Welcome to Friday`s fifth annual New Games issue. On this page and Page 5, we showcase the 25 new games of 1988 that our players liked best.
ADVERTEASING
Adverteasing, Cadaco Games, $25. How well can you match advertising slogans with the companies/products they represent? That`s the challenge in Adverteasing. The 2,100 ad slogans to be identified range from those in use today to those that haven`t been heard in several decades. A question that isn`t answered by a player on his turn is passed to other players, so there`s no lull between turns. The game is fast moving, fun and tougher than it sounds.
BRAINTWISTER
BrainTwister, Orda Industries, $14. A sequence-solving game. Players are shown a series of five geometric shapes and they try to guess the color and shape of the sixth figure of the series. Puzzles range from the very simple to the very difficult. In some cases, players are shown only the first three figures; they then ”bet” which figure will turn up sixth (once a player bets on a shape and color, no one else can make the same guess). Other times, figures are shown one at a time, with players making bets after each unveiling. Challenging, educational and fun.
CHARADE PLUS
Charade Plus, Battle Road Press, $30. You take the parlor game charades, add related trivia questions and you`ve got the basics for Charade Plus. For example, you might act out ”One Flew Over the Cuckoo`s Nest” and then answer a question about Jack Nicholson. Game cards may require you to perforcharade with your eyes closed, lying on your back or with one hand behind your back. A lively party game.
CHARADO
Charado, University Games, $25. Pictionary with clay. That`s all there is to Charado, in which one player molds such challenging words as ballet slipper or Vanna White while others guess what he`s sculpting. As with Pictionary, some categories and words are much tougher than others. But that`s what makes the game unpredictable.
CRITICAL DECISIONS
Critical Decisions, Blueprint Marketing, $30. Scruples spawned a number of imitator games in which one scores points by correctly predicting/analyzing how another player will respond to a hypothetical question. Critical Decisions is one of the best ones. The setup resembles a casino game, and indeed, players bet chips to back their predictions. Players liked the game for its fast pace, intriguing questions, excellent components and quality packaging.
EMPIRE BUILDER
Empire Builder, Mayfair Games, $25. This is the third edition of the popular board game, which is the American counterpart to British Rails. A sophisticated game requiring precise management of limited resources, Empire Builder pits players as competing railroad tycoons. Object is to build a coast-to-coast railroad network-but this can`t be accomplished without first building short routes, using those routes to build capital, then expanding when prudent/possible. The game works best with four or more players, but it`s a perfectly acceptable two-player game.
FALCON`S MAZE
Falcon`s Maze, Keyline Falcon, $35. A sophisticated, stylish, two-player strategy game. Object is to move your scepter to the opponent`s side of the board, accomplished by the strategic placement of gemstones (which the scepter uses as stepping stones) on the gameboard. Gemstones also are used to block your opponent`s progress. Capture your opponent`s scepter and you banish it to the center of the board, where it takes a fortunate dice roll to escape. Simple to play, though strategy can get quite sophisticated. Beautiful components.
FORCE FIELD
Force Field, Mattel, $11. This looks simple enough. Eight identical, magnetized black cubes. Just put them together into one large cube; if the polarities are aligned just right, the cube will balance on one point. But if the polarities aren`t perfect, it won`t hold together. Challenging, absorbing and a bear to put together again. We`re assuming it is, anyway; we still haven`t managed it. And no, there`s no solution per se; you`re on your own.
THE GREAT PUZZLE CHALLENGE
The Great Puzzle Challenge, Patomike Inc., $25. Beat the clock-and your opponents-in this puzzle-making game. Pick a card-one of 24-and study the geometric shape pictured on it. Pick out the 16 puzzle pieces corresponding to the card (they`re numbered), flip the timer and try to finish the puzzle before the time is up. Players score points for each correctly placed piece and for finishing on time. Fast-paced and exciting; our players competed long after the game had ”ended.”
GUEST HOST
Guest Host, Rainbow Games, $20. A variant on last year`s successful Twenty Questions, in which players determine the name of the mystery guest by the questions the host is asking. ”Do you still call England home?” ”Did you join the Liverpool Repertory Company at age 16?” The six questions get progressively more revealing until the last-”Did you really talk to the animals in `Dr. Doolittle?` ”-makes the answer (Rex Harrison) obvious. Easy to play, and you can wrap up a game in a half hour.
KEY-CUE
Key-Cue, Family Games Inc., $20. Players solve clues whose answers, when put together, yield the name of a famous person, place or thing. To wit:
”Famous entertainer, four syllables. Man`s name. Body part. Vehicle. Celestial body.” John, knee, car, sun. They`re not all that easy, but you get the idea. You get extra points for guessing the name before all the clues are given, but there are penalties for being wrong.
LIAR`S DICE
Liar`s Dice, Milton Bradley, $13. An easy and fun variant of liar`s poker, played with dice instead of dollar bills. Players shake five dice, concealing what they`ve rolled. The first player announces something like
”three sixes,” meaning he bets there are at least three sixes in the combined holdings of each player. Each player in turn must raise the previous bet or challenge it as a bluff; the loser of a challenge must give up one of his dice. Play continues until all but one are out of dice. A nice combination of strategy and luck; good for the whole family.
MISSISSIPPI MARBLES
Mississippi Marbles, Dawson Alliants Corp., $10. Simple, fast-moving dice game in which players score by rolling three of a kind or better. As long as you`re scoring, you keep rolling-but if you throw a non-scoring roll you lose all points accumulated on that turn. You`ve got to know when to quit. You can go from last place to first place in a hurry, if you`ve got a hot hand-and lose points just as quickly. Components are simple-six dice, a shaker, tray and score pad-and of good quality. A terrific family game.
