Carcassonne (review)

We've been happily playing Carcassonne for quite some time now and I've always meant to mention it here but kept forgotting. We picked it up last spring when we were looking for something new to do on vacation. Since it is recommended for ages 8-12 we thought it might remain a parent game for a while, but actually Calvin (at two months shy of five years old) took to it pretty quickly and we've been playing ever since. It is a family favorite, and we often get it out to play with friends, too.

The main premise behind Carcassonne is the building of a medieval map. Two or more players take turns drawing tiles (with roads, walled cities, monastaries, and fields) and using them to create the map. Each player has little wooden figures that they place on tiles of their choosing in order to own cities, roads, farms, or monastaries, thereby earning points. Points are kept on a small gameboard using an additional wooden figure.

For young children, simply creating the map is great fun, and the rules are easily alterred for varying degrees of difficulty. When we first started with Calvin we played it more as a cooperative "create a map" game. We introduced the rules and point system as he gained understanding of them. Since the game uses a combination of luck and strategy it can be played cooperatively, lightly, or competitively depending on the players and their skill set.

The basic original game consists of a number of sturdy cardboard tiles, wooden figures for up to five players, and a sturdy cardboard scoring board. It is enough for getting started and has a great replay value as is, but the company also sells expansion packs that are great either for adding depth to game via additional story lines (like dragons) and additional rules and strategies, or can be used simply to expand the map and make the game last longer. We have the original game along with The River, the Inns and Cathedrals and the Princess and Dragon expansion packs.

The Amazing Mammoth Hunt

Another new game on our shelf, just as highly recommended as the last. The Amazing Mammoth Hunt is a geography game, challenging players to identify a variety of (mostly) countries on the world map; land on a square and properly identify the location of that square's country in order to collect a token, the goal being to collect the most. In general this is my kind of game, but it was a little too advanced for Calvin (something we expected when we ordered it).

We started talking more about continents this week, along with our focus on Africa and African folk lore. This afternoon I got the game out and played we with alterred rules, focusing on identification of continents instead of countries; I asked Calvin to correctly identify the continent of the country on his square in order to collect the token. A few of the countries he's already familiar with, like the US, Egypt, China, and Russia, so I ask him to identify these entirely on his own. We had a great time playing this afternoon and I think it's a great way to build his exposure to map use (and for added fun I keep a globe on hand for clarification).

Becoming pawns

We've been playing with Chess for a while now, getting to know the board, the pieces, the history. It's exposure that counts here, and a fulfillment of Calvin's interest, which is vast in its sweep. He has grasped the goal of the game, and the abilities of each piece, but it will be some time before he glimpses the deeper strategy I think. Right now we enjoy playing for fun. We brought home from the library sale today The Kids' Book of Chess, by Harvey Kidder. The Usborne book we have touched on the game's basics while the book we brought home today joins good story telling and illustrations with a general education on the game. Calvin loved it immediately and I see some King Arthur reading in our near future. He and Jon spent the afternoon creating swords and shields and then chasing each other around the house with them, acting out the role of pawns, better known as pikemen, or foot soldiers. I see the creation of a miter on our horizon as well.

Qwirkle

We've been on the lookout for new games. Snail's Pace Race and Goodnight Moon weren't really fitting the bill anymore. As Calvin gets older we were looking for games that would challenge us all a bit more. We found Camp, which allows all of us to play to our own abilities. We also picked up chess, Hi-Ho Cherry-O, Connect Four, Guess Who, Memory, and a number of others, but I was still looking. Qwirkle came highly recommended by the online homeschooling community so I ordered it.

I'm not a reviewer and I claim no knowledge with which I can rightfully judge these things, but I am really excited about this game. First, the tiles are solid wood so they feel well made and make for a good tactile experience. Second, it not only requires an ability to follow rules but also involves deep strategy; It challenges the player not just to recognize colors and shapes but also to consider complex categorization and grid formation, and offers a challenge that will grow along with the player's skill set. I see us playing a lot of Qwirkle around here.

Chess

Speaking of games. A few days ago he asked us about the chess set sitting on our bookshelf. It's a set that Jon brought back with him from a choir trip in Budapest—a pretty set of varying woods and simple carvings. Calvin was curious but it had been years since either of his parents had played and we were both a bit shaky on the general rules. At the used book store on Saturday morning we happened across a chess book by Usborne, aimed specifically at kids (or somewhat slow adults). For $2 it turned out to be a great find, and timely, too. We've added a few new rules to our repertoire each day since and we're slowly working up to a full game, or at least to one that makes sense. I've always wanted to learn how to really play chess. I think by the end of this journey I will owe most of my knowledge to my son.