To those of us who have children in our lives, whether they are our own, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or students…here is something to make you chuckle. Whenever your children are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God’s omnipotence did not extend to His own children. After creating heaven and…
Game Review: Pokemon Ranger
The newest non-traditional Pokemon video game for Nintendo DS is Pokemon Ranger.I’m going to take a few minutes to review this game and give you my opinion as to how good the game is. I will also go over a few points that make the game different than the Pokemon games that have been released…
Game Review: Take it to the Limit!
As a geometry teacher, I keep several logic puzzles in the classroom for the students to work on when they finish their work. One of the more popular types is the puzzles in which students must get a certain amount of pieces into one area, having none left over. These puzzles, simple-looking, can be rather…
Game Review: Tara, Seat of Kings
The theme of Tara, Seat of Kings (Surprised Stare Games Ltd., 2006 – Alan Paull) is one in which players use supporters to become Kings in different regions of Ireland. This certainly sounds interesting, but it only takes a few moments of gameplay to realize that the game’s theme is simply a covering for an…
Apple, why do you hate me so?
For Christmas I purchased a new 1GB iPod Shuffle for my wife to replace her existing 512MB Shuffle…After opening it she gave the old one to my daughter and tried to get the new one setup and loaded…It went downhill from there.You might be wondering why I would purchase another iPod product after all the…
Game Review: Khet and Eye of Horus Beam Splitter Expansion
This is a quick update on Khet, the new name for Deflexion. Here is an breakdown of what has changed in the game.In my review of Deflexion, I stated, “Well, there was no need for this caution, because Deflexion is an excellent abstract game; and while lasers are integral to the central game structure, the…
Game Review: Perikles
Interestingly enough, when you look at people’s comments for Martin Wallace’s games, you’ll invariably find them compared to his other games – but never to games of another designer. That’s because Mr. Wallace, one of the greatest game designers alive, has managed to find his own niche – a cross between war games and Eurogames,…
Origins Early Bird Registration Ending Soon!
If you are planning on attending Origins in 2007 please take note as the Early-Bird Deadline is January 10!You still have time to take advantage of the Origins 2007 Early Bird Registration prices! Until January 10, 2007, a full-show pass to Origins 2007 costs $50. That is a savings of $20 off the onsite price….
Game Review: Yang Tzee
To me, one of the cardinal rules of an abstract strategy game should be that the rules be as simple and clear as possible. Many times I’ve played games that had fairly simple rules but clouded them with obtuse game terms in an attempt to give the game a thematic flavor. This, I fear, is…
Game Review: Figaro
“The king is desperate! The whole court is attending the joust, and no one is working in the castle. The king really needs a helper!” Enter Figaro (Mayfair and daVinci Games, 2006 – Reiner Knizia), the lunatic idiot working for the King. Apparently he is attempting to do all the jobs of court, and making…
Game Review: Desert Bazaar
One time, a reader wrote me and asked if I used my own opinions when writing a review. They went on to ask if I ever reviewed a game that I disliked but thought that many others would enjoy. Well, the fact of the matter is that ALL of my reviews are my own opinion,…
Game Review: Courtyard
Courtyard (Blue Panther LLC, 2006 – Steve Jones) is one of several games by Blue Panther and shares the unique feature which categorizes them – the game has 100% wooden components. Produced with some clever wood-burning methods, the game looks like something you would buy in a gift shop and simply has an air of…