Card Games: New and Classic

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Card games have been a universal pastime for young and old alike for hundreds of years. Card games may have originated in China in the 9th century, and were already common in Europe by the 12th century.

Today, playing card games is still lots of fun for every age group. And there are lots of card games to choose from!

	Best Selling #1 Sony Playstation 2 Memory Card (8MB) Building a better system from the ground up sometimes involves digging into even the most mundane components. Take memory cards, for instance. To provide larger storage capacity and faster access rates--PlayStation2 cards transfer data 200 times faster than cards for the original PlayStation--PlayStation2 developers have upgraded the technology for the new memory card. The 8 MB Memory Card uses Flash Memory, the storage technology that's revolutionizing handheld computers, digital cameras, and MP3 players. In contrast, the 128 KB memory cards that were designed for the original PlayStation use memory blocks. While large files can spill over several blocks, you can't store more than one file per block in that design, no matter how small the file. The 8 MB Memory Card allieviates that problem by organizing and storing files much more like a computer hard disk. $19.82 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Best Selling #2 Quiddler Game The rules are brutal, but the rewards are worth it in this card game that works a bit like Scrabble. Although there is a solitary version of the game for one player, you can play with up to eight. Cards containing letters of the alphabet and special combinations of letters are dealt in increasing number each time the dealer completes a round. Once you've collected your share, you can discard and pick up a new card with each turn. The object is to turn all the letters in your possession into dictionary-proof words while leaving one stray card as a final discard. You want to be the first to accomplish the goal, of course, but there is a scoring system that makes the play competitive for everyone. One nice element is the cards themselves: the letter design is based on beautiful artwork from Celtic manuscripts. This card game is a 1999 Parents' Choice Silver Award winner. --Tom Keogh $9.10 Usually ships in 1-2 business days
	Best Selling #3 SET Game SET is a card game of quick recognition and deduction. Each card contains one of three symbols (squiggles, diamonds, ovals) in varying numbers (up to three), colors (purple, green, red), and degrees of shading. A dealer arranges 12 cards, face up, and the players--without taking turns--hastily scrutinize the images for logical "sets" of three cards linked by combinations of sameness or difference. It's not as complicated as it sounds: examples include a trio of paired ovals with increasing levels of shading between cards, or disparate symbols in different colors which increase in number on each card (card one has a green squiggle, card two a pair of purple ovals, card three a trio of diamonds). The trick is to keep calm while trying to make the rapid connections. The Darwinian nature of the game (remember: everyone plays simultaneously) is certain to cause some feistiness among more competitive players. --Tom Keogh $9.09 Usually ships in 1-2 business days
	Best Selling #4 UNO Attack Card Game UNO, America's No. 1-selling card game, has a whole new twist. You'll still encounter all the elements that make UNO so unpredictable and challenging, but add to that a motorized card launcher that shows no mercy and you've got UNO Attack. The object of the game is still to get rid of all your cards. The UNO command cards direct the game by telling players when to trade hands, discard, reverse the playing order, or skip a player. Beware the dreaded Hit command, though, as this translates into a game of Russian roulette. You never know when the card launcher is going to fire off a stream of UNO cards just for you! For 2 to 10 players. Requires three C batteries (not included). --Alison Golder $21.89 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Best Selling #5 Rack-O Card Game Like many card games, Rack-O is part skill, part luck of the draw. Two to four players try to get their rack of 10 cards in consecutive order, from lowest to highest, first. The cards are numbered from 1 to 60, and each player takes a turn by drawing and discarding. Bonus Rack-O points are earned when a player gets a perfect run of three or more cards. The first to rack up 500 points wins. The rule book doesn't suggest variations, but more challenge can be added by having to get certain number patterns, like even numbers or multiples of 3, which will also increase the number skills development that's part of this game. --Lynne Sampson $9.99 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Best Selling #6 Mille Bornes Collectors Edition First published in 1962, Mille Bornes (pronounced "meel born," French for "milestones") is an auto racing card game whose object, for each team of two players, is to be the first to complete a series of 1,000-mile trips. Each player has a hand of six cards and picks more in turn from a central pile. There are Distance, Hazard, Remedy, and Safety cards, each with various subgroupings, which determine the course of play. This Collector's Edition reproduces the artwork of the original game. The set includes a car-shaped plastic card tray, score sheets, instructions, and deck of 110 playing cards with language in English and French. Bon voyage! --Richard Farr $14.29 Usually ships in 1-2 business days
	Best Selling #7 Guess Who? Board Game A wonderful blend of deduction with a form of 20 Questions. Two players try to deduce the identity of their opponent's "Mystery Person." Using game boards with 48 frames apiece and an equal number of cards displaying character faces, players ask one another yes or no questions that help narrow the pool of possibilities. Through process of elimination, the identity of the Mystery Person slowly becomes evident. As kids' skill levels grow, their questions become more strategic, allowing them to solve the mystery faster and faster. The faces on the cards are cheerful and clever and designed to give subgroups among the 48 characters just enough similarities to challenge players. --Tom Keogh $16.99 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Best Selling #8 Deluxe Pit Looking for a sure winner in the hot commodities market? Pit, the fast-paced card game from Parker Brothers, has been a bullish performer since its introduction way back in 1904. With all the ups and downs, desperate deals, and nonstop action of an actual trading floor, this lively game offers great fun without risking the family fortune. The rules are simple: Deal the cards, wait for the opening bell, scream and trade like crazy, be the first to corner a specific market (nine cards of the same suit), and ring the closing bell. Sounds pretty realistic, doesn't it? Once you've got the basic game mastered, try throwing Bull and Bear cards into the mix--that's when things get really interesting! Pit comes neatly boxed with a set of durable game cards, instructions, and a heavy-duty metal bell that's great for slamming. There are rules included for a silent bidding version of the game, but jumping up and down, gesticulating wildly, and shouting yourself hoarse is half the fun. --George Laney $16.99 In stock soon. Order now to get in line.
	Best Selling #9 LeapFrog Interactive FLY Pentop Computer Bundle Pack Pretty fly for an educational toy! The Fly Pentop Computer is the wave of the future--today. So $178.95 This item is currently not available.
	Best Selling #10 Scene It Dvd Game Scene It? The DVD Movie Game is for the film buff what a double-fudge brownie sundae is for the chocoholic. Players take turns moving around the game board and answering challenges, which usually take the form of trivia questions--about movies, of course. Questions are culled from either a box of cards, much like Trivial Pursuit, or from onscreen prompts that follow movie clips. The included DVD is loaded with snippets from recent movies, although the occasional classic sneaks in too. Multiple questions are asked about each clip--identify the title of the movie, name actors in the scene, recall some minor detail--so that even when the clips begin to repeat, it will take some time before questions do too. (Subsequent DVDs are also said to be in the works.) The game board, which looks like a cross between an accordion and a film reel, can be folded out to accommodate longer games or closed up for shorter ones. Scene It? was definitely built to be a party game, and another advantage of the DVD is that there's no need to explain the rules. Instead, just press play and hope that everyone simmers down enough to pay attention. Plus, the hokey music and neon "You Are a Winner" screen that ends the game is certain to send those individuals who like winning a bit too much--and you know who you are--into an absolute frenzy. --David Morel $35.99 This item is currently not available.

This year, introduce your children to card games - or just add to their repetoire!