Twister is a very simple game that can become very complicated as the players can easily get tied up in knots. The mat that forms the playing surf ace is decorated with six circles each of red, yellow, green and blue. The mat is durable, waterproof with a wipe-clean surface but it can also be a little slippery so care must be taken. The spinner arrow is easy to assemble and to use.

An appointed person spins the spinner and calls out instructions for the players to follow, such as: "left hand blue, right foot red". The players follow the directions, moving their hands and feet to the relevant circles and try not to fall over--a knee or an elbow on the ground and they're out. For young children the challenge is not only not to fall over but also to remember left from right and colour recognition.

As well as the perfect ice-breaker for children's parties, Twister is also very popular with adults as the challenge to reach all the circles and remain upright becomes harder the less supple you are (or the more you've had to drink...)

This is a game to suit all ages--children with adults, children with children or adults with adults. Whichever the combination the end result will be plenty of family fun. Six years up, two or more players. --Phillippa Reece

Classic, but tons of fun!, 15 Nov 2008
Classic game.....simple.....and tons of fun. A bit of fun for everyone! It's place is somewhere between video games and outdoor sports! Definitely recommended!

A timeless classic!, 25 Dec 2007
Twister is a game of physical skill, invented by Neil W. Rabens and Charles F. Foley in 1969.

The game includes a 167cm by 135cm plastic sheet covered with 6 blue, 6 green, 6 red and 6 yellow circles, which is layed on the floor. The game also includes a spinner, mounted onto a board that's divided into quarters. Each quater says either left foot, right foot, left hand, or right hand.

To play: After the spinner's been spun, a combination is called out {E.G. left foot - green} and players must move their hand or foot to that circle. Due to the limited number of coloured circles, players will often be required to put themselves in uncomfortable and unbalanced positions, which eventually results in someone's fall. No 2 players can share a circle (rules are different for more people) and the game is best played with socks being worn by all players.
Any amount of people can play Twister, but you always need someone to spin the spinner.
I gave Twister a 4 star durability rating because the spinner comes of the board a bit too easily and I gave it a 1 star educational rating, because the only thing you learn from it is how flexible you are!

Fun for all the family,
Utterly fabulous!

More Twister please by Hugo, 29 Apr 2007
My son aged five loves this game, I know that the age range is from 6 years on the actual box, but five is an ideal age to start trying it out.

It really gets small children to recognise colours and the shape of a circle without even thinking that they are learning something, you know what they say if they enjoy playing with something and it also teaches them something then it cann't be too bad a toy. (Cann't remember who said that, but from somewhere in my distant memory I can remember that being said when I was a child).

The game is quite robust even when five year old and 15 year old daughter and friends join in, it doesn't tear or rip and best of all it can be used outside in the summer, so instead of the children being couch potatoes, especially during the summer hols, get them outside with this, whilst you can have some peace inside without them!

The game can also be played with just two people, both of mine also play together and wear themselves out.

Great to take on a camping or caravanning holiday, small to pack but endless fun.

Good for adults too after a barbie, but not too much alchol though as could be a trip to casualty needed.

Glad I bought it as it did produce a good many laughs and gymnastics at the same time.

Quite a good priced game, if you think of the amount of times and people who can play it, without loosing lots of little pieces, great for a birthday present, as then when it comes to a quiet moment and prizes have run out, you know when younger ones want more and more prizes let them play this.

Have noticed that as of 5/5/07 when I was in Toysarus that they were doing a deal of buy any MB Game and get a free £12.99 Little Pets Tomagoche, or free football DVD (cann't remember exact title sorry) but well worth it as the Little Pets free gift is worth £12.99. I bought the Operation game for £9.99 and was amazed that my free gift was worth more than actual game I bought. (Could be worth putting away for present for someone for Birthday or Christmas).

Silly fun for everyone! (Over 2ft 6in), 17 Mar 2006
Ok, If you've been on Mars for the last few decades Twister is the game where have a large plastic sheet with big coloured dots on it and a board with a spinny pointy thing. Realistically you need at least three people to play, but you can just about manage with two. Especially if one is a contortionist!

Spread the sheet on the floor and give the board to the third player. He spins the arm which dictates which limb the other players have to place on which coloured dot. Easy-peasy. Until about the third move.

We have nine kids. We have had Twister for about 16 years. We have had, what must add up to, months of enormous and ridiculous fun with it. It just is one of the simplest and most fun games on the market.

The other stuff: Well, don't pay too much attention to the blurb. It has absolutly no educational value at all. Any child that doesn't know it's left from right and it's colours is almost certainly too short to play - though that shouldn't stop them from trying. And anyway, in the middle of the chaos that is Twister, they are not going to have time to worry about it. In this house when short people play they always end up getting lots of help, and cheating is standard. I've given it 2 stars anyway, because it seems to be a contemporary fixation that everything must be educational.

My only complaint is on the durability side. The 'arm' comes off the board too easily. In 16 years we've had three Twisters.Then again, given the amount of use they've had maybe that's not such bad going.

Left Hand Pink!!, 14 Mar 2006
Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!! that says it all.

This one time i saw a movie and all these girls were playing twister and when they got left hand pink they got really excited...why is this?

There's an understated elegance to Rush Hour, one of the most inspired and intriguing sliding block puzzles we've so far encountered here in the lab at gadgetshop HQ. It's designed to challenge players of all ages, teaching logical progression, problem solving and sequential-thinking skills. And that's just to open the box. This multi award-winning puzzle - and its inventor Nob Yoshigahara - have picked-up no fewer than 21 gongs in the past decade; a surefire testament to its longevity, durability and worldwide appeal. The objective sounds easy in theory. Drive your red car out of the playing grid and escape to freedom. But in order to so, you'll first need to set up the traffic on a game grid to match one of 40 playing cards, then shift all the blocking cars and trucks out of your way. This is more easily said than done, as a clear and transparent set of rules then come into play. To proceed, one simply needs to move one vehicle at a time, in a long sequence of moves designed to free the red car from the logjam and out of the parking lot. All of which will have one scratching one's noggin- and driving one to the web for a solution. Brilliantly infuriating - and infuriatingly brilliant.This captivating game could have been made with London's rush hour in mind. In fact Rush Hour was invented by American games company Binary Arts. In the US it went down a storm, winning various prizes including a national award from Mensa.

The objective of Rush Hour is to move the little red car out of the snarled up traffic gridlock that the game begins with. Rush Hour arrives with 40 challenge cards, which depict various gridlock scenarios to set up your traffic jam to. Use the coloured Troublesome Trucks and Aggravating Autos to reflect the chaos on your particular challenge card. Then all you have to do is move the blocking vehicles up or down on the grid in order to free up the escape route for your own red car. And yet this wonderfully simple concept is enthrallingly more difficult to execute. Who knows, maybe the real London rush hour is easier on the nerves than the Binary Arts version.

The challenge cards themselves offer four different levels of complexity and all solutions are printed on the back.

Yet not only is Rush Hour great fun but it can also boast strong educational benefits, teaching problem solving to children of seven years plus. In the US Rush Hour is used in some primary school maths classes. Even a smart four-year-old will find some reward by trying to replicate the traffic set-up scenario of the challenge cards.

Rush Hour can be enjoyed by one player or various players competing.

Suitable for children from 7 years old and all adults who enjoy an ingenious little challenge.--Victoria Mackenzie

Classic, but tons of fun!, 15 Nov 2008
Classic game.....simple.....and tons of fun. A bit of fun for everyone! It's place is somewhere between video games and outdoor sports! Definitely recommended!

A timeless classic!, 25 Dec 2007
Twister is a game of physical skill, invented by Neil W. Rabens and Charles F. Foley in 1969.

The game includes a 167cm by 135cm plastic sheet covered with 6 blue, 6 green, 6 red and 6 yellow circles, which is layed on the floor. The game also includes a spinner, mounted onto a board that's divided into quarters. Each quater says either left foot, right foot, left hand, or right hand.

To play: After the spinner's been spun, a combination is called out {E.G. left foot - green} and players must move their hand or foot to that circle. Due to the limited number of coloured circles, players will often be required to put themselves in uncomfortable and unbalanced positions, which eventually results in someone's fall. No 2 players can share a circle (rules are different for more people) and the game is best played with socks being worn by all players.
Any amount of people can play Twister, but you always need someone to spin the spinner.
I gave Twister a 4 star durability rating because the spinner comes of the board a bit too easily and I gave it a 1 star educational rating, because the only thing you learn from it is how flexible you are!

Fun for all the family,
Utterly fabulous!

More Twister please by Hugo, 29 Apr 2007
My son aged five loves this game, I know that the age range is from 6 years on the actual box, but five is an ideal age to start trying it out.

It really gets small children to recognise colours and the shape of a circle without even thinking that they are learning something, you know what they say if they enjoy playing with something and it also teaches them something then it cann't be too bad a toy. (Cann't remember who said that, but from somewhere in my distant memory I can remember that being said when I was a child).

