tycoons. Start your company from nothing and build it into a major mining empire. The real race starts as you set the gold, silver, and copper prices for the game from the live ticker tape. The properties you buy and the fortunes you find will determine your worth. Players will rack up debt as they search the globe for world-class deposits.
