Timberdoodle's Quixo Review

I have a fun strategy game to share with you today from Timberdoodle, Quixo.  Quixo is manufactured by Gigamic and is a 2-4 player game geared for ages 8 and up.  Each game is ~ 15 minutes or less.

 

What's included in our game?  Our game included one board, 25 pyrographed wooden cubes (blank side, x side and o side), a cloth bag and the game rules.

 

This gameboard is a round wooden disc that has a central square platform cut out that holds the cubes for play.  It's a nice mahogany color.

 

The wooden blocks are durable and easy to grab.

 

Above you can see the different sides of the blocks, every block features both symbols and blanks.

 

Game Set-up for play

How do you play?

All of the blocks are placed in the center of the gameboard with the blank sides showing for every cube.  A player picks a cube from the perimeter of the board, changes it to their respective symbol and places it on the opposite end of the row or column which it came from, which will shift the entire row or column.  It can not be placed into the same position that it was picked up from.  The next player goes and so on until one of the players gets 5-in-a-row of their symbol for the win, think of tic-tac-toe.  I want to note that blocks in the central area (the middle 9) can never be taken to make a move, only blocks from the perimeter.  Also, players can choose a blank block or one that features their symbol to move but they may never take a block with their opponent's symbol to make a move.  Players will have to think strategically and play both offense and defense to win this game.  How do you play with 4 players?  You just form 2 teams and each player for each team takes turns.

 

A and C were the first ones to play.

 

Thinking about their strategies

 

Playing D

 

Winner!

I love that this is a super fun game that pretty much anyone can play.  It's quick and you learn a lot every time you play.  I feel like there is so much learned from trial and error and after playing a few times you really start developing your strategies.

Check out the video below to see more about Quixo.

Quixo is currently included in Timberdoodle's 4th grade curriculum kit.  The kids really like this game.  It is super easy to play, it's short and it's fun!  I love that it helps them develop strategic thinking skills in a different and fun way.  Quixo is a hit in our home!

Disclosure:  Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger.  I received Quixo in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Zig Zag Puzzler from Timberdoodle Review

I have a fun brain puzzle to share with you today from Timberdoodle, the Zig Zag Puzzler.  I love the multi-colored, multi-geometric pieces.  Right from the get-go, the Zig Zag Puzzler looks intriguing.  This one player game is geared for students 12 and older.

Our Zig Zag Puzzler

What's included?  This Smart Game includes a divot-like container that doubles as two playing boards, nine colorful pieces, and two manuals that contain 40 challenges each (40 2-D challenges in one and 40 3-D challenges in the other).

 

Above you can see the puzzle pieces.  Their are 8 unique pieces and an extra red piece for a total of nine.

 

A working on a challenge

How do you play?  A player begins by placing one or more of the nine, colorful pieces onto the playing board in specific positions.  The manuals give you instructions for setting up the beginning of each challenge with a picture.  The player then uses the remaining pieces to fill in their board.  There are 5 levels of difficulty - Starting, Junior, Expert, Master and Wizard.  As expected, the difficulty increases with each level.  Every challenge has only one solution and the manuals contain a solution key in the back of the book with answers to every challenge.  A has been working through the challenges and has really been enjoying it.

I mentioned previously that the container doubles as 2 playing boards.  The blue gameboard is used to build pyramids and 3-D challenges, while the white gameboard is used to build zigzags and 2-D challenges.  You can see above that the lid fits either side nicely.  A's favorite are the pyramid challenges, she is at the Master level for them.

Let's walk through one of each type of challenge to give you a better feel for this game.  First we will look at a 2D zigzag challenge using the white gameboard.

We will look at Challenge 8, a Starter level challenge.

 

And above you can see A's progression as she solves this challenge.

{Sometimes setting up the board is a huge part of the challenge itself figuring out where the initial pieces go.}

And when you look at the solutions key, you can see that she has the correct solution.

Now let's look at a 3D pyramid challenge using the blue gameboard.  Since these are A's favorite we will look at a more challenging puzzle.

We will look at Challenge 18, an Expert level challenge.

Again, the images show A's progression as she works her way through this puzzle.  Just as before, setting up the board is very much a part of each challenge!

There are a few more steps, as this puzzle was more complicated.

Again, when you look at the solutions key, you can see that she has the correct answer.

Zig Zag Puzzler is sure to give your brain a fantastic cognitive workout with 80 puzzles!  It uses logical building steps that will help develop visual-spatial skills, analytical skills, fine motor skills as well as memory.  I like that it is self-contained within the jewel-like case.  I also appreciate that this game is compact and would travel well.  A is definitely a fan.  B plans on starting the challenges next followed by C.  We highly recommend Zig Zag Puzzler!

You can see how the Zig Zag Puzzler is self-contained and stores everything nicely!

The Zig Zag Puzzler is a new addition to Timberdoodle's 9th Grade Curriculum Kit and we are now thrilled to have it as part of our homeschool resources!  This would make a fun and unique gift idea for birthdays or holidays.

Disclosure:  Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger.  Timberdoodle sent my family the Zig Zag Puzzler in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Postman Observation Game from Timberdoodle Review {1st Grade Curriculum Kit}

Today we are going to take a closer look at another one of our thinking skills components in our 1st Grade Elite Curriculum Kit from Timberdoodle, Postman Observation Game or the Observation Postman Game (I think both are correct).  This month we have been focusing on thinking skills so you can check out our previous review for Smart Cookies.

 Our new game

 Postman Observation Game Contents

What's included in our game?  Our game includes 8 puzzle pieces (that make up the gameboard), a deck of 80 cards, and 40 little postcard or letter playing pieces (inside the bag above).

