Although many of my picks for the best board games and best card games of 2009 are mostly found in speciality game retailers, the great games on this list are easy to find in stores such as Barnes & Noble, Target, Toys R Us, and Wal-Mart, along with some independent toy stores.
What do you think were the best easy-to-find games of 2009? Share your thoughts here.
1. Word on the Street
Image courtesy of Out of the Box Publishing
For 2 to 8 players (best with 2 players), ages 10 and up. Designed by Jack Degnan, published by Out of the Box Publishing.
In this clever word game, the challenge is to pull letters to your side of the street. On each turn, a category card is revealed and the player or team whose turn it is must come up with a word that fits the category before time expires. Each letter tile in the word is then slid one spot closer to your side of the street. (So an answer of "bubble" would move the "B" three spaces and the "L" one space. The game doesn't include vowel tiles.) A free PDF to create your own custom Word on the Street cards is available at the Out of the Box Publishing web site.
In this clever word game, the challenge is to pull letters to your side of the street. On each turn, a category card is revealed and the player or team whose turn it is must come up with a word that fits the category before time expires. Each letter tile in the word is then slid one spot closer to your side of the street. (So an answer of "bubble" would move the "B" three spaces and the "L" one space. The game doesn't include vowel tiles.) A free PDF to create your own custom Word on the Street cards is available at the Out of the Box Publishing web site.
2. Ring-O Flamingo
Image courtesy of Gamewright
For 2 to 4 players (best with 4 players), ages 6 and up. Designed by Haim Shafir, Yakov Kaufman and Yoav Ziv, published by Gamewright.
I love this ridiculously simple, instantly addictive, and maddeningly frustrating game. All you have to do is flick round lifesavers onto the board, landing them around the seven flamingos but avoiding the two alligators. What could be easier? Except... it's really not that easy. But it is a lot of fun trying, and Ring-O Flamingo is a great game for adults and children to play together.
I love this ridiculously simple, instantly addictive, and maddeningly frustrating game. All you have to do is flick round lifesavers onto the board, landing them around the seven flamingos but avoiding the two alligators. What could be easier? Except... it's really not that easy. But it is a lot of fun trying, and Ring-O Flamingo is a great game for adults and children to play together.
3. Qwirkle Cubes
Image courtesy of MindWare
For 2 to 4 players, ages 6 and up. Designed by Susan McKinley Ross, published by MindWare.
This follow-up to 2006's Qwirkle is another excellent abstract game that works well with children and adults alike. As with Qwirkle, players create rows and columns of matching colors and shapes to score points. Unlike Qwirkle, in which players use single-sided tiles, Qwirkle Cubes gives players six-sided, dice-like cubes which they can roll at the start of their turn if they do not like their current options. The added element of chance tends to make this even more family-friendly than the original.
This follow-up to 2006's Qwirkle is another excellent abstract game that works well with children and adults alike. As with Qwirkle, players create rows and columns of matching colors and shapes to score points. Unlike Qwirkle, in which players use single-sided tiles, Qwirkle Cubes gives players six-sided, dice-like cubes which they can roll at the start of their turn if they do not like their current options. The added element of chance tends to make this even more family-friendly than the original.
4. Monopoly City
Image courtesy of Hasbro
For 2 to 6 players, ages 10 and up. Designer uncredited, published by Parker Brothers / Hasbro.
This is a significant reworking of Monopoly, although the goal remains the same: to bankrupt your opponents and emerge as the top real estate mogul. The first thing you'll notice is the board, which now features a development region in the middle where buildings (everything from houses to skyscrapers, wind farms to prisons) will be constructed. Property rents are based on these developments. Houses near sewage plants are not valuable, for example. The board layout takes some getting used to, but families who enjoy Monopoly and want a new twist on the classic game will very much enjoy Monopoly City.
This is a significant reworking of Monopoly, although the goal remains the same: to bankrupt your opponents and emerge as the top real estate mogul. The first thing you'll notice is the board, which now features a development region in the middle where buildings (everything from houses to skyscrapers, wind farms to prisons) will be constructed. Property rents are based on these developments. Houses near sewage plants are not valuable, for example. The board layout takes some getting used to, but families who enjoy Monopoly and want a new twist on the classic game will very much enjoy Monopoly City.
5. Polar Derby
Image courtesy of Gamewright
For 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up. Designed by Reiner Knizia, published by Gamewright.
I'm a huge fan of press-your-luck games, and Polar Derby hits that sweet spot. A set of polar bears on roller skates in five colors (each worth a different point value) are set in the middle of the table. Each player rolls two dice, the sides of which include each of those colors and one blank side. If polar bears matching those colors are available, you take them from the middle and then decide whether to continue. If you continue, you risk losing all of the bears you earned on this turn. If you stop, the bears are put into your collection and are safer (but not 100 percent safe). When all the bears are claimed, the player with the most points wins.
I'm a huge fan of press-your-luck games, and Polar Derby hits that sweet spot. A set of polar bears on roller skates in five colors (each worth a different point value) are set in the middle of the table. Each player rolls two dice, the sides of which include each of those colors and one blank side. If polar bears matching those colors are available, you take them from the middle and then decide whether to continue. If you continue, you risk losing all of the bears you earned on this turn. If you stop, the bears are put into your collection and are safer (but not 100 percent safe). When all the bears are claimed, the player with the most points wins.
