Looking for some family games to play or gift this holiday season? Check these out

I received these products from Amigo Games for Review.  If you are looking for some great family games to play or gift this holiday season, look no further than Amigo Games!  They have an awesome selection of fun games at reasonable prices.  All Amigo Games are available at most major retailers and on Amazon.  You can use the STORE FINDER on the Amigo Games website to find a store near you that carries them.

X-Code has a suggested retail price of $19.99.  This 2-8 player game is recommended for ages 8 and over.  The average game time is 30 minutes.  This challenging game creates togetherness because all players work together as a team.  It has 10 levels of missions that get progressively more challenging to solve.  And it has two sealed card boxes with secret challenges...players must crack the seals to reveal them.

Mayday!  The world’s computer networks are down, and you can only bring them back by entering a secret 12 digit code.  But you can’t do it alone...tell the other players what you’re missing to complete your part of the code, then swap to collect the cards you need.  But each card can only be passed in one direction, so you’ll need to work together in this frenetic game that requires good communication, strategy, a little luck and lots of skill.  And that’s only for the first level!  There are 10 levels in all, and they get more and more challenging as you progress in this game that's designed to bring people together.

Each X-Code game comes with 48 code cards, 6 wild cards, 12 time cards, game board, a 3 minute timer, illustrated instructions a 2 additional top secret game sets.

Escape From The Hidden Castle has a suggested retail price of $19.99.  This 2-8 player game is recommended for ages 7 and over and has an average game time of 30 minutes.  

You can run and you can hide, but only for a moment!  With strategy and a little luck, players try to scurry away from the phantom and escape the castle.  On each turn, a roll of the die moves one player forward or unleashes the phantom.  Players can hide in the safety of the castle’s chambers, until another player boots them out.  In the end, there’s no escape...for all but one.  The phantom speeds up as the game goes on, building drama and tension.  The double sided board uses the same rules, but adds expanded play.

Components of this game include 30 castle guests, 8 scoring tokens, 1 Phantom, 1 Phantom token, 2 Phantom clips, 30 Guest stands, 1 game board, 1 die and instructions.

CLACK! Categories has a suggested retail price of $24.99.  This 2-8 player game is recommended for ages 7 and over.  The average game time is 10 minutes.  The magnetic discs (magnets are safely sealed inside the discs) connect with a satisfying “clack” when you stack them.  Substituting categories for exact matches makes it ideal for older kids and adults and play is constant as every player plays on every turn.  Each game comes with 48 magnetic discs, 1 color die, 1 category die and illustrated instructions.

Only one little twist separates CLACK! Categories from the original CLACK! Game, but its built in extra challenge is just enough to make it ideal for older kids.  Spread out the magnetic discs, roll the dice, and scramble to find something from the category and color shown.  Red dogs, yellow donuts, green trucks...they all fit into categories such as animals, food, and vehicles.  Make a match, grab a disc, and use its magnetic clack to build a stack.  Keeping score is easy.  Just line up the stacks to see whose tower is tallest.  You'll have a blast playing this game!   

Try these great games over the holidays

I received these products from Amigo Games for Review.  Visit their website to view their full selection of games.  All Amigo Games are available at most major retailers and on Amazon.  You can use the STORE FINDER on the Amigo Games website to find a store near you that carries them.

Code Stack! has a suggested retail price of $14.99.  This 1-8 player game is recommended for age 6 and over and the average game time is 15 minutes.  Everyone plays at once, racing to figure out the other players words.  It features bonus gameplay versions that are all designed for kids and parents to play on equal terms.

There’s a problem with family word games...the player who knows the most words usually wins.  But Code Stack! is designed for people of different ages and vocabularies (like parents and kids) to play together.  To play, just stack up the colorful discs to make words in a simple code, then race to figure out your opponents’ words.  Young players guess shorter words and older players guess longer words, so it’s not how many words you know that matters.  Code Stack! features rules for four games (including solitaire), all using the same clever coding system.  Can you crack the code?

The components of Code Stack! include 28 colorful letter discs, 8 code cards and illustrated instructions.  This is a game that can be enjoyed by the whole family, regardless of the age differences!