The game is quite robust even when five year old and 15 year old daughter and friends join in, it doesn't tear or rip and best of all it can be used outside in the summer, so instead of the children being couch potatoes, especially during the summer hols, get them outside with this, whilst you can have some peace inside without them!

The game can also be played with just two people, both of mine also play together and wear themselves out.

Great to take on a camping or caravanning holiday, small to pack but endless fun.

Good for adults too after a barbie, but not too much alchol though as could be a trip to casualty needed.

Glad I bought it as it did produce a good many laughs and gymnastics at the same time.

Quite a good priced game, if you think of the amount of times and people who can play it, without loosing lots of little pieces, great for a birthday present, as then when it comes to a quiet moment and prizes have run out, you know when younger ones want more and more prizes let them play this.

Have noticed that as of 5/5/07 when I was in Toysarus that they were doing a deal of buy any MB Game and get a free £12.99 Little Pets Tomagoche, or free football DVD (cann't remember exact title sorry) but well worth it as the Little Pets free gift is worth £12.99. I bought the Operation game for £9.99 and was amazed that my free gift was worth more than actual game I bought. (Could be worth putting away for present for someone for Birthday or Christmas).

Silly fun for everyone! (Over 2ft 6in), 17 Mar 2006
Ok, If you've been on Mars for the last few decades Twister is the game where have a large plastic sheet with big coloured dots on it and a board with a spinny pointy thing. Realistically you need at least three people to play, but you can just about manage with two. Especially if one is a contortionist!

Spread the sheet on the floor and give the board to the third player. He spins the arm which dictates which limb the other players have to place on which coloured dot. Easy-peasy. Until about the third move.

We have nine kids. We have had Twister for about 16 years. We have had, what must add up to, months of enormous and ridiculous fun with it. It just is one of the simplest and most fun games on the market.

The other stuff: Well, don't pay too much attention to the blurb. It has absolutly no educational value at all. Any child that doesn't know it's left from right and it's colours is almost certainly too short to play - though that shouldn't stop them from trying. And anyway, in the middle of the chaos that is Twister, they are not going to have time to worry about it. In this house when short people play they always end up getting lots of help, and cheating is standard. I've given it 2 stars anyway, because it seems to be a contemporary fixation that everything must be educational.

My only complaint is on the durability side. The 'arm' comes off the board too easily. In 16 years we've had three Twisters.Then again, given the amount of use they've had maybe that's not such bad going.

Left Hand Pink!!, 14 Mar 2006
Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!! that says it all.

This one time i saw a movie and all these girls were playing twister and when they got left hand pink they got really excited...why is this?

A good gift - A+, 18 Nov 2008
I bought this last year for my then 5 year old son, but my 8 year old daughter enjoyed it more at the time and now they both play it - very good toy - keeps the mind going - even for the adults. Good for keeping them quiet for a while. Very durable - just don't lose any of the cars, (which shouldn't happen if they pack it away in the provided bag). I am now buying 'hoppers' this xmas in the hopes that it brings as much pleasure and quiet time!

Traffic jam, 07 Jan 2008
Bought this for my son for christmas. Thought it might be too difficult for him as he wasn't 5 until end Jan. However after only a little while he could easily do the beginners section! He really enjoys the game and concentrates quite hard whilst doing it! Great game would highly recommend!

A simple concept but great fun, 31 Dec 2007
Based on previous reviews I purchased this as a Christmas present for my 9 year old neice and have to agree with previous comments - this is an excellent toy. It had my neice, her parents and myself captivated for hours as we worked through the levels. Highly recommended.

Great fun for the whole family, 29 Dec 2007
What a great success this Christmas. A simple idea that kept everyone captivated for hours. This is an excellent educational toy for children, working out the strategy of getting the red car out of the grid by moving other cars really gets them thinking. Easy to set up with varying levels of ability suits everyone. My 8 year old can manage the beginner levels, whilst the expert levels keep the adults guessing for hours! Even my 92 year old nan found this enthralling, playing for ages. For the price this is superb value for money. The game itself is superb, buy it - you will not be disappointed.

Fun, makes you think and ideal to travel with, 23 Oct 2007
Like many of the reviewers here I bought this game for a kid's birthday, in this case my 9 year old niece. On the day I spent more time playing it than she did (which she wasn't entirely happy about!).

The game itself consists of a plastic gameboard, the size of a desk calculator, in which there is a drawer holding the puzzle cards. The board and game pieces (around 20 pieces) come in a handy carry bag. You'll need the carry bag to keep everything together neatly, but you don't need to tip the whole contents out to find the pieces you need, since there are not many of them and they are not tiny.

As a side note, since the pieces are not tiny and are brightly coloured you can easily find them if they fall on the ground.

As the playing the game, well it really makes you think and is also very fun. You get a smug feeling of superiority when you finally manage to figure the puzzle out.

The puzzle difficulty ranges from very easy indeed to ferociously difficult. The hardest puzzles had me stumped and I am supposed to be pretty clever! But don't worry, the puzzle cards also have the answers (on the back) so you can figure it out like that if you need to!

Although there are 'only' 60 cards or so, they are easily replayable as you are not going to remember the pemutations of every one.

I recommend this game, fun for all ages, intelligent and easily portable.

I'm already looking forward to visting my brother again so I can have another go...

A clever tile laying game. The southern French city of Carcassonne is famous for its unique Roman and Medieval fortifications. The players develop the area around Carcassonne and deploy their followers on the roads, in the cities, in the cloisters, and in the fields. The skill of the players to develop the area will determine who is victorious.

Classic, but tons of fun!, 15 Nov 2008
Classic game.....simple.....and tons of fun. A bit of fun for everyone! It's place is somewhere between video games and outdoor sports! Definitely recommended!

A timeless classic!, 25 Dec 2007
Twister is a game of physical skill, invented by Neil W. Rabens and Charles F. Foley in 1969.

The game includes a 167cm by 135cm plastic sheet covered with 6 blue, 6 green, 6 red and 6 yellow circles, which is layed on the floor. The game also includes a spinner, mounted onto a board that's divided into quarters. Each quater says either left foot, right foot, left hand, or right hand.

To play: After the spinner's been spun, a combination is called out {E.G. left foot - green} and players must move their hand or foot to that circle. Due to the limited number of coloured circles, players will often be required to put themselves in uncomfortable and unbalanced positions, which eventually results in someone's fall. No 2 players can share a circle (rules are different for more people) and the game is best played with socks being worn by all players.
Any amount of people can play Twister, but you always need someone to spin the spinner.
I gave Twister a 4 star durability rating because the spinner comes of the board a bit too easily and I gave it a 1 star educational rating, because the only thing you learn from it is how flexible you are!

Fun for all the family,
Utterly fabulous!

More Twister please by Hugo, 29 Apr 2007
My son aged five loves this game, I know that the age range is from 6 years on the actual box, but five is an ideal age to start trying it out.

It really gets small children to recognise colours and the shape of a circle without even thinking that they are learning something, you know what they say if they enjoy playing with something and it also teaches them something then it cann't be too bad a toy. (Cann't remember who said that, but from somewhere in my distant memory I can remember that being said when I was a child).

The game is quite robust even when five year old and 15 year old daughter and friends join in, it doesn't tear or rip and best of all it can be used outside in the summer, so instead of the children being couch potatoes, especially during the summer hols, get them outside with this, whilst you can have some peace inside without them!

The game can also be played with just two people, both of mine also play together and wear themselves out.

Great to take on a camping or caravanning holiday, small to pack but endless fun.

Good for adults too after a barbie, but not too much alchol though as could be a trip to casualty needed.

Glad I bought it as it did produce a good many laughs and gymnastics at the same time.

Quite a good priced game, if you think of the amount of times and people who can play it, without loosing lots of little pieces, great for a birthday present, as then when it comes to a quiet moment and prizes have run out, you know when younger ones want more and more prizes let them play this.

Have noticed that as of 5/5/07 when I was in Toysarus that they were doing a deal of buy any MB Game and get a free £12.99 Little Pets Tomagoche, or free football DVD (cann't remember exact title sorry) but well worth it as the Little Pets free gift is worth £12.99. I bought the Operation game for £9.99 and was amazed that my free gift was worth more than actual game I bought. (Could be worth putting away for present for someone for Birthday or Christmas).

Silly fun for everyone! (Over 2ft 6in), 17 Mar 2006
Ok, If you've been on Mars for the last few decades Twister is the game where have a large plastic sheet with big coloured dots on it and a board with a spinny pointy thing. Realistically you need at least three people to play, but you can just about manage with two. Especially if one is a contortionist!

Spread the sheet on the floor and give the board to the third player. He spins the arm which dictates which limb the other players have to place on which coloured dot. Easy-peasy. Until about the third move.

We have nine kids. We have had Twister for about 16 years. We have had, what must add up to, months of enormous and ridiculous fun with it. It just is one of the simplest and most fun games on the market.

The other stuff: Well, don't pay too much attention to the blurb. It has absolutly no educational value at all. Any child that doesn't know it's left from right and it's colours is almost certainly too short to play - though that shouldn't stop them from trying. And anyway, in the middle of the chaos that is Twister, they are not going to have time to worry about it. In this house when short people play they always end up getting lots of help, and cheating is standard. I've given it 2 stars anyway, because it seems to be a contemporary fixation that everything must be educational.

