More toy than game, Cariboo is a (mostly) sturdy piece of play equipment that manages to be both educational and fun. And, if you're willing to set your brain power on "dim," it's not a bad little cooperative game. (Note that the rating of 4.5 stars is for the appropriate ages!)
Searching for Balls
Players begin by "seeding" the balls into the board through the holes at the top... then take turns flipping over a card and finding a door with the matching element: color, shape, number or first letter. (More recent editions of the game have "advanced" sets of doors and cards, which would be nice. We don't have that.)
The player uses the "key" to pop open the door... and then checks to see if a ball is hiding beneath. If it is, the ball is removed (parent warning: kid fingers work better than adult fingers) and placed another hole to the side of the board.
When all of the balls are found, the pressure from putting the last ball ends opens up the treasure chest... which, by the way, both of my kids have loved. In fact, from about age two and a half until age four, this has been a favorite of both my boys.
You can play it "competitively" -- in other words, whoever finds the last ball "wins" -- but it's really a great game for a parent to play with a young child or for two kids to play together cooperatively.
Details
Cariboo is for 2 to 4 players, ages 3 and up. It was designed by Forrest-Pruzan Creative and published by Cranium (now owned by Hasbro).
