Express Yourself

Ages: Adult; Players: 3 to 6; Approximate Retail Price: $24.99; Available: Summer 2003

In Express Yourself you never know what you'll be asked to do, when you'll be asked to do it, and who you'll do it with. Virtual hosts randomly call on one of six players to speak, draw or act. When a player color is called out, that player then selects a card, chooses one of two words, and inserts the card into the electronic unit.

The host then comments on the selection and directs the player to use one of the three actions to get another randomly selected player to guess the word on the card. If that player guesses correctly, both players get 5 points. The player who expresses themselves the best, by show of points, wins the game.

Jenga Extreme

Ages: Adult; Players: 2 or more; Approximate Retail: $16.99; Available: Summer 2003

The traditional Jenga game takes a new angle with Jenga Extreme, in which each of the blocks is shaped like a parallelogram. When stacked they create a shifting tower that changes direction with game play.

Game play remains the same as the traditional stacking game, where players take turns pulling a block from the bottom of the tower and placing it on top. The object is to be the last player to place a block on the tower before it crashes.

Trivial Pursuit 6th Edition

Ages: Adult; Players: 2 to 6; Approximate Retail: $29.99; Available: Summer 2003

Last year, Trivial Pursuit turned 20. This year, Trivial Pursuit is back with a whole new set of trivial matter to entertain trivia buffs old and new. The game comes complete with 4,800 new questions divided into six categories -- People/Places, Arts/Entertainment, History, Science/Nature, Sports/Leisure and the special Wild Card category.

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.