My only complaint is on the durability side. The 'arm' comes off the board too easily. In 16 years we've had three Twisters.Then again, given the amount of use they've had maybe that's not such bad going.

Left Hand Pink!!, 14 Mar 2006
Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!! that says it all.

This one time i saw a movie and all these girls were playing twister and when they got left hand pink they got really excited...why is this?

A good gift - A+, 18 Nov 2008
I bought this last year for my then 5 year old son, but my 8 year old daughter enjoyed it more at the time and now they both play it - very good toy - keeps the mind going - even for the adults. Good for keeping them quiet for a while. Very durable - just don't lose any of the cars, (which shouldn't happen if they pack it away in the provided bag). I am now buying 'hoppers' this xmas in the hopes that it brings as much pleasure and quiet time!

Traffic jam, 07 Jan 2008
Bought this for my son for christmas. Thought it might be too difficult for him as he wasn't 5 until end Jan. However after only a little while he could easily do the beginners section! He really enjoys the game and concentrates quite hard whilst doing it! Great game would highly recommend!

A simple concept but great fun, 31 Dec 2007
Based on previous reviews I purchased this as a Christmas present for my 9 year old neice and have to agree with previous comments - this is an excellent toy. It had my neice, her parents and myself captivated for hours as we worked through the levels. Highly recommended.

Great fun for the whole family, 29 Dec 2007
What a great success this Christmas. A simple idea that kept everyone captivated for hours. This is an excellent educational toy for children, working out the strategy of getting the red car out of the grid by moving other cars really gets them thinking. Easy to set up with varying levels of ability suits everyone. My 8 year old can manage the beginner levels, whilst the expert levels keep the adults guessing for hours! Even my 92 year old nan found this enthralling, playing for ages. For the price this is superb value for money. The game itself is superb, buy it - you will not be disappointed.

Fun, makes you think and ideal to travel with, 23 Oct 2007
Like many of the reviewers here I bought this game for a kid's birthday, in this case my 9 year old niece. On the day I spent more time playing it than she did (which she wasn't entirely happy about!).

The game itself consists of a plastic gameboard, the size of a desk calculator, in which there is a drawer holding the puzzle cards. The board and game pieces (around 20 pieces) come in a handy carry bag. You'll need the carry bag to keep everything together neatly, but you don't need to tip the whole contents out to find the pieces you need, since there are not many of them and they are not tiny.

As a side note, since the pieces are not tiny and are brightly coloured you can easily find them if they fall on the ground.

As the playing the game, well it really makes you think and is also very fun. You get a smug feeling of superiority when you finally manage to figure the puzzle out.

The puzzle difficulty ranges from very easy indeed to ferociously difficult. The hardest puzzles had me stumped and I am supposed to be pretty clever! But don't worry, the puzzle cards also have the answers (on the back) so you can figure it out like that if you need to!

Although there are 'only' 60 cards or so, they are easily replayable as you are not going to remember the pemutations of every one.

I recommend this game, fun for all ages, intelligent and easily portable.

I'm already looking forward to visting my brother again so I can have another go...

Addictive, 17 Nov 2008
A great game for a spare 45 minutes, requires next to no set-up which is brilliant! It can get quite confusing when playing with multiple add-ons and it's a bit disappointing that you need to buy them to get some of the player aids (a bag to keep the tiles in etc.)

Having said that this is a really good low maintenance beginners game. I would certainly recommended it.

Addicitve and absorbing, 11 Nov 2008
This arrived on Thursday and it's now Tuesday and we've played it 6 times. A brilliant game! Every time we play we get more tactical and now I'm back on Amazon looking at the expansion packs. Wonderful to have a proper game rather than something on a screen!

Great game for kids, 14 Aug 2008
Carcassonne is a brilliant game full of surprises. It's basically just taking a tile and laying it in the right place, but there's a bit of oomph you've to put into it as well, and that is what makes it fun and exciting. I can't wait to get some expansions which are supposed to make it better.

It's price is very good for the game and I'm very pleased with it, it's also very addictive. William.

One of the most enjoyable games I have ever played., 25 Mar 2008
I've been playing this game now for several years, since it first came out. The game won the German Game Of The Year award, in 2001. I should point out at this point that German board games are considered to be some of the best in the world, as such this is a very high accolade, which the game very much deserves.

I believe that there are two main reasons why this game is so deserving of its Game Of The Year Award: The first of these being that the basic rules of the game are very easy to learn. The second is that despite being easy to learn the rules, mastering the game will take a bit longer, and the randomness prevents a single tactic from becoming a guaranteed win, thus maintaining a more level playing field for games consisting of both experienced and inexperienced players.

Despite being similar, every game that I have played has had a different feel to it. This, I expect, is due to the random nature of the drawing of the tiles. This randomness does not, however, impart a feeling of lack of control; each tile drawn generally has multiple options where it may be placed, a decision that rests firmly with the player.

The choice of location is part of the educational aspect of the game, that of strategy. The player must weigh up the pro's and con's of short-term or long-term gain. This requires a level of mathematical calculation, and needs to be coupled with an element of risk-taking (gambling on the tile(s) needed both being available in the future and actually being the choice of that player). Even then, it may be necessary for a player to recalculate where they wish to play the tile if it does come to them; the situation may have changed through the tactics used by the other players.

Having owned the game for a good half-dozen years, and having used it often I can say that the tiles are wearing well. Despite being made of card the tiles are proving to be quite resilient, even though my tiles are regularly jumbled up in the bag which came with the second expansion. The only word of caution that I feel it is necessary to give is that although the bag is exceedingly useful for running the game it does start to get a bit full with all of the expansion tiles!

There are many expansions available for this game. The rules for each of them are relatively simple, although they will add a great deal to think about. A word of caution here, some some confusion could result the first time all of the expansions are used together. This is because there are increasing options available to a player once they take and place a tile, and the Dragon Flies tiles actually interrupt the game play; so the players have to remember where to carry on from.

If you like the game but think that it is over too quickly or does not provide sufficient tactical thought, then the way ahead is definitely to get one or more of the expansions. Each expansion will add about 30-45 minutes of time to the overall time required to play the game. Playing with the first four expansions, two copies of the Rivers II expansion, the Count of Carcasssonne, and two copies of the King and Bandit results in games that can take up to five hours to play.

One final comment, the game play changes depending on the number of players. This is not a critism, a two-player game is just as enjoyable as a six player game, it is just a different experience; this actually makes the game more appealing, because if you play it with a different number of players each time you have more variety. That said, there would be nothing wrong with playing the game with the same two people every time. Note, you must have the first expansion to be able to play a six-player game.

One Of The Most Relaxing Games I've Seen For The XBox Live Arcade, 22 Mar 2008
Please note that I am reviewing the XBox Live Arcade Version of Carcassone for the XBox 360!

In November 2007 XBox Live celebrated it's 5th Anniversary since it's debut in 2002, and as a treat anyone who owned a XBox 360 and XBox Live was allowed to download and play Carcassone free of charge for a short period of time. So I thought, I take this offer and download and play the game. You can't complain at free-bee's these days can you?

At first I didn't have much interest in Carcassone cause I found it a little tough, but after I played it a couple of times, getting used to it was a piece of cake and normally you toughen yourself up and get yourself prepared for a game, but with Carcassone it was a game where I can sit back, relax and just take my time!

Carcasonne is a board game in which your goal is to use tiles to build cities, roads, and farms. The players take turns to place the tiles they get given and then using special coloured stars, you can claim certain parts of the land. If you successfully claim a certain piece of land or a piece of ground to build a castle you earn points. These points are then counted. Obviously, the person with the highest points is the winner. In total a game can take a total of 72 Tiles but you can have 2, 3 or 4 players!

The XBox 360 Arcade Version of the game has no difference whatsoever. It follows the same rules as the board game but also contains a Leader-Board score chart, which places your score worldwide once you obtain Game Over and 12 Achievements which give you a total score of 200 Points with Online Play as well!

My Personal Game Score: 9.2/10: Beauty-Baby-Bonza

My Wish: Sometimes when your playing online, you may have to wait a while before you can proceed with your turn, so I do wish that online play was slightly more quicker than it is!

Final Comments: Overall, Carcassone is a fairly quiet, relaxing, and easy game which you can put your teeth into no time. The achivements are fairly easy to get, but be warned that you could get addicted to this game!

Review By Captain Chris Kipper

The hilarious team game of quick fire descriptions. Players try to describe as many card entries as possible to their team members in 30 seconds. The first team round the board wins. It's loud, intense and brilliantly funny. 4 - 20+ players. 12 Years +

Classic, but tons of fun!, 15 Nov 2008
Classic game.....simple.....and tons of fun. A bit of fun for everyone! It's place is somewhere between video games and outdoor sports! Definitely recommended!

