Second Look—Crash Cup Karambolage

Second Look - Boardgame reviews in depth. Check out that cat.Take PitchCar, remove the track, and aim it at a younger audience with several game play variations and you’ve got Crash Cup Karambolage. That’s pretty much the best way to describe HABA‘s dexterity game. I recieved the game shortly after taking a quick look at it during Toy Fair this year. The game comes with several wooden discs that are used as the cars, score pegs, a block for “drifting”, several borders and connectors, and a small string with two wooden balls on the end.

I set this one up with my 5-year-old to give it a whirl, and we ended up causing such a ruckus that we woke the baby while he was napping.

Oops.

The basic mechanic of Crash Cup Karambolage is flicking cars around. You don’t do this with your finger, however, but by using the included rope in the game. Place the rope around the car disc and pull it taut to propel the disc across the table. It’s not as easy as it sounds, and I kept flinging the cars several feet off the table. There’s also a “drift block” you can use to bounce your cars around other objects on the play surface.

cckThere are several ways to play, including a straight-up race and a demolition derby. Each are quick to setup and play, and lend themselves to replayability by varying the setup of the borders.

There’s also the fact that it’s just good fun, and you’ll want to play over and over.

Now I’m a big fan of games such as Pitchcar and Bisikle, but sometimes it’s just a bit too much for my little guy to play. Either he’s too rough with the pieces or just gets too frustrated with flicking the pieces with his fingers. Crash Cup Karambolage give him the opportunity to play something similar and more age-appropriate for him. Don’t get me wrong, my older kids like this one too, but he’s the most fond of it because the rope and open setup level the playing field a bit for him. In my book, that’s a big win.

A copy of Crash Cup Karambolage was provided free for review by HABA.

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Toy Fair 2015—HABA

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HABA always has some great games for the family, and they’re usually pretty stocked with new releases. This year was no different.Monster Laundry

Monster Laundry – $19.99 – Ages 7+

Monster Laundry is an odd-monster-out in a world of HABA yellow boxed games. The game comes in a sturdy tin, in which you’ll find a large elastic cord, clothespins, and monsters. The cord wraps around all the players and they have to scramble to get all their monsters attached to the cord. All monsters with one pattern must be clipped to the cord segment to your left, the other to the one on your right. Once they’re on they need to be taken off. There’s several different ways to play. You can bet your bottom I made the PR rep play this one with me right then and there. I’m sure we looked quite amazing scrambling to clip monsters to a cord that was wrapped around ourselves. Available in the Spring.

Princess Magic Fairy

Princess Magic Fairy – $12.99 – Ages 4+

A cooperative game, Princess Magic Fairy has players drawing symbols in the air or on players’ backs with a magic wand. If the symbol is guessed, its card can be added to the Fairy Circle. Get it wrong and the goblins get it. Once eight cards are placed in the Fairy Circle the game is won. This one was really cute, and looked super portable. The best part is the 4+ age range, so even little ones can get in on the magic action. Available now.

Crash Cup Karambolage

Crash Cup Karambolage – $27.99 – Ages 6+

Crash Cup Karambolage was one of the cooler games I saw at Toy Fair this year. A dexterity game, and modular, players have to flick their wooden discs around the course by using a string provided with the game. Pull the string taught to propel your disc and win the game. Lots of chunky wooden pieces. Enough to fill a good sized table. The pic to the right only shows a fraction of what’s available in the box. Available now.

Taxi Wildlife - Ghost BlasterGhost Blaster – $14.99 – Ages 5+

Matching tile games are a dime a dozen these days, but Ghost Blaster adds a bit more excitement to the usual fare. Match tiles and blast ghosts. Be careful as ghosts can lock you away, then you’ll have to wait for another player to save you. There’s also a clock that counts down to the witching hour, so you need to be quick! Available this Spring.

Taxi Wildlife – $19.94 – Ages 5+

A really cool little game where you’re trying to pick up the most animals with your truck and create the longest route possible. A modular board keeps things exciting. Available now.

My Very First GamesMy Very First Game Series – $15-$35 – Ages 2+

Not all the games in this series are new, but it’s the first time I’ve ever noticed them. These games are meant for tiny hands, and are super simple to play. They help develop the very most basic skills of game playing, along with fine motor control and other skills. All packaged with cute themes, each game focuses on different things for baby to learn. With a one-year-old in the house, I’ll be picking up a few of these soon to get the little man started.

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