6. Pictureka! Flipper Game
Image courtesy of Hasbro
For 2 to 10 players (best with 4 to 8 players), ages 6 and up. Designer uncredited (Pictureka! was designed by Arne Lauwers), published by Hasbro.
In 2006's Pictureka!, players draw cards and then scan cartoon drawings to find various objects (such as "insects" or "rope") more quickly than their opponents. This edition keeps the same basic premise. However, instead of using stationary game boards, the game is played with a card-flipping penguin which also determines how long players have to look for each type of item. The mechanical penguin adds another level of frenzy to an already frenetic game, and for me at least, made an already enjoyable party game even more fun.
In 2006's Pictureka!, players draw cards and then scan cartoon drawings to find various objects (such as "insects" or "rope") more quickly than their opponents. This edition keeps the same basic premise. However, instead of using stationary game boards, the game is played with a card-flipping penguin which also determines how long players have to look for each type of item. The mechanical penguin adds another level of frenzy to an already frenetic game, and for me at least, made an already enjoyable party game even more fun.
7. Clue: Secrets & Spies
Image courtesy of Hasbro
For 2 to 6 players, ages 10 and up. Designer uncredited, published by Hasbro.
Despite the large logo on the front of the box, this is not a new edition of Clue. Clue: Secrets & Spies is an altogether new game, and a very good one. Here, "CLUE" stands for the Criminal League for Ultimate Espionage. Players are international spies trying to intercept Agent Black and stop CLUE's plan for world domination. Players' identities are kept secret (the characters keep the surnames of the classic game: Scarlet, Green, Plum, etc.) as they work to complete missions. An optional feature allows players to get real-time tips via text messages. The player who completes the most missions before being discovered by Agent Black is the winner.
Despite the large logo on the front of the box, this is not a new edition of Clue. Clue: Secrets & Spies is an altogether new game, and a very good one. Here, "CLUE" stands for the Criminal League for Ultimate Espionage. Players are international spies trying to intercept Agent Black and stop CLUE's plan for world domination. Players' identities are kept secret (the characters keep the surnames of the classic game: Scarlet, Green, Plum, etc.) as they work to complete missions. An optional feature allows players to get real-time tips via text messages. The player who completes the most missions before being discovered by Agent Black is the winner.
8. Blurt!
Image courtesy of Educational Insights
For 3 to 12 players, ages 10 and up. Designed by Tim Walsh, published by Educational Insights.
More than one million copies of this party game have been sold, but an all-new edition was published in 2009. In Blurt! (subtitled "The Uproarious Word Race Game"), players compete to shout the word that matches a definition. The first player or team to get the word right moves their pawn forward; the winner is the first to reach the finish space. If that player or team lands on a space that matches their pawn's color, they can jump to any pawn further ahead and play that person or team one-on-one for a chance to knock them backwards.
More than one million copies of this party game have been sold, but an all-new edition was published in 2009. In Blurt! (subtitled "The Uproarious Word Race Game"), players compete to shout the word that matches a definition. The first player or team to get the word right moves their pawn forward; the winner is the first to reach the finish space. If that player or team lands on a space that matches their pawn's color, they can jump to any pawn further ahead and play that person or team one-on-one for a chance to knock them backwards.
9. Jenga Max
Image courtesy of Hasbro
For 2 or more players (best with 2 to 4 players), ages 8 and up. Designer uncredited, published by Milton Bradley / Hasbro.
This new dexterity game uses the Jenga brand name, but is really an entirely new game. Players use interlocking plastic pieces to branch out from the main tower, trying not to put on a piece that causes it to fall down. As with the original Jenga, the tension increases with each placement and there is always a fun moment when the tower finally collapses.
This new dexterity game uses the Jenga brand name, but is really an entirely new game. Players use interlocking plastic pieces to branch out from the main tower, trying not to put on a piece that causes it to fall down. As with the original Jenga, the tension increases with each placement and there is always a fun moment when the tower finally collapses.
10. CirKis
Image courtesy of Hasbro
For 2 to 4 players (best with 2 players), ages 8 and up. Designed by Philip Orbanes, published by Winning Moves / Hasbro.
In this colorful abstract strategy game, players have pieces in nine different shapes to place on the beveled board. (One of the reasons I enjoy CirKis is the unusual shapes used.) The board features 10 circles and six stars, which players earn points for completing: The player with the most parts of the circle or star earns 10 points; if a different player completes it, she scores 5 points. The game ends when one player reaches 40 points, when a player places her final piece on the board, or when no further legal moves are possible. The winner is the player with the most points.
In this colorful abstract strategy game, players have pieces in nine different shapes to place on the beveled board. (One of the reasons I enjoy CirKis is the unusual shapes used.) The board features 10 circles and six stars, which players earn points for completing: The player with the most parts of the circle or star earns 10 points; if a different player completes it, she scores 5 points. The game ends when one player reaches 40 points, when a player places her final piece on the board, or when no further legal moves are possible. The winner is the player with the most points.
