Rapid Reviews

In this set of Rapid Reviews, we explore three thrilling new board games: Pyramido for pyramid construction, Chicken! for press-your-luck action, and My City: Roll and Build for city planning with dice.

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Blokus by Mattel is a bit of an odd duck. At first blush, it appears to be a simple puzzle/tile-laying game — first to lay all their pieces is the first to win. In reality, it plays much more like a cross between Tetris and Centipede.

Some of the best, most interesting and intriguing games come from Z-Man Games, and Wasabi (sometimes sold under the name Sushi) is no exception

Can’t Stop is another classic reprint by Gryphon Games that deserves renewed attention. In the game, players press their luck to be the first to move three traffic cones to the top of the custom-molded octagonal board.

Bazaar is a reprint by Gryphon Games that is, at its core, all about currency exchange. Fortunately for those of us who choose not to engage in public displays of arithmetic, there are no numbers involved — just colors.

Quartex is an abstract tile-laying game by CSE Games in which players try to complete the shapes located on the corners of the tiles. Boring, right? Wrong! We found this game to be quite engaging.

Lost Temple by Stronghold Games is a jungle explorer game in which players attempt to be the first to reach the temple ruins. The board offers a single track from start to finish with various ruins along the way. To progress along the track during each round, players must decide which of the local villagers will help them go the farthest through the jungle.

Völuspá, by Stronghold Games, prominently asks on the back of the box, "Will Thor survive the challenge of the trickster, Loki? Will the Valkyries overtake Odin?" The "Saga of Edda” expansion included with the game is also clearly marked on the box. If the title and theme of this Norse Mythology game don’t pique your interest, bear with me, as there is a fun casual game hidden inside, even though it appears to be intended for fantasy gamers.

Survive: Escape from Atlantis is a delightfully devious game from Stronghold Games in which the goal is to move your survivors from the sinking island of Atlantis to solid ground located at each corner of the board. Each piece has a hidden point value that players do their best to memorize so they can prioritize their moves and maximize their scores, since only a few of the survivors will make it to safety.