A timeless classic!, 25 Dec 2007
Twister is a game of physical skill, invented by Neil W. Rabens and Charles F. Foley in 1969.

The game includes a 167cm by 135cm plastic sheet covered with 6 blue, 6 green, 6 red and 6 yellow circles, which is layed on the floor. The game also includes a spinner, mounted onto a board that's divided into quarters. Each quater says either left foot, right foot, left hand, or right hand.

To play: After the spinner's been spun, a combination is called out {E.G. left foot - green} and players must move their hand or foot to that circle. Due to the limited number of coloured circles, players will often be required to put themselves in uncomfortable and unbalanced positions, which eventually results in someone's fall. No 2 players can share a circle (rules are different for more people) and the game is best played with socks being worn by all players.
Any amount of people can play Twister, but you always need someone to spin the spinner.
I gave Twister a 4 star durability rating because the spinner comes of the board a bit too easily and I gave it a 1 star educational rating, because the only thing you learn from it is how flexible you are!

Fun for all the family,
Utterly fabulous!

More Twister please by Hugo, 29 Apr 2007
My son aged five loves this game, I know that the age range is from 6 years on the actual box, but five is an ideal age to start trying it out.

It really gets small children to recognise colours and the shape of a circle without even thinking that they are learning something, you know what they say if they enjoy playing with something and it also teaches them something then it cann't be too bad a toy. (Cann't remember who said that, but from somewhere in my distant memory I can remember that being said when I was a child).

The game is quite robust even when five year old and 15 year old daughter and friends join in, it doesn't tear or rip and best of all it can be used outside in the summer, so instead of the children being couch potatoes, especially during the summer hols, get them outside with this, whilst you can have some peace inside without them!

The game can also be played with just two people, both of mine also play together and wear themselves out.

Great to take on a camping or caravanning holiday, small to pack but endless fun.

Good for adults too after a barbie, but not too much alchol though as could be a trip to casualty needed.

Glad I bought it as it did produce a good many laughs and gymnastics at the same time.

Quite a good priced game, if you think of the amount of times and people who can play it, without loosing lots of little pieces, great for a birthday present, as then when it comes to a quiet moment and prizes have run out, you know when younger ones want more and more prizes let them play this.

Have noticed that as of 5/5/07 when I was in Toysarus that they were doing a deal of buy any MB Game and get a free £12.99 Little Pets Tomagoche, or free football DVD (cann't remember exact title sorry) but well worth it as the Little Pets free gift is worth £12.99. I bought the Operation game for £9.99 and was amazed that my free gift was worth more than actual game I bought. (Could be worth putting away for present for someone for Birthday or Christmas).

Silly fun for everyone! (Over 2ft 6in), 17 Mar 2006
Ok, If you've been on Mars for the last few decades Twister is the game where have a large plastic sheet with big coloured dots on it and a board with a spinny pointy thing. Realistically you need at least three people to play, but you can just about manage with two. Especially if one is a contortionist!

Spread the sheet on the floor and give the board to the third player. He spins the arm which dictates which limb the other players have to place on which coloured dot. Easy-peasy. Until about the third move.

We have nine kids. We have had Twister for about 16 years. We have had, what must add up to, months of enormous and ridiculous fun with it. It just is one of the simplest and most fun games on the market.

The other stuff: Well, don't pay too much attention to the blurb. It has absolutly no educational value at all. Any child that doesn't know it's left from right and it's colours is almost certainly too short to play - though that shouldn't stop them from trying. And anyway, in the middle of the chaos that is Twister, they are not going to have time to worry about it. In this house when short people play they always end up getting lots of help, and cheating is standard. I've given it 2 stars anyway, because it seems to be a contemporary fixation that everything must be educational.

My only complaint is on the durability side. The 'arm' comes off the board too easily. In 16 years we've had three Twisters.Then again, given the amount of use they've had maybe that's not such bad going.

Left Hand Pink!!, 14 Mar 2006
Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!! that says it all.

This one time i saw a movie and all these girls were playing twister and when they got left hand pink they got really excited...why is this?

A good gift - A+, 18 Nov 2008
I bought this last year for my then 5 year old son, but my 8 year old daughter enjoyed it more at the time and now they both play it - very good toy - keeps the mind going - even for the adults. Good for keeping them quiet for a while. Very durable - just don't lose any of the cars, (which shouldn't happen if they pack it away in the provided bag). I am now buying 'hoppers' this xmas in the hopes that it brings as much pleasure and quiet time!

Traffic jam, 07 Jan 2008
Bought this for my son for christmas. Thought it might be too difficult for him as he wasn't 5 until end Jan. However after only a little while he could easily do the beginners section! He really enjoys the game and concentrates quite hard whilst doing it! Great game would highly recommend!

A simple concept but great fun, 31 Dec 2007
Based on previous reviews I purchased this as a Christmas present for my 9 year old neice and have to agree with previous comments - this is an excellent toy. It had my neice, her parents and myself captivated for hours as we worked through the levels. Highly recommended.

Great fun for the whole family, 29 Dec 2007
What a great success this Christmas. A simple idea that kept everyone captivated for hours. This is an excellent educational toy for children, working out the strategy of getting the red car out of the grid by moving other cars really gets them thinking. Easy to set up with varying levels of ability suits everyone. My 8 year old can manage the beginner levels, whilst the expert levels keep the adults guessing for hours! Even my 92 year old nan found this enthralling, playing for ages. For the price this is superb value for money. The game itself is superb, buy it - you will not be disappointed.

Fun, makes you think and ideal to travel with, 23 Oct 2007
Like many of the reviewers here I bought this game for a kid's birthday, in this case my 9 year old niece. On the day I spent more time playing it than she did (which she wasn't entirely happy about!).

The game itself consists of a plastic gameboard, the size of a desk calculator, in which there is a drawer holding the puzzle cards. The board and game pieces (around 20 pieces) come in a handy carry bag. You'll need the carry bag to keep everything together neatly, but you don't need to tip the whole contents out to find the pieces you need, since there are not many of them and they are not tiny.

As a side note, since the pieces are not tiny and are brightly coloured you can easily find them if they fall on the ground.

As the playing the game, well it really makes you think and is also very fun. You get a smug feeling of superiority when you finally manage to figure the puzzle out.

The puzzle difficulty ranges from very easy indeed to ferociously difficult. The hardest puzzles had me stumped and I am supposed to be pretty clever! But don't worry, the puzzle cards also have the answers (on the back) so you can figure it out like that if you need to!

Although there are 'only' 60 cards or so, they are easily replayable as you are not going to remember the pemutations of every one.

I recommend this game, fun for all ages, intelligent and easily portable.

I'm already looking forward to visting my brother again so I can have another go...

Addictive, 17 Nov 2008
A great game for a spare 45 minutes, requires next to no set-up which is brilliant! It can get quite confusing when playing with multiple add-ons and it's a bit disappointing that you need to buy them to get some of the player aids (a bag to keep the tiles in etc.)

Having said that this is a really good low maintenance beginners game. I would certainly recommended it.

Addicitve and absorbing, 11 Nov 2008
This arrived on Thursday and it's now Tuesday and we've played it 6 times. A brilliant game! Every time we play we get more tactical and now I'm back on Amazon looking at the expansion packs. Wonderful to have a proper game rather than something on a screen!

Great game for kids, 14 Aug 2008
Carcassonne is a brilliant game full of surprises. It's basically just taking a tile and laying it in the right place, but there's a bit of oomph you've to put into it as well, and that is what makes it fun and exciting. I can't wait to get some expansions which are supposed to make it better.

It's price is very good for the game and I'm very pleased with it, it's also very addictive. William.

One of the most enjoyable games I have ever played., 25 Mar 2008
I've been playing this game now for several years, since it first came out. The game won the German Game Of The Year award, in 2001. I should point out at this point that German board games are considered to be some of the best in the world, as such this is a very high accolade, which the game very much deserves.

I believe that there are two main reasons why this game is so deserving of its Game Of The Year Award: The first of these being that the basic rules of the game are very easy to learn. The second is that despite being easy to learn the rules, mastering the game will take a bit longer, and the randomness prevents a single tactic from becoming a guaranteed win, thus maintaining a more level playing field for games consisting of both experienced and inexperienced players.

Despite being similar, every game that I have played has had a different feel to it. This, I expect, is due to the random nature of the drawing of the tiles. This randomness does not, however, impart a feeling of lack of control; each tile drawn generally has multiple options where it may be placed, a decision that rests firmly with the player.

The choice of location is part of the educational aspect of the game, that of strategy. The player must weigh up the pro's and con's of short-term or long-term gain. This requires a level of mathematical calculation, and needs to be coupled with an element of risk-taking (gambling on the tile(s) needed both being available in the future and actually being the choice of that player). Even then, it may be necessary for a player to recalculate where they wish to play the tile if it does come to them; the situation may have changed through the tactics used by the other players.

Having owned the game for a good half-dozen years, and having used it often I can say that the tiles are wearing well. Despite being made of card the tiles are proving to be quite resilient, even though my tiles are regularly jumbled up in the bag which came with the second expansion. The only word of caution that I feel it is necessary to give is that although the bag is exceedingly useful for running the game it does start to get a bit full with all of the expansion tiles!

