Brix
Overall Rating: 8/10
Age: 7+
GLAM Age Range: 6-Adult
Number of Players: 2
Playing Time: 10 min
Publisher: Blue Orange Games
Complexity: Low
Available At: Amazon.com
Quick Take: Connect 4, the next level. The twist is that you're laying down brick pieces that have both an x and an o on it and two different colors. Great variations for game play so you can easily change how challenging your game is. The game is great. It feels familiar but it's challenging in a new way and it's great for both kids and adults. I love a game that serves a wide audience!
How to Play: Your goal is to get four in a row. In the most basic version of the game you're trying to get four x's or four o's in a row. Color doesn't matter. You and your opponent draft from the same pile of bricks, each of the pieces is identical. You are a building a wall with your bricks. On each turn you can play a brick either vertically or horizontally. You create a wall that can be no more than eight squares wide. If you somehow place all the bricks without someone winning, you remove bricks from the wall and place them on a new spot. You can't move a brick your opponent just played. And if you knock over the wall you lose. The the case of a tie where a brick is played that makes both the x's and o's have four in a row, the person playing the brick is the winner.
Variations: The rules have two official variations: You can go for a color instead of x's or o's. Color is the only thing that matters on the brick pieces, the letters don't mean anything. Or for a more challenging option you can have one player try to collect either x's or o's while the opponent is trying for either orange or blue. It makes for highly strategic gameplay!
Similar Games To Check Out: Blokus, Connect 4, Set, Battle Sheep, Tsuro