Reviews

Niya, by Blue Orange Games, is a small strategy game that adds a twist and depth to the common game mechanic of lining up patterns. Within a few moments we had the game set up and knew the rules, and gameplay was fast yet thoughtful.

Othello: this easy-to-play, easy to understand game of field control and strategic overturn captures the attention and challenges players in fast-paced decision-making. Let's take a closer look.

Diplomacy is a conflict simulation game from Avalon Hill. Its gameplay is elegant and challenging, its ambiance historic and serious. While it is not considered a casual game, The Closet Report covers all types of games for comparison.

We've seen so many bland card games recently that it's easy to lose hope in anything truly fun and unique hitting the market. Fortunately, Actionworks by Lumenaris has swooped in like Luke Skywalker to renew our hope in small card games.

Battle Sheep is a new abstract strategy game by Blue Orange Games. And no, these are not sword-toting samurai warrior sheep. However, when it comes to duking it out for control of Farmer Pat's pastures, these sheep can be rather vicious and conniving.

Dark jungles. Ancient secrets. Ominous encounters. All of these things are fair game in Ancient Terrible Things, a "pulp horror" dice game by Pleasant Company Games. If this piques your interest, read on.

After the second American Civil War, it's every man for himself in the wastelands of the southwest. To get to your destination in one piece, you'll need to hire skilled outriders with souped-up combat vehicles who can out-maneuver or destroy your enemies.

Sometimes the best way to intervene in someone's bad behavior is to bring it out in the open for discussion. Intervention is a new adult party game, now on Kickstarter, that explores all kinds of bad habits and hypothetical situations.

Healthy eating is something that kids ought to learn at a young age, and the more tools parents have to teach it, the better. Qetchup, by startup publisher WebCracker Inc., is a small card game aimed at kids that encourages them to create sets of healthy foods while discarding the junk food. The first player to create a balanced meal from each food group (Veggie, Protein, Fruit, Juice, and Carbs) and discard any extra cards is the winner.

What do you do in awkward or embarrassing situations? Awkward Moment is a party game that explores various scenarios, from passing gas in public to getting your Facebook account hacked.