A trio of Peaceable Kingdom games arrived at my doorstep a few weeks ago, much to my excitement after seeing them at Toy Fair. We’re big fans of PK games in our household, so we immediately set forth playing them.

This or That

A ice-breaker type of party game, This or That has players drawing chips from a bag that have two items printed on each side. You draw a chip, pick a side, then silently choose which of the items you prefer. Other players then have to guess, and get the chip if they get it right. The first person to get 5 chips wins! It’s simple, easy to play with just about anyone, and comes in a portable drawstring bag. A lot of giggles from the kids with this one, even if they didn’t understand certain things on some chips. The game is family friendly, which is a breath of fresh air in a time when everyone seems to be coming up with raunchier and raunchier party games. This one has proved to be a great game to get my kids’ friends to loosen up and play more new games when they come over!

Dinosaur Escape

A volcano is about to explode, and the dinosaurs need to escape! Players take turn rolling the die, moving any dinosaur they wish, and flipping over any tile on the board. If they flip a tile that matches a dinosaur in that area of the board, that dino moves to the safety of the island. Rolls the volcano and you have to place a piece of the 3D volcano puzzle on the board. Play ends with all the dinos escape, or the volcano erupts.

While I love the volcano aspect, this one actually seemed a bit too simple, and didn’t hold the kids’ attention very long. They loved playing with the dinosaurs, but felt the game was a bit too easy, and too quick. While it has similar mechanics to other Peaceable games they enjoy, this one just didn’t seem to do it for them.

Cauldron Quest

Cauldron Quest is a really cool game. It’s a bit more in-depth than some of the other Peaceable games, but it’s still easy enough for my 5-year-old to play. In the game you’re trying to get 3 ingredients to the center of the board to match the 3 randomly chosen increments chosen at the start of the game. The thing is, all the ingrediants are hidden, so you don’t know which piece contains which ingredient. There’s also a wizard roaming the board that can block paths, or send a piece back to it’s start location. On top of that, certain die rolls force a path to be blocked. Thankfully you can cast spells on certain die rolls to unblock a path, swap pieces, or reveal which ingredient a piece holds. Match the 3 ingredients in the center to win, or lose when all paths are blocked.

This one has provided a TON of fun for me and the kids so far. It’s long enough to feel really rewarding, but not too long that it loses their interest. Luck of the die combined with smart spell choices keep it fresh with each play. Out of all the Peaceable games, this one is by far my favorite!

Copies of each game where provided free for review by Peaceable Kingdom.

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Always a favorite of mine, Peaceable Kingdom is well known for fantastic kids’ games with a cooperative element. Of course they carry other products such as stickers, temporary tattoos, and the amazingly cool Jean Tats, but we’re here to talk games. There’s 3 new games in the lineup this year and, as usual, they all look pretty cool.

Cauldron Quest – $19.99 – Ages 6+

I had to start off with Cauldron Quest because of it’s sheer cool-factor. A bit different, and more indepth, than Peaceable’s usual offerings, this one will offer a bit more to older players. The game has the players trying to get 3 ingredients into a potion to stop an evil wizard. Each pillar on the board has a hidden ingredient under it, so players must move the pillars towards the middle, figure out the hidden ingredients they hold, and get the 3 needed ones into the potion. The whole time the evil wizard is trying to stop you from doing so. If the wizard blocks all the path to the middle the players lose. Available now.

Dinosaur Escape – $17.99 – Ages 4+

A volcano is about to erupt! Get the dinosaurs to safety before it does to win the game. Players take turns moving the dinosaurs around the board looking for tiles that match the dinosaur being moved. If it’s found then that dinosaur can move to the safety of the island. Be careful, though. Roll a volcano and you have to place a piece of the 3D volcano puzzle in the middle of the board. It’s game over if the volcano is completed before all dinosaurs reach safety. The real fun here is the plastic dinosaurs and watching the volcano built up in the center of the board. Available in March.

This or That – $15.99 – Ages 10+

A new title in Peaceable Kingdom’s party line of games, This or That is a conversational game where players try to guess which of the 2 items on a disc the other player would choose. Each disc has 2 sides with choices on them. Do you like sneakers or sandals? Iced tea or lemonade? It’s portable, and easily played on trips or taken with you to parties. While the box says ages 10+, there’s nothing in here inappropriate for younger players. A certain reading level is required for the tokens, but that’s about it. Available in March.

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