There are many expansions available for this game. The rules for each of them are relatively simple, although they will add a great deal to think about. A word of caution here, some some confusion could result the first time all of the expansions are used together. This is because there are increasing options available to a player once they take and place a tile, and the Dragon Flies tiles actually interrupt the game play; so the players have to remember where to carry on from.

If you like the game but think that it is over too quickly or does not provide sufficient tactical thought, then the way ahead is definitely to get one or more of the expansions. Each expansion will add about 30-45 minutes of time to the overall time required to play the game. Playing with the first four expansions, two copies of the Rivers II expansion, the Count of Carcasssonne, and two copies of the King and Bandit results in games that can take up to five hours to play.

One final comment, the game play changes depending on the number of players. This is not a critism, a two-player game is just as enjoyable as a six player game, it is just a different experience; this actually makes the game more appealing, because if you play it with a different number of players each time you have more variety. That said, there would be nothing wrong with playing the game with the same two people every time. Note, you must have the first expansion to be able to play a six-player game.

One Of The Most Relaxing Games I've Seen For The XBox Live Arcade, 22 Mar 2008
Please note that I am reviewing the XBox Live Arcade Version of Carcassone for the XBox 360!

In November 2007 XBox Live celebrated it's 5th Anniversary since it's debut in 2002, and as a treat anyone who owned a XBox 360 and XBox Live was allowed to download and play Carcassone free of charge for a short period of time. So I thought, I take this offer and download and play the game. You can't complain at free-bee's these days can you?

At first I didn't have much interest in Carcassone cause I found it a little tough, but after I played it a couple of times, getting used to it was a piece of cake and normally you toughen yourself up and get yourself prepared for a game, but with Carcassone it was a game where I can sit back, relax and just take my time!

Carcasonne is a board game in which your goal is to use tiles to build cities, roads, and farms. The players take turns to place the tiles they get given and then using special coloured stars, you can claim certain parts of the land. If you successfully claim a certain piece of land or a piece of ground to build a castle you earn points. These points are then counted. Obviously, the person with the highest points is the winner. In total a game can take a total of 72 Tiles but you can have 2, 3 or 4 players!

The XBox 360 Arcade Version of the game has no difference whatsoever. It follows the same rules as the board game but also contains a Leader-Board score chart, which places your score worldwide once you obtain Game Over and 12 Achievements which give you a total score of 200 Points with Online Play as well!

My Personal Game Score: 9.2/10: Beauty-Baby-Bonza

My Wish: Sometimes when your playing online, you may have to wait a while before you can proceed with your turn, so I do wish that online play was slightly more quicker than it is!

Final Comments: Overall, Carcassone is a fairly quiet, relaxing, and easy game which you can put your teeth into no time. The achivements are fairly easy to get, but be warned that you could get addicted to this game!

Review By Captain Chris Kipper


Fantastic, 30 Dec 2007
I first played Articulate at my aunt's house with my cousins, and it was so good that we had to buy one for ourselves! No family gathering is complete without a game of Ariculate! It is so much fun and always guaranteed to make you laugh! Buy it now!

Best board game ever, 14 Dec 2007
We bought this for christmas when the family come over but gave it a trial run with my cousin, aunt and mum today and there wasn't much silence in the house cause of all the laughter.

We really enjoyed it, just a great game that seems more entertaining the more people are involved.

If you could only own one board game, I'd choose this one, you shouldn't even hesitate buying it.

Brilliant fun!, 20 Jan 2007
This game is great fun. We played it on boxing day with the whole family (me 27, bouyfriend 38, his sister 40, her partner 38, her daughter 13, and my boyfriends mum and dad 57 & 60) and we had a brilliant time. The hardest thing is knowing who some of the people are but you could always pass if you didn't know but half of the fun is making up who you think it is for your team to guess! I would definitely recommend this game to anyone looking for a great way to entertain. It breaks down barriers and would be great at a party where people don't necessarily know each other well as well as great at an everyday party. Highly recommend!

Excellent Game, 25 May 2006
First played this game in 1992. I enjoyed it then and still very much enjoy it today (14 years later). It's an excellent game when you have a group of friends together. I highly recommend it. Wish they produced more Extra Packs though.

everyone will enjoy it, 28 Feb 2006
This is a really amusing game and one that never fails to get everyone in the family involved; good at bringing together even the most distant of relatives! It's also good for younger children to improve their lateral thinking, problem solving and verbal skills. The only down side being that you can only really play it with 4 or more people, otherwise it simply isn't as enjoyable. Overall though a classic!

Classic, but tons of fun!, 15 Nov 2008
Classic game.....simple.....and tons of fun. A bit of fun for everyone! It's place is somewhere between video games and outdoor sports! Definitely recommended!

A timeless classic!, 25 Dec 2007
Twister is a game of physical skill, invented by Neil W. Rabens and Charles F. Foley in 1969.

The game includes a 167cm by 135cm plastic sheet covered with 6 blue, 6 green, 6 red and 6 yellow circles, which is layed on the floor. The game also includes a spinner, mounted onto a board that's divided into quarters. Each quater says either left foot, right foot, left hand, or right hand.

To play: After the spinner's been spun, a combination is called out {E.G. left foot - green} and players must move their hand or foot to that circle. Due to the limited number of coloured circles, players will often be required to put themselves in uncomfortable and unbalanced positions, which eventually results in someone's fall. No 2 players can share a circle (rules are different for more people) and the game is best played with socks being worn by all players.
Any amount of people can play Twister, but you always need someone to spin the spinner.
I gave Twister a 4 star durability rating because the spinner comes of the board a bit too easily and I gave it a 1 star educational rating, because the only thing you learn from it is how flexible you are!

Fun for all the family,
Utterly fabulous!

More Twister please by Hugo, 29 Apr 2007
My son aged five loves this game, I know that the age range is from 6 years on the actual box, but five is an ideal age to start trying it out.

It really gets small children to recognise colours and the shape of a circle without even thinking that they are learning something, you know what they say if they enjoy playing with something and it also teaches them something then it cann't be too bad a toy. (Cann't remember who said that, but from somewhere in my distant memory I can remember that being said when I was a child).

The game is quite robust even when five year old and 15 year old daughter and friends join in, it doesn't tear or rip and best of all it can be used outside in the summer, so instead of the children being couch potatoes, especially during the summer hols, get them outside with this, whilst you can have some peace inside without them!

The game can also be played with just two people, both of mine also play together and wear themselves out.

Great to take on a camping or caravanning holiday, small to pack but endless fun.

Good for adults too after a barbie, but not too much alchol though as could be a trip to casualty needed.

Glad I bought it as it did produce a good many laughs and gymnastics at the same time.

Quite a good priced game, if you think of the amount of times and people who can play it, without loosing lots of little pieces, great for a birthday present, as then when it comes to a quiet moment and prizes have run out, you know when younger ones want more and more prizes let them play this.

Have noticed that as of 5/5/07 when I was in Toysarus that they were doing a deal of buy any MB Game and get a free £12.99 Little Pets Tomagoche, or free football DVD (cann't remember exact title sorry) but well worth it as the Little Pets free gift is worth £12.99. I bought the Operation game for £9.99 and was amazed that my free gift was worth more than actual game I bought. (Could be worth putting away for present for someone for Birthday or Christmas).

Silly fun for everyone! (Over 2ft 6in), 17 Mar 2006
Ok, If you've been on Mars for the last few decades Twister is the game where have a large plastic sheet with big coloured dots on it and a board with a spinny pointy thing. Realistically you need at least three people to play, but you can just about manage with two. Especially if one is a contortionist!

Spread the sheet on the floor and give the board to the third player. He spins the arm which dictates which limb the other players have to place on which coloured dot. Easy-peasy. Until about the third move.

We have nine kids. We have had Twister for about 16 years. We have had, what must add up to, months of enormous and ridiculous fun with it. It just is one of the simplest and most fun games on the market.

The other stuff: Well, don't pay too much attention to the blurb. It has absolutly no educational value at all. Any child that doesn't know it's left from right and it's colours is almost certainly too short to play - though that shouldn't stop them from trying. And anyway, in the middle of the chaos that is Twister, they are not going to have time to worry about it. In this house when short people play they always end up getting lots of help, and cheating is standard. I've given it 2 stars anyway, because it seems to be a contemporary fixation that everything must be educational.

My only complaint is on the durability side. The 'arm' comes off the board too easily. In 16 years we've had three Twisters.Then again, given the amount of use they've had maybe that's not such bad going.

Left Hand Pink!!, 14 Mar 2006
Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!! that says it all.

This one time i saw a movie and all these girls were playing twister and when they got left hand pink they got really excited...why is this?

A good gift - A+, 18 Nov 2008
I bought this last year for my then 5 year old son, but my 8 year old daughter enjoyed it more at the time and now they both play it - very good toy - keeps the mind going - even for the adults. Good for keeping them quiet for a while. Very durable - just don't lose any of the cars, (which shouldn't happen if they pack it away in the provided bag). I am now buying 'hoppers' this xmas in the hopes that it brings as much pleasure and quiet time!

