Best Toys

In 1994, four parents realized that they wanted to purchase great games for their children but that they weren’t able to find the type of games that they wanted, so they decided to create their own! Now Gamewright games offers a great solution. An award-winning company with over 50 games and 150 awards to their name, parents and kids alike get some real alternatives thanks to this company.

Ring-o Flamingo

Remember going to the fair and playing the ring toss game? You loved to play it but you hated it when you couldn’t put a ring around a bottle to win a prize. Now families can enjoy playing ring toss right in their own homes with the Gamewright game Ring-o Flamingo. This fast-paced game has a very simple objective: put the ring around the flamingo. In order to do that, however, you have to actually push down on your colored ring to fling it into the lake where it could land on a flamingo and gain you points, or on an alligator and lose you points!

The company says that this game is designed for children over six years of age, but we found that it works well for any child who has decent hand-eye coordination, starting with children who are four years of age or so. Young children may have a difficult time gauging their “flings” at first, but after a few rounds they’ll not only improve their hand-eye coordination, they’ll likely start getting more points than the adults who are playing! With four lifeboats, which means four players can play, and a simple objective, this is, quite simply, a great family game.

Pool Sharks

Children are often fascinated by a game of pool, but it’s too difficult of a game for them to play. With Pool Sharks, however, the popular game of billiards has been scaled down and made kid-friendly. This one uses open fish mouths as the pocket and has mini billiard balls. The objective is the same as traditional billiards – get the balls in the holes. The differences lie first of all in the “stick”. Instead of a traditional pool stick, players use a shark shooter in order to get the balls into the pockets. This shooter has a trigger that makes controlling the game much easier.
What’s great about this game? That children of all ages can enjoy billiards. While the company recommends it for children over the age of eight, we found that children who are over five have no problem controlling the shark shooter. What’s not great about this game? There are only two shark shooters, so if you lose one you’ll have to share, and there’s also the fact that only two people can play at once, unless two players share the same shooter. But all in all this is a great, fun, and inventive way for children to enjoy billiards.

Polar Derby

One of the things that most people love about Gamewright games is that they’re very unique. These games take things that children love, like polar bears, and create engaging games that the whole family can enjoy. Polar Derby is a prime example of what they’re so good at! This game is all about polar bears on…roller skates? In order to play this game, players roll colored dice in order to collect high scoring polar bears from the rink that they’re skating on. If you roll doubles you can stop your opponents in their tracks, roll Free Skate and you’re able to snag whatever bear you want. But watch out! If you keep rolling too long you may wind up falling flat on your face!

One of the great things about this game is that it teaches children not to push their luck. Sometimes you win if you keep going, and sometimes you lose, making this not only a silly game about polar bears, but a game of strategy. The company claims that children who are eight and over are the perfect age for this game, but we found that it’s perfect for any child over the age of five to understand and enjoy.