MOTTO
Motto, Belcom Games, $28. The umbrella is the symbol of what company or product? That`s the kind of question you face in this sight-recognition game of famous faces, logos, slogans and song lyrics. Some of the faces-would you recognize Orville Wright?-are very challenging. We recommend dividing the cards by category, and discarding the plastic card holders, which didn`t always work. But it`s a great game for individuals or teams. Traveler`s Insurance, by the way.
PERSONAL PREFERENCE
Personal Preference, Broderbund Games, $25. How would you rank the following, in order of preference: The National Enquirer, glazed ham, square dancing, Barbara Walters? More important, how do you think another player would rank them? That`s the idea behind this game, an inventive variant of the ”I-guess-what-you-think” genre. Each player takes four cards and ranks them; other players predict his rankings. As the previous example shows, the subjects are wildly unrelated; still, seeing how others rank them can prove interesting and sometimes insightful.
QUICK WIT
Quick Wit, Petermark, $32. An excellent, fast-paced game in which speed and common sense are more valuable than esoteric knowledge. Players answer logic questions, visual puzzles (odd camera views of ordinary objects), general knowledge questions, vocabulary questions and riddles, trying to accumulate the letters that spell Quick Wit. Questions are challenging, out of the ordinary and fun. A winner.
THE SECRETS GAME
The Secrets Game, Milton Bradley, $15. A game of great stories, true and false. Each player draws a card, which directs him to tell a secret-his most embarrassing moment, his first kiss, whatever. Other players vote as to whether they believe the story. Listeners get points for guessing right;
storytellers get points for incorrect guesses. Game includes cards, voting chips and scoring chips (the scoring chips are annoying; we recommend keeping score with pencil and paper). An excellent ice-breaker game that also works well with close friends.
STARTING LINEUP BASEBALL
Starting Lineup Baseball, Parker Brothers, $100. This is an interactive computer baseball game that looks like a ballpark and plays very
realistically-including synthesized crowd noise, organ music and even play-by- play announcing. You pick the lineups (from actual players, who perform according to their statistics), decide strategy (pitching, hitting and baserunning) and make substitutions. The game includes stats and cards of 40 present-day baseball stars, plus a bonus cartridge of 20 Hall-of-Famers.
STEALTH
Stealth, Keyline Falcon, $25. A chess-like, two-player strategy game featuring stylish, futuristic playing pieces (you`ll be tempted to leave the game out on display). Like chess, the object is to capture your opponent`s king-called a starship here. Players need to learn the intricacies of game-piece movement, but those familiar with chess should grasp this fairly easily.
TUUNES
Tuunes, Burksongs, $45. A great name-that-tune game. As you remove tiles from the playing board, you reveal the note or notes written underneath; with each move, you try and guess the tune. A small, battery-operated keyboard is included. (The original version of this game doesn`t include the keyboard; we think the keyboard is indispensible unless you read music very well. Supplemental packs of new songs are already in the works, and paper is provided so you can create your own tunes.
TWENTY FOUR
Twenty Four, Suntex International, $15. A fast-paced mathematical challenge game consisting of cards, each containing four single-digit numbers. Object is to be the first person to add, subtract, divide and/or multiply the numbers-using each number once and only once-to reach 24. For instance, a card containing 2, 2, 7 and 4 can be solved thus: 2/2
1, 7-1
6, 6×4
24. Easy? Not all of them. Excellent for competition or for solo play, and a great tool for teaching kids math. Also available in a travel edition ($10)
and pocket edition ($6).
WALL ST. RAIDERS
Wall St. Raiders, Developmental Games, $30. Much like Monopoly, this game challenges players to acquire controlling interest (60 percent, in this game) in all the stocks in a given industry group, while blocking opponents from doing the same thing. Players also try to accumulate money by playing the market (high returns, high risk), investing in CDs (safe but unspectacular returns) or by collecting dividends on the stock you own. Components aren`t top-notch, and the game`s visual appeal is about zilch. We like it anyway. It takes at least two hours to complete a game, but we think it`s worth it.
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
Wheel of Fortune, Mattel, $80. We think people will flock to this electronic game, which lets you play along with the ”Wheel of Fortune”
evening version. The device has an infrared sensor that reads the TV picture and displays the same puzzle as the real contestants are playing. You spin the wheel and guess letters independently, but the device`s screen also displays any letters guessed by the TV contestants. It even keeps track of how much
”money” you win. Two VHS tapes loaded with puzzles (sold separately) let you play anytime, and you can program your own puzzles as well.
YOUR MONEY
Your Money, Gavin Brackenridge, $25. This is the new, simplified version of a game that first appeared a few years ago. It`s a winner. Your Money is a sophisticated investment game; the idea is to increase your net worth through investing in an ever-changing economic climate. Stocks are great during periods of growth, but in a depression you`re better off in hard assets like silver. The game has elements of risk, strategy and luck, and the underlying message is that a diversified portfolio works best. Highly recommended.
ZOMAX
Zomax, Zomax Inc., $45. Perhaps the best of the bunch. Zomax is a battle strategy game in which magnetized pieces move about a vertical grid. The grid (similar in looks to the classic game Battleship) makes it impossible to see what your opponent is doing or where his pieces are-until one player moves onto an occupied square, knocking the opponent`s piece off. Excellent quality components, handsome carrying case, sturdy pieces. Extremely easy to learn, but strategy can be challenging.