Traffic jam, 07 Jan 2008
Bought this for my son for christmas. Thought it might be too difficult for him as he wasn't 5 until end Jan. However after only a little while he could easily do the beginners section! He really enjoys the game and concentrates quite hard whilst doing it! Great game would highly recommend!

A simple concept but great fun, 31 Dec 2007
Based on previous reviews I purchased this as a Christmas present for my 9 year old neice and have to agree with previous comments - this is an excellent toy. It had my neice, her parents and myself captivated for hours as we worked through the levels. Highly recommended.

Great fun for the whole family, 29 Dec 2007
What a great success this Christmas. A simple idea that kept everyone captivated for hours. This is an excellent educational toy for children, working out the strategy of getting the red car out of the grid by moving other cars really gets them thinking. Easy to set up with varying levels of ability suits everyone. My 8 year old can manage the beginner levels, whilst the expert levels keep the adults guessing for hours! Even my 92 year old nan found this enthralling, playing for ages. For the price this is superb value for money. The game itself is superb, buy it - you will not be disappointed.

Fun, makes you think and ideal to travel with, 23 Oct 2007
Like many of the reviewers here I bought this game for a kid's birthday, in this case my 9 year old niece. On the day I spent more time playing it than she did (which she wasn't entirely happy about!).

The game itself consists of a plastic gameboard, the size of a desk calculator, in which there is a drawer holding the puzzle cards. The board and game pieces (around 20 pieces) come in a handy carry bag. You'll need the carry bag to keep everything together neatly, but you don't need to tip the whole contents out to find the pieces you need, since there are not many of them and they are not tiny.

As a side note, since the pieces are not tiny and are brightly coloured you can easily find them if they fall on the ground.

As the playing the game, well it really makes you think and is also very fun. You get a smug feeling of superiority when you finally manage to figure the puzzle out.

The puzzle difficulty ranges from very easy indeed to ferociously difficult. The hardest puzzles had me stumped and I am supposed to be pretty clever! But don't worry, the puzzle cards also have the answers (on the back) so you can figure it out like that if you need to!

Although there are 'only' 60 cards or so, they are easily replayable as you are not going to remember the pemutations of every one.

I recommend this game, fun for all ages, intelligent and easily portable.

I'm already looking forward to visting my brother again so I can have another go...

Addictive, 17 Nov 2008
A great game for a spare 45 minutes, requires next to no set-up which is brilliant! It can get quite confusing when playing with multiple add-ons and it's a bit disappointing that you need to buy them to get some of the player aids (a bag to keep the tiles in etc.)

Having said that this is a really good low maintenance beginners game. I would certainly recommended it.

Addicitve and absorbing, 11 Nov 2008
This arrived on Thursday and it's now Tuesday and we've played it 6 times. A brilliant game! Every time we play we get more tactical and now I'm back on Amazon looking at the expansion packs. Wonderful to have a proper game rather than something on a screen!

Great game for kids, 14 Aug 2008
Carcassonne is a brilliant game full of surprises. It's basically just taking a tile and laying it in the right place, but there's a bit of oomph you've to put into it as well, and that is what makes it fun and exciting. I can't wait to get some expansions which are supposed to make it better.

It's price is very good for the game and I'm very pleased with it, it's also very addictive. William.

One of the most enjoyable games I have ever played., 25 Mar 2008
I've been playing this game now for several years, since it first came out. The game won the German Game Of The Year award, in 2001. I should point out at this point that German board games are considered to be some of the best in the world, as such this is a very high accolade, which the game very much deserves.

I believe that there are two main reasons why this game is so deserving of its Game Of The Year Award: The first of these being that the basic rules of the game are very easy to learn. The second is that despite being easy to learn the rules, mastering the game will take a bit longer, and the randomness prevents a single tactic from becoming a guaranteed win, thus maintaining a more level playing field for games consisting of both experienced and inexperienced players.

Despite being similar, every game that I have played has had a different feel to it. This, I expect, is due to the random nature of the drawing of the tiles. This randomness does not, however, impart a feeling of lack of control; each tile drawn generally has multiple options where it may be placed, a decision that rests firmly with the player.

The choice of location is part of the educational aspect of the game, that of strategy. The player must weigh up the pro's and con's of short-term or long-term gain. This requires a level of mathematical calculation, and needs to be coupled with an element of risk-taking (gambling on the tile(s) needed both being available in the future and actually being the choice of that player). Even then, it may be necessary for a player to recalculate where they wish to play the tile if it does come to them; the situation may have changed through the tactics used by the other players.

Having owned the game for a good half-dozen years, and having used it often I can say that the tiles are wearing well. Despite being made of card the tiles are proving to be quite resilient, even though my tiles are regularly jumbled up in the bag which came with the second expansion. The only word of caution that I feel it is necessary to give is that although the bag is exceedingly useful for running the game it does start to get a bit full with all of the expansion tiles!

There are many expansions available for this game. The rules for each of them are relatively simple, although they will add a great deal to think about. A word of caution here, some some confusion could result the first time all of the expansions are used together. This is because there are increasing options available to a player once they take and place a tile, and the Dragon Flies tiles actually interrupt the game play; so the players have to remember where to carry on from.

If you like the game but think that it is over too quickly or does not provide sufficient tactical thought, then the way ahead is definitely to get one or more of the expansions. Each expansion will add about 30-45 minutes of time to the overall time required to play the game. Playing with the first four expansions, two copies of the Rivers II expansion, the Count of Carcasssonne, and two copies of the King and Bandit results in games that can take up to five hours to play.

One final comment, the game play changes depending on the number of players. This is not a critism, a two-player game is just as enjoyable as a six player game, it is just a different experience; this actually makes the game more appealing, because if you play it with a different number of players each time you have more variety. That said, there would be nothing wrong with playing the game with the same two people every time. Note, you must have the first expansion to be able to play a six-player game.

One Of The Most Relaxing Games I've Seen For The XBox Live Arcade, 22 Mar 2008
Please note that I am reviewing the XBox Live Arcade Version of Carcassone for the XBox 360!

In November 2007 XBox Live celebrated it's 5th Anniversary since it's debut in 2002, and as a treat anyone who owned a XBox 360 and XBox Live was allowed to download and play Carcassone free of charge for a short period of time. So I thought, I take this offer and download and play the game. You can't complain at free-bee's these days can you?

At first I didn't have much interest in Carcassone cause I found it a little tough, but after I played it a couple of times, getting used to it was a piece of cake and normally you toughen yourself up and get yourself prepared for a game, but with Carcassone it was a game where I can sit back, relax and just take my time!

Carcasonne is a board game in which your goal is to use tiles to build cities, roads, and farms. The players take turns to place the tiles they get given and then using special coloured stars, you can claim certain parts of the land. If you successfully claim a certain piece of land or a piece of ground to build a castle you earn points. These points are then counted. Obviously, the person with the highest points is the winner. In total a game can take a total of 72 Tiles but you can have 2, 3 or 4 players!

The XBox 360 Arcade Version of the game has no difference whatsoever. It follows the same rules as the board game but also contains a Leader-Board score chart, which places your score worldwide once you obtain Game Over and 12 Achievements which give you a total score of 200 Points with Online Play as well!

My Personal Game Score: 9.2/10: Beauty-Baby-Bonza

My Wish: Sometimes when your playing online, you may have to wait a while before you can proceed with your turn, so I do wish that online play was slightly more quicker than it is!

Final Comments: Overall, Carcassone is a fairly quiet, relaxing, and easy game which you can put your teeth into no time. The achivements are fairly easy to get, but be warned that you could get addicted to this game!

Review By Captain Chris Kipper


Fantastic, 30 Dec 2007
I first played Articulate at my aunt's house with my cousins, and it was so good that we had to buy one for ourselves! No family gathering is complete without a game of Ariculate! It is so much fun and always guaranteed to make you laugh! Buy it now!

Best board game ever, 14 Dec 2007
We bought this for christmas when the family come over but gave it a trial run with my cousin, aunt and mum today and there wasn't much silence in the house cause of all the laughter.

We really enjoyed it, just a great game that seems more entertaining the more people are involved.

If you could only own one board game, I'd choose this one, you shouldn't even hesitate buying it.

Brilliant fun!, 20 Jan 2007
This game is great fun. We played it on boxing day with the whole family (me 27, bouyfriend 38, his sister 40, her partner 38, her daughter 13, and my boyfriends mum and dad 57 & 60) and we had a brilliant time. The hardest thing is knowing who some of the people are but you could always pass if you didn't know but half of the fun is making up who you think it is for your team to guess! I would definitely recommend this game to anyone looking for a great way to entertain. It breaks down barriers and would be great at a party where people don't necessarily know each other well as well as great at an everyday party. Highly recommend!

