New games in town

Get on board for the latest twists and turns

By Jay Dedrick, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 3, 2007 at 12:02 a.m.

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Photo by Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

The already-hip Cranium gets an even hipper makeover, with game pieces you customize and 600 new challenge cards aimed at grown-ups.

Chances are you'll be rolling the dice with family and friends this holiday season. After all, when crowds gather inside on a chilly evening, board games provide easy entertainment.

But why be bored by the same old board games?

Here are looks at brand-new boxes of fun and a few fresh twists on familiar favorites. Read on to find a winning choice for yourself or someone on your gift list.

PARTY TIME

Pictureka

* Ages: 6 and up

* Number of players: two or more

* Play it when you're in the mood for visual, rather than verbal, stimulation. The game board is a chaotic cartoon teeming with flotsam and jetsam. Players race to be the first to spot specific objects.

* How much: $20

* Get it: Target

Knowbody Knows

* Ages: adults

* Number of players: three to eight

* Play it when you feel like embarrassing your close friends and relatives. This is trivia so obscure that no one may know the answer - but that's the point. Players challenge one another to answer numeric- based personal questions - how much does (pick a person) spend on (pick a product) in a year? - and then compare results.

* How much: $30

* Get it: knowbodyknows.com, kbtoys.com

Funagle

* Ages: 12 and up

* Number of players: two to four people - and one to four dogs

* Play it when Duke and Daisy are feeling left out of the fun. Players collect dog tags, which are won by coercing your pooch into specific actions, like rubbing noses with you.

* How much: $36

* Get it: darfinc.com

Cranium Wow

* Ages: adults

* Number of players: two to four teams of two or more people each

* Play it when you're up for play-acting "milking a cow" with your significant other. The already-hip Cranium gets an even hipper makeover, with game pieces you customize and 600 new challenge cards aimed at grown-ups.

* How much: $35

* Get it: Starbucks, Target, Toys "R" Us, Wal-Mart, cranium.com

CLASSICS REVISITED

Risk Nostalgia Edition

* Ages: 10 and up

* Number of players: two to six

* Play it when you're pining for what it used to be like to conquer the world. Packed inside a handsome wood box is the classic battle game, with graphics and rules from the original 1959 edition. Part of a line of retro toys tied to the new movie Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.

* How much: $15

* Get it: Target

Clue Suspects

* Ages: 10 and up

* Number of players: one

* Play it when you're alone on a dark and stormy night. Put your powers of deduction to the test with 60 mysteries, each providing clues to the whereabouts of suspects and, ultimately, the killer. A plastic mansion and tokens help you to visualize the crime scene.

* How much: $15

* Get it: Barnes & Noble, Borders, Toys "R" Us, Kazoo & Co., the Wizard's Chest, Timbuk Toys

Power Yahtzee

* Ages: 8 and up

* Number of players: one to four

* Play it when you crave a roll of the dice without heading to Vegas. The classic total-your-points game gets a boost from a sixth die, which ramps up the scoring possibilities.

* How much: $15

* Get it: Barnes & Noble, Borders, Toys "R" Us, Kazoo & Co., the Wizard's Chest, Timbuk Toys

Monopoly Mega Edition, Boutique Edition, Express

* Ages: 8 and up

* Number of players: two to eight

* Play it when that ol' reliable Monopoly set has lost its luster. The Mega edition is the classic on steroids: bigger board, more properties, an added power die that speeds up play, and opportunities to build skyscrapers and railroad depots. The Boutique edition is pink enough to scare off all the bratty boys in the room, while the Express promises a 20-minute game.

* How much: Mega, $40; Boutique, $30; Express, $15

* Get it: Barnes & Noble, Borders, Target, Toys "R" Us, Kazoo & Co., the Wizard's Chest, Timbuk Toys; Boutique at Toys "R" Us only

TRIVIA

Finish Lines

* Ages: 12 and up

* Number of players: two to six players or teams

* Play it when you want to prove you're equally adept at quoting Shakespeare and Star Wars. Players are given the first few words of a saying, proverb, lyric, etc., and must finish the line. Though the game has been around for a decade, this new edition boasts updated quotations.

* How much: $30

* Get it: Target, bn.com, amazon.com

ESPN 21st Century Trivia

* Ages: 13 and up

* Number of players: two to four teams

* Play it when you can't find a game to watch on TV. Sports-trivia questions are divided into three difficulty levels, while other challenges require players to sketch or act out jock jargon. A 24-second shot clock keeps the fun moving.

* How much: $30

* Get it: Barnes & Noble, J.C. Penney, Dick's Sporting Goods

Wits & Wagers

* Ages: 10 and up

* Number of players: four to 20

* Play it when you're in a house divided into trivia experts and novices. Sure, it helps to know answers to questions. But because everyone guesses together - then places bets on a favorite answer - odds are you don't have to be a know-it-all to compete.

* How much: $30

* Get it: Target, northstargames.com

VH1 I Love the '80s

* Ages: 15 and up

* Number of players: two to four teams

* Play it when you're dying to sing 99 Luftballons by Nena. Pop culture knowledge of the Greed Decade is the prerequisite, with Cranium-style challenges requiring players to sing, draw, quote or act out clues to songs, movies, TV and more.

* How much: $25

* Get it: Borders, Target.com

WORDS

Scrabble Express

* Ages: 8 and up

* Number of players: two to four

* Play it when you feel like playing only for a short spell. The crossword-inspired game gets repackaged in a cool plastic pod with letters on dice and takes only 20 minutes to play. Also available in new Express editions: Monopoly and Sorry!

* How much: $15

* Get it: Target, Toys "R" Us, Wal-Mart, hasbro.com

Getta Letter

* Ages: 10 and up

* Number of players: two or more players or teams

* Play it when you haven't heard enough shouting at the dinner table. After picking a category ("Things in my kitchen"), players race to blurt out the most answers. Each letter of the alphabet may be used only once; players keep track by flipping letters on a row of switches.

* How much: $20

* Get it: Barnes & Noble, Borders, Toys "R" Us, Kazoo & Co., the Wizard's Chest, Timbuk Toys

Word Sweep

* Ages: 10 and up

* Number of players: two to four players or teams

* Play it when you want to give your brain a definitive workout. The first game branded by Merriam-Webster, it requires players to quickly guess three consecutive words in the dictionary after hearing their definitions.

* How much: $30

* Get it: specialty stores, Borders, Target.com

• December 3, 2007

  11:18 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Dominic writes:

  Yeah! I'm glad that Wits & Wagers is getting some attention. It won more industry awards during its first year than any other Party Game in history! It's really fun with a large group of friends and relatives. The best part is that is only takes 2 minutes to explain and 25 minutes to play!

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