Castle Blast

Castle Blast - A game bent on destruction.

The king's treasure has been stolen. The princess has been kidnapped. A dragon guards them both inside the castle. Your job is to take down the dragon and rescue the princess and the treasure. Even though Mindware is one of my favorite game manufacturers, I had never heard of Castle Blast before I stumbled onto it a couple of days ago.

The pieces are all wood. When the pieces are assembled on the game board they will represent a castle with the princess, treasure and dragon inside. The game board measures 7" square. The cord on the wrecking ball is about 10" long. The ball is solid and about 1.5" in diameter.

Object:
Be the first to collect one treasure token, one princess token and one dragon token by knocking those blocks off the board.

Set up:
Build the castle on the game board as shown in the instructions. If you lose the instructions it is also pictured on the back of the box. Place the tokens nearby.

Play:
Players take turns. Roll the die and that will tell you how many times you can take a swing with the wrecking ball. The object is to aim at the princess, treasure and/or dragon blocks. A block must be completely cleared from the board on your turn to collect the corresponding token.

You can position the wrecking ball and/or game board any way you like. Pull back on the ball so that the string is taut. Simply let the ball go, do not throw it. Catch it when it returns or it will count as more than one swing. If you clear one of the three target pieces as you play, collect the corresponding token. Even if you clear one of the three pieces off the board, if you have more swings coming you will keep playing. If your swing totally misses hitting any pieces, it still counts as a swing. As pieces are cleared from the board, you can move them out of the way. Keep taking turns until all three of the target pieces have been cleared from the board, collecting token(s) for any of the three that you clear. If no one has collected all three tokens, set the board up and play again. Keep going until someone has all three tokens and wins the game.

NOTE: As the game continues into multiple rounds, if you clear a piece that you have already earned a token for, that token must be returned and you must earn it again. 

Four other ways to play:

• Master Builder - Play using the rules as above, but build the castle in your own layout.
• Block Collector -  Clear as many blocks off the game board as you can on each turn. When all blocks have been cleared, players add their score and the highest score wins. The princess, dragon and treasure blocks are two points each and every other block is worth one point.
• Marksman - Clear only one block at a time from the board. As long as you clear only one block per swing, keep playing until you fail, keeping all the blocks you clear this way. When all blocks have been cleared, score and determine the winner the same as in Block Collector.
• Royal Solitaire - Play alone to sharpen your skills. Try these:
• Track your lowest number of swings to clear the princess, treasure and castle blocks.
• Track your lowest number of swings to clear all the blocks from the board.
• Try to clear the whole board, one block at a time. On any turn that you clear more than one block, the game is over. Set up and try again.

Try this:

• Set up the blocks in your own design and play with the wrecking ball before actually playing a game to get the feel of it.
• Knock the three target pieces off in a particular order. If you clear one before its time, return it to its original location.
• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, eye-hand coordination, aim, manual dexterity, executive functioning skills, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation 

In the box: game board, wrecking board, 3 character blocks, 26 castle blocks, 12 tokens, 1 die

If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.

 

miQube

miQube features four strategic games and a puzzle, all in one box.

If you're like me and you like games that play different ways, check out miQube by Mindware.

All pieces are wooden. The game board measures 6.25" square. It is covered with 36 black and neutral colored squares, colors alternating like a checker board. You can see the bottom right hand corner of the board in the image above. 

Each of the 13 pieces is made up of multiple small blocks that have been joined together to form an irregular shape. Each piece is made up of anywhere from four to six of these small blocks. There are two pieces and a die sitting next to the board in the image above. There are six different colors and each side of a piece will have only one color per side. You can see that in the image above also. The colors are red, black, white, green, orange and blue. The die has a different color on each side and the six colors match the colors on the 13 pieces. 

Puzzle:

Build a cube that is four blocks high by four blocks wide by four blocks deep. Each side of the cube will be made up of one color only, a different color for each side. There is only one solution.

Games:

• Domination - For 2, 3, or 4 players. Dominate the board with your color by covering the largest amount of the board's surface. The person with the highest number of their colored dots facing up at the end of the game is the winner.
• Advance - For 2, 3, or 4 players. Advance your color across the board and take over the most territory. The person who has advanced upon more territory than their opponents by the end of the game is the winner.
• Connect Five - For 2 players. Place your pieces so that they form a chain made up of five of your colors in a row. The chain can be straight or diagonal. Colors are considered to be in a line even if they are on different levels. First player to make this chain of five is the winner.
• Gridlock - Stop other players from placing their pieces by blocking their moves. Last person to successfully place a piece on the board is the winner.

Try this:

• Look over the pieces before playing. Play with the pieces, putting them together in different formations, and observe how a single color is on each side.
• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, manual dexterity, logic, strategy, problem solving, executive functioning skills, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: Game board, 13 pieces, custom die

If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.