Excellent Game, 25 May 2006
First played this game in 1992. I enjoyed it then and still very much enjoy it today (14 years later). It's an excellent game when you have a group of friends together. I highly recommend it. Wish they produced more Extra Packs though.

everyone will enjoy it, 28 Feb 2006
This is a really amusing game and one that never fails to get everyone in the family involved; good at bringing together even the most distant of relatives! It's also good for younger children to improve their lateral thinking, problem solving and verbal skills. The only down side being that you can only really play it with 4 or more people, otherwise it simply isn't as enjoyable. Overall though a classic!

Jigsaw Roll 2000 pc Puzzle Holder Mat, 15 Sep 2007
Just simply a great practical item. Does what it says on the box!

Make up your puzzle on the felt mat, then when you want a break, simply pull open the telescopic tube, roll the puzzle and mat around it, and secure with the elastic bands provided.

Cranium is the outrageously fun smash hit board game that brings friends and family together through a variety of activities that celebrate the whole brain. Whether you're an aspiring actor, artist, trivia buff or wordsmith, Cranium gives you and your team a chance to shine as your team hums, whistles, sketches, sculpts, acts, puzzles, and even spells backwards to win. 4 + players. 12 Years +Cranium is an excellent game that embodies all the best aspects of board games--it doesn't last too long (about an hour for a game), it's exciting and funny and it also relies on the chance element as well as skill. The game is played by two or more teams of one or more players and the object is to get round the board into the Cranium Central area and be the first team to complete the activities there. Easy, isn't it? To do this, each team has to complete an activity, the selection of which depends on the square they last landed on--but it has to be completed before the egg timer runs out. There are also two routes to follow--the fast route (only available if you complete your first activity within the time) and the scenic route for those who don't. The activities are split into four groups: "Creative Cat", which asks, amongst other things, that you sculpt a miniature tea set out of clay--or draw a picture of baked beans on toast (with your eyes closed, of course). Then there is "Data Head"--do you know where the saying "back to square one" originates? Did Thomas Crapper really invent the flushing toilet? Another activity is the "Word Worm"--can you spell words backwards or solve puzzles with a cryptic clue such as "nervous neckwear"? Finally, there is the "Star Performer" activity (all families have one or two in this category.) Get them to emulate a John Cleese sketch or act "a back seat driver". When a team reaches Cranium Central, they have to complete one activity from each activity category to win. --Ben King

Classic, but tons of fun!, 15 Nov 2008
Classic game.....simple.....and tons of fun. A bit of fun for everyone! It's place is somewhere between video games and outdoor sports! Definitely recommended!

A timeless classic!, 25 Dec 2007
Twister is a game of physical skill, invented by Neil W. Rabens and Charles F. Foley in 1969.

The game includes a 167cm by 135cm plastic sheet covered with 6 blue, 6 green, 6 red and 6 yellow circles, which is layed on the floor. The game also includes a spinner, mounted onto a board that's divided into quarters. Each quater says either left foot, right foot, left hand, or right hand.

To play: After the spinner's been spun, a combination is called out {E.G. left foot - green} and players must move their hand or foot to that circle. Due to the limited number of coloured circles, players will often be required to put themselves in uncomfortable and unbalanced positions, which eventually results in someone's fall. No 2 players can share a circle (rules are different for more people) and the game is best played with socks being worn by all players.
Any amount of people can play Twister, but you always need someone to spin the spinner.
I gave Twister a 4 star durability rating because the spinner comes of the board a bit too easily and I gave it a 1 star educational rating, because the only thing you learn from it is how flexible you are!

Fun for all the family,
Utterly fabulous!

More Twister please by Hugo, 29 Apr 2007
My son aged five loves this game, I know that the age range is from 6 years on the actual box, but five is an ideal age to start trying it out.

It really gets small children to recognise colours and the shape of a circle without even thinking that they are learning something, you know what they say if they enjoy playing with something and it also teaches them something then it cann't be too bad a toy. (Cann't remember who said that, but from somewhere in my distant memory I can remember that being said when I was a child).

The game is quite robust even when five year old and 15 year old daughter and friends join in, it doesn't tear or rip and best of all it can be used outside in the summer, so instead of the children being couch potatoes, especially during the summer hols, get them outside with this, whilst you can have some peace inside without them!

The game can also be played with just two people, both of mine also play together and wear themselves out.

Great to take on a camping or caravanning holiday, small to pack but endless fun.

Good for adults too after a barbie, but not too much alchol though as could be a trip to casualty needed.

Glad I bought it as it did produce a good many laughs and gymnastics at the same time.

Quite a good priced game, if you think of the amount of times and people who can play it, without loosing lots of little pieces, great for a birthday present, as then when it comes to a quiet moment and prizes have run out, you know when younger ones want more and more prizes let them play this.

Have noticed that as of 5/5/07 when I was in Toysarus that they were doing a deal of buy any MB Game and get a free £12.99 Little Pets Tomagoche, or free football DVD (cann't remember exact title sorry) but well worth it as the Little Pets free gift is worth £12.99. I bought the Operation game for £9.99 and was amazed that my free gift was worth more than actual game I bought. (Could be worth putting away for present for someone for Birthday or Christmas).

Silly fun for everyone! (Over 2ft 6in), 17 Mar 2006
Ok, If you've been on Mars for the last few decades Twister is the game where have a large plastic sheet with big coloured dots on it and a board with a spinny pointy thing. Realistically you need at least three people to play, but you can just about manage with two. Especially if one is a contortionist!

Spread the sheet on the floor and give the board to the third player. He spins the arm which dictates which limb the other players have to place on which coloured dot. Easy-peasy. Until about the third move.

We have nine kids. We have had Twister for about 16 years. We have had, what must add up to, months of enormous and ridiculous fun with it. It just is one of the simplest and most fun games on the market.

The other stuff: Well, don't pay too much attention to the blurb. It has absolutly no educational value at all. Any child that doesn't know it's left from right and it's colours is almost certainly too short to play - though that shouldn't stop them from trying. And anyway, in the middle of the chaos that is Twister, they are not going to have time to worry about it. In this house when short people play they always end up getting lots of help, and cheating is standard. I've given it 2 stars anyway, because it seems to be a contemporary fixation that everything must be educational.

My only complaint is on the durability side. The 'arm' comes off the board too easily. In 16 years we've had three Twisters.Then again, given the amount of use they've had maybe that's not such bad going.

Left Hand Pink!!, 14 Mar 2006
Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!!Left Hand Pink!! that says it all.

This one time i saw a movie and all these girls were playing twister and when they got left hand pink they got really excited...why is this?

A good gift - A+, 18 Nov 2008
I bought this last year for my then 5 year old son, but my 8 year old daughter enjoyed it more at the time and now they both play it - very good toy - keeps the mind going - even for the adults. Good for keeping them quiet for a while. Very durable - just don't lose any of the cars, (which shouldn't happen if they pack it away in the provided bag). I am now buying 'hoppers' this xmas in the hopes that it brings as much pleasure and quiet time!

Traffic jam, 07 Jan 2008
Bought this for my son for christmas. Thought it might be too difficult for him as he wasn't 5 until end Jan. However after only a little while he could easily do the beginners section! He really enjoys the game and concentrates quite hard whilst doing it! Great game would highly recommend!

A simple concept but great fun, 31 Dec 2007
Based on previous reviews I purchased this as a Christmas present for my 9 year old neice and have to agree with previous comments - this is an excellent toy. It had my neice, her parents and myself captivated for hours as we worked through the levels. Highly recommended.

Great fun for the whole family, 29 Dec 2007
What a great success this Christmas. A simple idea that kept everyone captivated for hours. This is an excellent educational toy for children, working out the strategy of getting the red car out of the grid by moving other cars really gets them thinking. Easy to set up with varying levels of ability suits everyone. My 8 year old can manage the beginner levels, whilst the expert levels keep the adults guessing for hours! Even my 92 year old nan found this enthralling, playing for ages. For the price this is superb value for money. The game itself is superb, buy it - you will not be disappointed.

Fun, makes you think and ideal to travel with, 23 Oct 2007
Like many of the reviewers here I bought this game for a kid's birthday, in this case my 9 year old niece. On the day I spent more time playing it than she did (which she wasn't entirely happy about!).

The game itself consists of a plastic gameboard, the size of a desk calculator, in which there is a drawer holding the puzzle cards. The board and game pieces (around 20 pieces) come in a handy carry bag. You'll need the carry bag to keep everything together neatly, but you don't need to tip the whole contents out to find the pieces you need, since there are not many of them and they are not tiny.

As a side note, since the pieces are not tiny and are brightly coloured you can easily find them if they fall on the ground.

As the playing the game, well it really makes you think and is also very fun. You get a smug feeling of superiority when you finally manage to figure the puzzle out.

The puzzle difficulty ranges from very easy indeed to ferociously difficult. The hardest puzzles had me stumped and I am supposed to be pretty clever! But don't worry, the puzzle cards also have the answers (on the back) so you can figure it out like that if you need to!

Although there are 'only' 60 cards or so, they are easily replayable as you are not going to remember the pemutations of every one.

I recommend this game, fun for all ages, intelligent and easily portable.