Fruit Punch has a suggested retail price of $9.99.  This 2-6 player game is recommended for ages 5 and over.  The average game time is 15 minutes.  Features a squishy banana shaped squeaker and is an excellent tool to improve counting and math skills.

In one of the world’s top selling games, players inspect the cards as they’re flipped to find five of the same fruit, then race to squeak the banana.  It’s a full on fruit frenzy!  Kids love the fast pace of this game and the excitement of the race.

Each game comes with 56 cards, a squeaky banana and the instructions.  It's easy to learn and is great for kids with a competitive nature.

Connect The Thoughts has a suggested retail price of $12.99.  This 2-4 player game is recommended for ages 5 and over and has an average game time of 15 minutes.  Every player plays on every turn, so there's no waiting between turns.  It has two levels of play that extends the age range and value as it hones visual recognition skills.

Connect the Thoughts starts as a matching game and ends as a thinking game as players collect cards that connect.  Each player places one card face up, then races to find other cards with a matching image.  Once kids have mastered this version, they switch from matching to making connections.  Are they both birds?  Do they have the same color?  Do they start with the same letter?  In both versions, the first player to line up seven cards wins.

Each Connect The Thoughts game comes with 80 cards, a bell and instructions.  It's easy to learn and kids love to play it! 

Games are the perfect family gift for Christmas

I received these products from Amigo Games for Review.  If your family enjoys playing games together, you really should check out their selection.  They have something for everyone!  And with Christmas coming up fast, you can save some shopping time by choosing games for everyone on your gift list.  All Amigo Games are available at most major retailers and on Amazon.  You can use the STORE FINDER on the Amigo Games website to find a store near you that carries them.

Duck-A-Roo has a suggested retail price of $19.99.  This 2-4 player game is recommended for ages 3 and over and has an average game time of 10 minutes.  There's just something about ducks that kids love, and this game is no exception!

Everything is just ducky when Mama duck has all of her ducklings in a row.  But when players flip over a lily pad that matches the last duckling in line, they call out "Duck-A-Roo!" and swim it to the front.  The game ends when Mama swims back to the front after the last match, and players count up their lily pads to see who wins.

The components of Duck-A-Roo include one large yellow Mama Duck, 3 small ducklings (green, blue and red), an eyeball sticker sheet, 20 duck pond tokens and the instructions.

Caterpillar Crawl has a suggested retail price of $14.99.  This 2-4 player game is recommended for ages 4 and over.  The average game time is 10 minutes.  Parents love this simple strategy game because there are plenty of opportunities for teaching moments while playing it.  Kids love the high quality 3-D wood game pieces.

The 3-D caterpillars crawl across the board in a race to gobble up leaves, teaching strategy, decision making and impulse control along the way.  Players take turns rolling the dice.  When their rolls match the color of the last section of their caterpillar, they move it forward.  But the other players move too, and kids have to decide when it's best to move, and when moving helps their opponents more than it helps them.  There are plenty of chances for kids and parents to interact in this delightful game that's easy to learn and fast to play.

Each Caterpillar Crawl game comes with 24 colorful wooden caterpillar sections, 4 natural wood caterpillar heads, 3 color dice and illustrated instructions.

Ring-A-Ding-Ding has a suggested retail price of $14.99.  This 2-6 player game is recommended for ages 4 and over and the average game time is 10 minutes.  It's great for kids because there is no wait time between turns, everyone plays at the same time.  It challenges attention to detail, speed and coordination.  And the colorful bands can also be used as hair ties!

To play, players flip over a card, grab a hairband and start stretching it.  But things can get downright hairy as players race to get the right bands on to the right fingers in the right order.  It's a game of visual and digital dexterity.  The first to finish dings the bell and collects the card.

Each Ring-A-Ding-Ding Game comes with 32 cards, 72 colorful bands, a bell and instructions.  The bands are so bright and colorful that you will have a hard time keeping them with the game and out of you little girl's hair!

Stock up on these games so you'll have something for everyone to play at your next big gathering.

