Battleball

Ages: 8 & up; Players: 2 teams of 2 or more players; Approximate Retail Price: $19.99; Available: June 2003

Players take on the role of coach in this futuristic football game. In Battleball, players strategize as they move their team down the field to be the first to score two touchdowns to win. The game comes with 22 detailed miniatures (player pieces), each with different levels of speed and strength as determined by the color on its base.

At the start of a play, a player selects one of his miniatures, rolls the color die that matches the color of the base and moves the number of spaces on the die. If you land on a space adjacent to a player from the other team, a battle ensues.

Players roll the die corresponding to the base of their miniature and the player who rolls the lowest number wins the tackle and stays in the game. The other player is injured and removed from the field and doesn't return until a touchdown is scored. First player to score two touchdowns wins.

Chattitude

Ages: 7 and up; Players: 2 to 9; Approximate Retail Price: $19.99; Available: Summer 2003

Chattitude gets girls together to find out how well they really know each other. The game includes an electronic unit that players secretly enter their answers to questions such as "When it comes to cheerleading, I'd: (a) Try out for the squad; (b) Rather be on the field; or (c) Think it's silly."

When a player correctly guesses the answer that her friend entered into the unit, she gets a point. The first player to get nine points as recorded by the game unit, knows her friends the best and wins the game.

Projax

Ages: 8 and up; Players: 1 or more; Approximate Retail: $4.99 (Starter); $9.99 (Arena); $2.99 (Booster); Available: May 2003

Projax is a collecting, catching, battling version of the classic game of Jacks. In Projax, players compete to be the first to get all five jacks out of the playing area. To do this, on each turn, a player throws the ball in the air, and with his/her throwing hand must retrieve his/her jacks from the play area and the ball before it bounces.

Special power play cards are included in each of the Projax sets, and when a player removes an opposing player's jacks from the play area, a card is unlocked. When a card is unlocked, a player can use it to reduce his/her opponent's moves or even add extra moves that the opponent must do when it's his/her turn. The first player to get his/her Projax out of the playing area wins.

Projax is available in three sets:

• Starter Set (5 Projax, 3 Power Play Cards; Projax Ball; 10 ID Bands and Instruction Booklet)
• Battle Arena Set (10 Projax, 2 Projax Mines, 6 Power Play Cards; Projax Ball; Projax Travel Carrier; Pop-Out Battle Arena; 20 ID Bands and Instruction Booklet)
• Booster Set (4 Projax, 2 Power Play Cards; 10 ID Bands, Quick-Start Instructions)

Twister Moves

Ages: 8 and up; Approximate Retail: ($19.99); Available: June 2003; Players: 2 to 4

Twister Moves is essentially Twister enhanced by two recorded DJs. The DJs (a male who directs the left side and a female who directs the right) engage in comedic banter as they provide dance move directions to the players.

Players listen for the dance sequence called out by the DJs, then they follow the moves with their feet on the Twister Moves mat. Miss a move and you're out.

The game comes with three CDs, each with 60 minutes of dance-style music, and mats. The game features 200 different dance moves.

To personalize the experience and increase the challenge, at the beginning of each CD, players are allowed to make up their own special moves to incorporate into the game. Each CD increases in challenge, and at the end of each there are three to six Super Sessions, where players have to successfully complete four sets of moves together as one sequence.

Note: Hasbro did not have a booth at the Javits Convention Center; they displayed their toys and games off-site. I was unable to visit their showroom, so this information is culled from press releases.