I'm already looking forward to visting my brother again so I can have another go...

Addictive, 17 Nov 2008
A great game for a spare 45 minutes, requires next to no set-up which is brilliant! It can get quite confusing when playing with multiple add-ons and it's a bit disappointing that you need to buy them to get some of the player aids (a bag to keep the tiles in etc.)

Having said that this is a really good low maintenance beginners game. I would certainly recommended it.

Addicitve and absorbing, 11 Nov 2008
This arrived on Thursday and it's now Tuesday and we've played it 6 times. A brilliant game! Every time we play we get more tactical and now I'm back on Amazon looking at the expansion packs. Wonderful to have a proper game rather than something on a screen!

Great game for kids, 14 Aug 2008
Carcassonne is a brilliant game full of surprises. It's basically just taking a tile and laying it in the right place, but there's a bit of oomph you've to put into it as well, and that is what makes it fun and exciting. I can't wait to get some expansions which are supposed to make it better.

It's price is very good for the game and I'm very pleased with it, it's also very addictive. William.

One of the most enjoyable games I have ever played., 25 Mar 2008
I've been playing this game now for several years, since it first came out. The game won the German Game Of The Year award, in 2001. I should point out at this point that German board games are considered to be some of the best in the world, as such this is a very high accolade, which the game very much deserves.

I believe that there are two main reasons why this game is so deserving of its Game Of The Year Award: The first of these being that the basic rules of the game are very easy to learn. The second is that despite being easy to learn the rules, mastering the game will take a bit longer, and the randomness prevents a single tactic from becoming a guaranteed win, thus maintaining a more level playing field for games consisting of both experienced and inexperienced players.

Despite being similar, every game that I have played has had a different feel to it. This, I expect, is due to the random nature of the drawing of the tiles. This randomness does not, however, impart a feeling of lack of control; each tile drawn generally has multiple options where it may be placed, a decision that rests firmly with the player.

The choice of location is part of the educational aspect of the game, that of strategy. The player must weigh up the pro's and con's of short-term or long-term gain. This requires a level of mathematical calculation, and needs to be coupled with an element of risk-taking (gambling on the tile(s) needed both being available in the future and actually being the choice of that player). Even then, it may be necessary for a player to recalculate where they wish to play the tile if it does come to them; the situation may have changed through the tactics used by the other players.

Having owned the game for a good half-dozen years, and having used it often I can say that the tiles are wearing well. Despite being made of card the tiles are proving to be quite resilient, even though my tiles are regularly jumbled up in the bag which came with the second expansion. The only word of caution that I feel it is necessary to give is that although the bag is exceedingly useful for running the game it does start to get a bit full with all of the expansion tiles!

There are many expansions available for this game. The rules for each of them are relatively simple, although they will add a great deal to think about. A word of caution here, some some confusion could result the first time all of the expansions are used together. This is because there are increasing options available to a player once they take and place a tile, and the Dragon Flies tiles actually interrupt the game play; so the players have to remember where to carry on from.

If you like the game but think that it is over too quickly or does not provide sufficient tactical thought, then the way ahead is definitely to get one or more of the expansions. Each expansion will add about 30-45 minutes of time to the overall time required to play the game. Playing with the first four expansions, two copies of the Rivers II expansion, the Count of Carcasssonne, and two copies of the King and Bandit results in games that can take up to five hours to play.

One final comment, the game play changes depending on the number of players. This is not a critism, a two-player game is just as enjoyable as a six player game, it is just a different experience; this actually makes the game more appealing, because if you play it with a different number of players each time you have more variety. That said, there would be nothing wrong with playing the game with the same two people every time. Note, you must have the first expansion to be able to play a six-player game.

One Of The Most Relaxing Games I've Seen For The XBox Live Arcade, 22 Mar 2008
Please note that I am reviewing the XBox Live Arcade Version of Carcassone for the XBox 360!

In November 2007 XBox Live celebrated it's 5th Anniversary since it's debut in 2002, and as a treat anyone who owned a XBox 360 and XBox Live was allowed to download and play Carcassone free of charge for a short period of time. So I thought, I take this offer and download and play the game. You can't complain at free-bee's these days can you?

At first I didn't have much interest in Carcassone cause I found it a little tough, but after I played it a couple of times, getting used to it was a piece of cake and normally you toughen yourself up and get yourself prepared for a game, but with Carcassone it was a game where I can sit back, relax and just take my time!

Carcasonne is a board game in which your goal is to use tiles to build cities, roads, and farms. The players take turns to place the tiles they get given and then using special coloured stars, you can claim certain parts of the land. If you successfully claim a certain piece of land or a piece of ground to build a castle you earn points. These points are then counted. Obviously, the person with the highest points is the winner. In total a game can take a total of 72 Tiles but you can have 2, 3 or 4 players!

The XBox 360 Arcade Version of the game has no difference whatsoever. It follows the same rules as the board game but also contains a Leader-Board score chart, which places your score worldwide once you obtain Game Over and 12 Achievements which give you a total score of 200 Points with Online Play as well!

My Personal Game Score: 9.2/10: Beauty-Baby-Bonza

My Wish: Sometimes when your playing online, you may have to wait a while before you can proceed with your turn, so I do wish that online play was slightly more quicker than it is!

Final Comments: Overall, Carcassone is a fairly quiet, relaxing, and easy game which you can put your teeth into no time. The achivements are fairly easy to get, but be warned that you could get addicted to this game!

Review By Captain Chris Kipper


Fantastic, 30 Dec 2007
I first played Articulate at my aunt's house with my cousins, and it was so good that we had to buy one for ourselves! No family gathering is complete without a game of Ariculate! It is so much fun and always guaranteed to make you laugh! Buy it now!

Best board game ever, 14 Dec 2007
We bought this for christmas when the family come over but gave it a trial run with my cousin, aunt and mum today and there wasn't much silence in the house cause of all the laughter.

We really enjoyed it, just a great game that seems more entertaining the more people are involved.

If you could only own one board game, I'd choose this one, you shouldn't even hesitate buying it.

Brilliant fun!, 20 Jan 2007
This game is great fun. We played it on boxing day with the whole family (me 27, bouyfriend 38, his sister 40, her partner 38, her daughter 13, and my boyfriends mum and dad 57 & 60) and we had a brilliant time. The hardest thing is knowing who some of the people are but you could always pass if you didn't know but half of the fun is making up who you think it is for your team to guess! I would definitely recommend this game to anyone looking for a great way to entertain. It breaks down barriers and would be great at a party where people don't necessarily know each other well as well as great at an everyday party. Highly recommend!

Excellent Game, 25 May 2006
First played this game in 1992. I enjoyed it then and still very much enjoy it today (14 years later). It's an excellent game when you have a group of friends together. I highly recommend it. Wish they produced more Extra Packs though.

everyone will enjoy it, 28 Feb 2006
This is a really amusing game and one that never fails to get everyone in the family involved; good at bringing together even the most distant of relatives! It's also good for younger children to improve their lateral thinking, problem solving and verbal skills. The only down side being that you can only really play it with 4 or more people, otherwise it simply isn't as enjoyable. Overall though a classic!

Jigsaw Roll 2000 pc Puzzle Holder Mat, 15 Sep 2007
Just simply a great practical item. Does what it says on the box!

Make up your puzzle on the felt mat, then when you want a break, simply pull open the telescopic tube, roll the puzzle and mat around it, and secure with the elastic bands provided.

Lots of games all wrapped up in one!!, 12 Nov 2008
Really cool game combining drawing pictures, sculpting, general knowledge questions, English language and spelling etc etc. Wide appeal to all!!! A bit like Countdown, Pictionary, Sherades and Mastermind all rolled into one!

Better with Cranium 2, 14 Apr 2008
this is a great game but i think Cranium 2 (or 2nd edition) is a better game for all the family

Family game?, 26 Dec 2007
Seriously disappointed by this game! Who dreamt up these questions? Fine if you're armed with a copy of Encarta, or you're a family of know-it-alls, but the average Joe and his children would have no chance of answering half of these questions. I had more fun peeling the pototoes for our Christmas lunch than playing this...

Great fun for all the family, 05 Sep 2007
We loved this game at family parties - it has something for everyone and little kids, big kids and even sulky teenagers seem to enjoy being involved. We discovered talents in the family that we never imagined! develops spatial awareness, confidence building, language, drama, teamwork, dexterity. lots of fun! You do need a minimum of 4 people to play and it's not really easy to adapt the rules to play with just 3 people but thats my only criticism. I gave 4 stars for durability becuse you do model with playdoh which dries out if you don't put the lid back on and over time you use up the paper provided for drawing pics.

Mis-sold, 20 Mar 2007
This game states on the box that it is suitable for two or more teams of TWO or more players, but Amazon insist on describing it as for two or more teams of ONE or more players. If you want a game for two, this isn't it as it can't be played. Having ordered it under false pretences, ours was sent back for a refund with full explanation of reasons why, but Amazon are still describing it wrongly. Shame on you, Amazon, for wasting people's time and money.