I received these games from Amigo Games for review.  In my house, we love playing games together.  So we are always on the look out for new games that we think we will enjoy as a family.  Especially around holidays or when we just have a family gathering.  We love games that our family and friends can all play together and enjoy, regardless of the age differences.  Amigo Games has a wide variety of games that fit this bill.  If your family is like mine, you're going to want to have several of these games to divide among your family and friends during your Easter gathering, so that everyone will have something to play.  All Amigo Games are available at most major retailers and on Amazon.  You can use the STORE FINDER on the Amigo Games website to find a store near you that carries them.

Double Down Card Game has a suggested retail price of $9.99.  It is recommended for ages 8 and over.  It's a 2-8 player game and the average game time is 20 minutes.  The rules are very easy to learn, and this game is perfect for those who excel at strategy.

 
This is a simple, yet satisfying card game that makes a little math go a long way.  Players take turns adding cards to the stack, increasing the total as they play.  Every time they double down (make a total of 11, 22, 33, etc.) or go over 99, they lose a chip.  Action cards double the fun by switching the direction of play, or forcing other players to play an extra card.  As the total rises, so does the tension.  The last player holding a chip wins the game.

  
Double Down is made up of 55 Cards, 24 Chips and the Instructions.  This a great game will reinforce basic math skills for kids, and it's a great game choice for adults as well!

No Thanks Card Game has a suggested retail price of $12.99.  It is recommended for ages 8 and over.  You need 3-7 players and the average game time is 20 minutes.  It is one of Board Game Geeks Top 100 Family Games.  The fast play of this game features bidding and bluffing, and it's great for travel, as well as playing at home.

 
Should you Take It or Let It Go?  It sounds so simple, doesn't it?  Well, it is.  You just need to choose whether to take a card, or pay one chip.  But you also need to weigh the pros and cons of each choice and hope you make the right decision.  If you take the card, you get its points.  But points are bad.  But you also get the chips that others have played.  And that's good.  Each chip nullifies one point.  If you say, "NO THANKS!" and play your chips, you need to watch out...because when you're all out of chips, that card is all yours.  Along with the points that come with it.  The game ends when the stack is gone and there are no cards left to pick up.  Each player will then add up the points on all of the cards that they took (you only count the lowest card in each series).  Then you subtract the number of chips you have to get your final amount of points.  The person with the lowest points wins.  

  
There are 33 Cards in this game with point values that vary from 3 to 35.  There are 55 Chips and of course the Instructions.  This is a simple, but addictive game and it's always a big hit with everyone. 

What The Heck? has a suggested retail price of $7.99.  It is recommended for ages 8 and over.  It's a 2-5 player game and the average game time is 15 minutes.  It's a cunning card game of highs and lows, yet it is diabolically simple.  It has plenty of strategy and lots of bluffing.  There's no waiting or taking turns...all players play their cards simultaneously.  This game is a German Classic from the famous inventor Alex Randolph.  And there are only five rules. 

To win this game, you'll need to read your opponents minds.  When you figure out which card they are about to play, you will have your chance to win.  On each turn, all players flip over a card and compete to take it (if it's a positive number) or avoid it (if it's a negative number).  The catch is that everyone starts with the same cards.  You will need to psyche out your opponents and play your cards carefully.  If you guess wrong and tie with another player, you both miss out.  It's a game that is filled with highs and lows.  

  
This game comes with 75 Player Cards, 15 Point Cards and Illustrated Instructions.  This game is tons of fun and can be very addictive.

  
Take 5/Take A Number Bonus Pack is actually two complete games for the price of one!  It has a suggested retail price of $14.99 and is recommended for ages 8 and over.  It's a 2-10 player game, so this one is great for large groups.  The average game time is 20 minutes.  This is a time tested game that has been highly rated for over 20 years.  And Take A Number adds a whole new dimension of game play. 

 
Take 5 is the original version of this game, and Take A Number adds some extra strategy and extra chances to win or lose into the mix.  Both games are easy to learn and fun to play.  They are packed with action, surprises and turnarounds, so there's never a dull moment!

 
You may have to take five cards, but you only need to know two rules to earn the lowest score.  Secretly pick a card from your hand, then play it on one of four rows.  Here are the two rules:  Your card must be higher than the last card in a row...and it has to be played next to the last card that's closest in number.  If you play the sixth card in a row, you take that row...and all of the points in it.  That's when the game earns its name:  you'll take five cards, and you'll wince as you take cards worth five points.

