Brain Games’, who’s big hit is the penguin-flicking Ice Cool, has remade Curse of the Mummy (previously published by Ravensburger) also with a penguin theme. Game-play is essentially the same. Pyramid of the Pengqueen ($30) has a two-sided, vertical, magnetic game board. On one side, a group of players move penguin pieces around the pyramid to collect sets of treasure. On the other, one opposing player moves the mummy piece trying to catch the penguins with its magnet.
Passing on the penguins, Brain Game’s Orc-Lympics ($15) goes with a fantasy theme. Players draft teams of human, goblin, dwarf, elf, halfling, djinn, and orc contestants for a variety of sporting events. Each group has strengths for certain of the sports but at the end of the draft, each player can keep representatives from at most three of the fantasy races.
Pikoko ($30) is a trick-taking card game where players wager on the number of tricks they can take. There’s a twist, though. Instead of seeing one’s own hand of card, players only get to see everyone else’s cards.