A closer look at our postcard/letter playing pieces - we call them postcards and letters in our home interchangeably.

A close-up view of the back of our postcard playing pieces.

How do you play?  Assemble the board pieces together, arranging them with a space in the middle.  There are numerous combinations available so your board will look different every time you play.  Give each player (up to 6) the same number of postcards/letters.  Shuffle the cards and place them in a pile face down near the playing board (we like to place them in the middle of the board where the space is after dividing the postcards).  The youngest player gets to turn over a card from the pile.  Everyone searches for the house specified on the card.  The first player to find it gets to place their letter on that house.  You continue play until one player has delivered all of their letters and is declared the winner.  If a player delivers a letter to a wrong house, they just simply take the letter back.  This is how to play in a nut shell!

 One variation of a set-up of the board.

I want to note that some cards allow for delivery of more than one letter, this will be denoted on the card.  Also, there are 5 types of cards that are distinguished by color and progressively get harder (green is the easiest and red is the hardest).

• Green Cards = find the same house that appears on the card (matching)
• Blue Cards = find the house that meets the specific requirements on the card (description)
• Yellow Cards = find the houses related to the characters on the card
• Brown Cards = find the house that meets the specific requirements on the card, there is more than 1 solution
• Red Cards = follow the instructions on the card to find the correct house marked with a red arrow

 Above you can see a green card next to the match.  A player would place one of their letters on this house.

 You might think that the red circle above is the correct house for this blue card but it's not.  You have to look closely to see that it needs another window.

Above is the correct house for this card, it is blue, has two chimneys and has six windows.

 Above is an example of a character card with the 3 Little Pigs.  You are looking for their 3 houses.  Three letters will be placed this round, one on each house.

 Above you can see one of them.  I won't spoil the other two.

 Above you can see an example of a brown card with one of its solutions circled in red.  There is another house that meets this criteria as well.  So two letters will be placed this round - one on each house.

 And an example of a red card and the correct solution as well.

Postman Observation Game is geared for ages 3-103 (so it's multigenerational and almost everyone can play) and works for 2-6 players.  It is such a beautiful game.  I love the muted colors and tones and whimsical feel of the houses on the board.  This game definitely tests your observation skills as well as your response time.  I always find out how strong the competitive genes run in our family with games like this 😉.  You have to look carefully at ALL the details and be the fastest to deliver all of your mail to win!

 Above you can see E, F and G playing a round.

 Happy Kids

I really like that there are some very similar houses (on purpose) so you need to pay extra attention to those little details.  I think this is a great game as it helps strengthen visual sharpness and memory!  We are really enjoying this game and I'm glad to add it to our homeschool resources.  It would also make a fun and unique gift for a broad age range.  Postman Observation Game is a part of our Timberdoodle's 1st Grade Curriculum Kit and we definitely recommend it!

The backside of our gameboard puzzle pieces.

I have an idea for this game too!  I feel like the backside of the gameboard puzzle pieces are underutilized.  They could be used to create another scenery to play the game.  For example, it could be a different arrangement of the very same houses (so you can use the same cards) but maybe at nighttime.  There needs to be a clear distinction between the two sides so a daytime and nighttime works well but it could be something else too.  You would definitely vary up which houses are next to each other.  This would be an even greater challenge to find the houses.  Just a thought.

 

Disclosure:  Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger.  I will be refunded the purchase price of our curriculum kit in exchange for my honest reviews.  All opinions are my own.

Ultimo from Timberdoodle Review

I have another fun Timberdoodle product to share with you, this time Ultimo!  This 2 person, dice strategy game is super fast and super fun!

 Our new game

What's the goal of the game?  How do you win?  It's simple, get the gold die!  But there is a catch.  The gold die has to be taken in the last play of the game.

How do you play?  There are 15 total dice, one of them is gold.  Divide the dice into groups of five (so there will be 3 groups total).  Decide who goes first.  We typically play rock paper scissors in our house.  When it's your turn, you grab one, two or three dice from the SAME cluster.  Then the other player takes one, two or three dice from the same cluster.  You take turns back and forth until someone gets the gold die and wins.  The gold die can be taken in a group of 3, 2 or as a single.

 Let me walk you through a game. 

 Player 1 takes 2 dice from the top cluster.

 Player 2 takes 1 die from the left cluster.

 Player 1 takes 2 dice from the right cluster.

 Player 2 takes all 3 dice remaining in the right cluster.

 Player 1 takes 3 dice from the left cluster.

 Player 2 takes 2 dice from the top cluster trapping Player 1.

 Player 1 has to take the remaining purple die from the left cluster, and Player 2 will take the remaining gold die and win.

 D and B playing a round.

 F playing a round with E.

 A playing with C.

 David and C deciding who goes first.

 C and I playing a round.

C is currently the Ultimo champion of our home as he is undefeated!  If you know him this is probably not a surprise as he loves chess and strategy games.

Ultimo is super compact and easy to take on the go as it stores inside a tube but we have been enjoying it at home since there is not a lot of going anywhere lately.  Ultimo is recommended for ages 8 and older but even F and G have fun with it.  We love that it's simple, fun and super quick to play.  And while the concept is straightforward, winning requires forward-thinking and strategy planning which is why I think C excels at it.  If you are looking for a fun addition to your homeschool resources and games or a fun and unique gift, Ultimo is perfect for the job.

It's Part Luck, Part Brains, and All Fun!
The World's Fastest Strategy Game!

Our set has purple dice.  I have seen other sets that contain blue dice and green dice, along with the coveted gold die.

Disclosure: Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger. Timberdoodle sent my family Ultimo in exchange for our honest review. All opinions are my own.