 
Take A Number is a stand alone game with advanced rules that builds on the basic edition to create an extreme "Take" experience. 

Inside the box you will find everything you need to play both games.  

Take 5:  104 Take 5 Cards and Instuctions. 

Take A Number:  100 Take A Number Cards, 7 Row Cards and Instructions.

These games would be a great alternative to candy this Easter!

I received these products from Amigo Games for review.  Children look forward to waking up on Easter morning to find that the Easter Bunny has left them a basket full of candy while they slept.  But in our house, the Easter Bunny also leaves additional surprises that are not candy.  These games are exactly the types of surprises he likes to leave for us.  They will provide your family with hours of fun, night after night.  They are available at most major retailers and on Amazon.  You can use the STORE FINDER on the Amigo Games website to find a store near you that carries them. 

L.L.A.M.A. Card Game has a suggested retail price of $9.99.  It's recommended for ages 8 and over.  You need 2-6 players to play and the average game time is 20 minutes.  L.L.A.M.A. was made in Germany by the well known inventor Reiner Knizia.  It has a unique scoring system that adds strategy and risk.  It was nominated for the 2019 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year).

 
Try to get rid of all your cards so you don't take any markers.  If you can't you'll have a real dillama - should you pick another card or should you quit?  Maybe you can play that card later, but if not, you've just hurt your score.  The player with the fewest markers wins in this game with the name that says it all:  Don't Let Llamas And Markers Accumulate!

L.L.A.M.A. is made up of 56 Linen Finish Cards, 70 Chips and Illustrated Instructions.  The whole family will enjoy playing this game, so it's a perfect for choice for family game night!

CLACK! Categories has a suggested retail price of $24.99.  It's recommended for ages 7 and over.  It's a 2-8 player game and has an average game time of 10 minutes.  Only one little twist separates CLACK! Categories from the top selling CLACK! Game, but its built in extra challenge is just enough to make it ideal for older kids.  Spread out the magnetic discs, roll the dice and scramble to find something from the category and color shown.  Red dogs, yellow donuts, green trucks - they all fit into categories such as animals, food and vehicles.  Make a match, grab a disc and use its magnetic clack to build a stack.  Keeping score is easy - just line up the stacks to see whose tower is tallest.

CLACK! Categories consists of 48 Magnetic Discs, 1 Color Die, 1 Category Die and Illustrated Instuctions.

Déjà Vu has a suggested retail price of $14.99.  It's recommended for ages 8 and over.  This 2-6 player game has an average game time of 15 minutes.  Visual memory makes this a great family game.  It has thick, high quality game pieces and oversized cards, so it's easy for little hands (and older hands) to pick them up and handle them.  Without rule changes, Déjà Vu gets more challenging the more it is played.

Déjà Vu...that feeling that you have seen or done something before.  You're gonna get that feeling a lot when you play this game!  You could swear you've seen that before...or have you?  Flip over a card and look at the images, then flip over another.  When you think you're seeing something for the second time, grab the matching object from the table.  Your memory can play tricks on you in the first round because many objects look similar, but it's even trickier as play continues and you're seeing objects again and again...or are you?  

Déjà Vu is made up of 36 Objects, 36 Cards and Instructions.  This is a really fun game that is perfect for your family game night.

Heimlich & Co. has a suggested retail price of $19.99 and is recommended for ages 8 and over.  This 2-7 player game has an average game time of 30 minutes.  This game has very simple rules, but it's packed with strategy.  It is the winner of Europe's top game award "Spiel des Jahres" (Game of the Year).

Heimlich & Co. is the ultimate top secret spy game!  Intrigue abounds in this Cold War classic, as secret agents try to conceal their identities while earning points for collecting classified information from a secret safe.  The game play is simple:  Players roll the die and move any spy they choose.  When a spy lands on the building with the safe, every agent earns points and the safe moves to another building.  It's fast moving, fun and full of deception.

 
Inside the box you will find 7 Secret Agent Playing Pieces, 7 Scoring Tokens, 7 Secret Agent Passport Cards, 1 Safe Playing Piece, 8 Playing Pieces Stands, 1 Die, 1 Game Board, Instructions and a Bonus Expansion Pack of 26 Top Secret Cards.