Another great game in a yellow box.

Of course I almost didn’t realize it. I almost came here to write a negative review of the game. That initial thought came from a late night game session with my five-year-old while we were packing before moving to a new house. It was late, we were both tired, and it turns out we played the game very wrong.

Fast forward a bit. We’re in the new house, and now my other 2 older kids and the five-year-old want to play. I grumble, but accept. I re-read the rules. Oh man. I played this wrong the last time! We then managed to have a very enjoyable 15-20 minutes playing a 4-player game.

In Taxi Wildlife you’re trying to get the most route cards and animals. You do this by drawing duel cards and trying to snatch an animal blindly out of a bag with one hand. The animal needs to match one of the 3 route cards currently on the table. Match the animal, get the card. Of course the card also need to match on of the ends of your existing route, or it can’t be played. Also, if the actual animal is on the card (not just the picture on the sign) then you get to take it instead of putting it back in the bag. This further complicates things for other players since there’s only 2 of each animal in each bag.

It’s fast paced, super easy, and a lot of fun to go digging around the bags for animals. You play through the duel deck 4 times, then count up each players’ route cards and animals to determine the winner.

Overall this is a big thumbs up, and can be played with the whole family. It actually may be my new favorite HABA game.

A copy of Taxi Wildlife was provided free for review by HABA.

• Comments Off on Second Look—Taxi Wildlife

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 – $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 – $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 – $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.

Ghost 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 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.

• Comments Off on Toy Fair 2015—HABA