It's in the Blood

For Christmas we buy the kids a game or two. Last year it was Buckaroo and this year we got them Connect Four and A Eurogame called Click Clack. Old followers may well remember they have been playing the odd Euro with us with simplified rules but this game is by Queen Kids games a division of Queen Games. The age range suited as we have a 5 and 7 year old and the subject matter was bound to be a hit with Alice loving all things small and critter like whilst Joseph was bound to like frightening the squirrels with the pig!!

Sure enough they both liked it and the bonus was that Cath and me could have fun playing them as well. The rules as you would expect are very simple but still allow for some gameplay. Alice who is 7 and a few months really got how to limit the chances for the other players and even uses the pig strategically rather than just the biggest gathering. You see in this game each of you are a squirrel trying to steal from the garden and the pig does his best to keep you away.

Two of the four cute squirrels that make up the player pieces. This makes the game really accessible to the kids, nice big bright chunky animals, we never had this sort of thing when we were kids. So the squirrels each try and either collect 4 of a kind (6 of each nut type exist) or 7 nuts in total. Each nut is in fact a small metal disc with a picture of a nut on it. These are put face down on the tray that fits below the board and the squirrels all have magnets in their bases. Each player throws a die on it's turn with two pictures of the pig and one each of the four areas of the garden. If the pig is picked you move the pig onto one of the four areas, otherwise you can move your squirrel onto this section, of course only if the pig is not there! Then you get to move the board one space. As the board moves round (in either clock wise or anti) it is possible to uncover fresh nuts (whilst also hiding other nuts that was uncovered by the holes in the board).

All this creates lots of comments and groans from the players, adults and kids alike. Even Joseph got the interaction between players and was having great fun. We played it a fair few times all together over Christmas but what was better was the kids have and continue to play it on their own. It's easy to set up and we get them to play to 10 points instead. Possibly the best £7.99 we have spent on a boardgame so far. The Connect Four gets some play but nothing like Click Clack.

Wanting to carry this forward we went back last week and picked up a game that states it's for 8+ but took a punt hoping to be able to play it with the kids. Well Boardgames Geek gives it a 6+ raiting which is about right. Joseph just about gets it whilst Alice is a total git. She really gets the idea of blocking her opponents, sending them into a current that will send them way back and pushing her own players into currents that send you forward. Just so you know this game is a log race game. Typical racing game driven by cards that move you forwards but with the added mechanic of water current and logs jamming up the play. It's called Fast Flowing Forrest Fellers and will never win any game title contest but plays well. Listed as 2-5 player but 2 player is a little sterile whilst 4-5 must be a hoot. Great to play with the kids but I would not be ashamed to bring it out on a games night. It does not have the legs of a classic and to be fair how many do? But at £7.99 at The Works it's a no brainer if you like Euro's. As for Alice, I will get her back one day!!!