Word Sense

Word Sense is a sweet little word game that will keep 2-6 players delicously challenged for ten minutes to an hour of intense but rather joyous competition - especially if everyone shares similar verbal competencies.

The handy plastic carrying case contains 31 letter tiles, two blank dice with stickers, a score pad and pencil. Five of the letter tiles are double letters. There are two versions of the game, one of which requires players to compete simultaneously. We liked this one so much more I'm not even going to tell you about the other version. Which means you won't need the dice.

One player is the Chooser. That player decides how many tiles get turned over (2-5) - the more tiles, the more difficult the challenge. Let's say the Chooser chooses 4 tiles. The other players then pick four tiles, placing them face down in front of them. At a signal from the Chooser, all turn their tiles over. Which might give you something like W D (ED) N (ED being a tile with two letters on it). The challenge - be the first player to shout out a word that uses all of those letters - in any order. A solution: how about UNWEDDED?

We were very pleasantly surprised to discover what a good challenge this little game gave us. There are several variations suggested by the manufacturers. Which is a clear invitation to invent your own.

All in all, most Major FUNly.

Cityscape

Cityscape is a unique and elegant strategy game for 2-4 players that is simple enough to learn, quick enough to play, and attractive enough to engage the rapt attention of anyone old enough to appreciate a good game.

Using different size wooden blocks (yes, the game is made of wood, warm, smooth, delicious wood), players take turns building up a skyline. Each player is trying to build her own kind of skyline, one that has the highest building here, and perhaps two buildings of the same height there, and a view of all four buildings over there. The difficulty (and challenge) is that the other players are also trying to build their own kind of skyline, each from his own perspective.

There is just enough luck and deductive reasoning to keep the game interesting, regardless of strategic skill. And just enough depth to keep the strategist deeply fascinated. I know of no other game like it. And like it I do. Enough to give it a major Major FUN Award.

Oddly enough, Cityscape is published by Out of the Box. The same Out of the Box that publishes the FunDay Times within which appears, on a daily basis, the writings of Bernie DeKoven, aka "Major Fun," aka me. "Mightn't this," one might be tempted to wonder, "impugn the impartiality of this review?" It is with great relief and unimpeachable objectivity that I herewith reassure one and all that the Major knows a good game when he plays one, regardless of who manifests the perspicacity required to publish what. And, in further fact, if Out-of-the-Box hadn't already been publishing so many Major FUN Award-worthy games, it is unlikely that he would have ever agreed to be associated with the aforementioned in this or any manner.

Paired Up

Paired Up is a party game, like Taboo, Password, Catchphrase, etc., where you try to get your partner to guess, well, you guessed it, pairs of words, like "salt and pepper," "rock and roll," "song and dance." A good premise for a party game. It gets people talking to each other. It's a challenge. It's for a small, party-like group of 3-6 people and your larger party-like groups can play in teams.

But what, you might ask, makes it so unique that it would merit the esteemed Major FUN Award? It's not just the way the words are paired up. It's the way the players are.

Included in the game are two, two-sided, write-on-wipe-off cards (for 3, 4, 5 or 6 players). The cards help determine who gives a clue to whom. There are 24 rounds, and in each round another combination of players is selected. For example, in the first round, the first player might be giving the clue to the second player. The next round, the third player to the fourth. The next round, the second to the third. Etc., etc., until every player has given or received a clue to or from every player, at least once. Though it sounds complicated, it's actually quite elegant. And it solves a problem that has haunted many a game designer, because it gives every player an opportunity to play with every other player.

There's a 45-second sand timer (I know, we don't really love sand timers). And a very pretty little die that determines how much a round is worth, and you'll swear is loaded until you realize that there are two 2's and two 3's. And a score pad. And 4 pencils, even. But the real treasure is how much fun the game is, and how well that pairing-up system works.

Streetplay

There's a lot of reminiscing going on about how kids used to play back in the days when kids were kids. It's a good kind of reminiscing, a sweet nostalgia for the inventiveness and irrepressible, undeniable spirit of play. Unfortunately, we almost always follow those moments of wistful wonder with the conclusion that kids nowadays just don't do those kind of things.

Streetplay is a faith-restoring site - restoring our faith both in our memories of childhood, and in childhood itself. Streetplay's collections of photographs documenting actual kids in actual play, here, and around the world, yesterday, and today, provides us with incontrovertible evidence of the preeminence of the playful spirit.

Then again, there's the nostalgia part. Surely you didn't forget those long summer afternoons playing Stickball? And who could forget Halfball? Or, for that matter, Skully? Reading about those games, seeing the photos and film clips, even if you never played them, is a journey into the past, present, and future of fun. It not only documents what we used to do, it reminds us that we can still do those things, that we have a heritage to pass on to our children and children's children. And our children, and children's children have a heritage to pass on back to us.

This is a remarkable site. Rich in depth and detail, preserving and nurturing a wealth of rock solid invitations to play. It is free. You can help support the site by purchasing cool stuff from their store. There are no advertisements. A genuine gift to us all.