fast portable fun for anyone who can spell

Do you like Scrabble but get hung up trying to use those special point squares are bummed when someone "steals your spot" or dragged down by Debbie Dictionary ("just let me look up this one word") or Slow Joe (who takes 20 minutes for each turn)? Well you would love Bananagrams because it solves those problems. There are no special squares (or squares at all) no points on the letters (all are worth the same) and no time to dawdle. You are instead rewarded for speed and flexibility in making your own crossword. You can completely pull apart your crossword and start from scratch if you need to or just swap out a letter here and there but don't get caught with a bunch of spare letters when an opponent goes out!



It is exciting and challenging to play this game with adults but it can be fun to include the kids. You can easily adapt the rules to suit yourself. We "handicap" the adults by drawing two tiles for every one the kids draw. You can play solitaire or have several players.



A similar game that I also love is Learning Resources' "Take Four". If you are the type who would prefer to have a grid to keep those tiles straight or likes to have a few "jokers" thrown in you might prefer this. But Banagrams is far more portable and much cheaper. I like both of these games so much (as well as the spelling card games Quiddler My Word and Tri-Virsity) that the old Scrabble board is gathering dust.More detail ...

Fantastic smart game

I purchase this for a six year old nephew and the whole family joined in to break in this game. It was easy to understand but challenging. My nephew really enjoyed the game but it was hard for the adults not to be competitive when playing. The game is fun and it makes you want to out-think the opponents.



From what I hear my brother's family has been playing the game almost daily since my nephew received it. What better reception could there be for a game?



This game is money well spent. I believe that it will help my nephew develop logical thinking skills and strategy development. The fact that he is smiling all the while is icing on the cake.More detail ...

great game - worth buying

Comparing Blokus 3-d to its predecessor Rumis it's a much better value. The components are better and the grid on the playboard helps keep the pieces in place. You sacrifice 2 templates (Rumis has 6 3-d has 4) but the quality more than compensates.



The strategy in 3-d is nothing like that in regular Blokus. Instead of connecting at corners 3-d requires you to always have one face of your piece touching another making blocking in 3-d more critical and dangerous since you could be completely blocked early in play. 3-d also seems somewhat quicker so it won't require the same time commitment regular Blokus does.



Other than the lack of two templates you may be disappointed in the quality for the price although 3-d is an improvement compared to other Educational Insights games. I have Blokus and Travel Blokus also and with those you get the feeling the game costs no more than a few bucks to produce but sells for much higher than the quality would normally dictate. It's a shame Education Insights skimps on quality AND charges you such a premium but 3-d is a step in right direction so I'm hoping the company realized this and is correcting it.



Overall I'd recommend buying. 3-d has its own uniqueness and challenging aspect. Plus it's a nice change of pace to regular Blokus due to its quickness and strategy differences.More detail ...

"Travel Blokus" is a misnomer...

In Europe this game is called Blokus Duo and it's actually the two-person version of the four-person game Blokus. The pieces are identical except there are only two sets not four so the board is smaller too. So yes you can travel with it - but it's ideal to play at home when there are only two of you.



Personally I prefer this version to standard Blokus - there isn't the "gang-up" factor that standard Blokus has. I almost took away one star because the game is so addicting but that wouldn't be fair to the game.More detail ...

Fun thinking game for ages 5 and up

I greatly enjoy playing board games with my children but I am not a fan of games that do not require thinking. Some of the "first" games are games of chance and they don't really stimulate their minds (or my mind). I like a game where the child is an active participant in the gameplay but are simple enough for them to learn.



Blokus3D is just that sort of game. My 5 year old really enjoys playing and he is getting close to beating me! We only play the "tower" configuration right now and we have a great time. In addition to great game play a lot of though was put into the game itself. Each of the 4 colors fits in its own opening in the plastic tray and the game board fits on top. The game board has a nice rotating action to allow each turning of the emerging tower without knocking over all of the pieces.



My only complaint is that the pieces can be tough for little fingers to avoid accidentally knocking over. Perhaps if they were a bit heavier or if their surfaces were slightly different the tower would hold better. Otherwise I am happy with the game and heartily recommend it.



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