Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

We all enjoyed playing this game. It's basically a bunch of trivia questions, divided into gradeschool categories: math, science, English, Social Studies, and even PE. They range from easy (first grade) to relatively difficult (fifth grade) and include some true/false and multiple choice questions. 

We all found out that none of us are smarter than a fifth grader. I mean, who would have guessed that the telephone was invented before the radio? (Yeah, we should have known.) Or that the place where Ponce de Leon thought he had discovered the fountain of youth was . . . Florida?? That's not the type of mythical thing one would usually associate with the Sunshine State. Although . . . maybe that is why all the retirees want to move there . . .

Verdict: this game is a keeper.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe game

This is a game that looks really great but kind of isn't. It was obviously created only to ride the movie's coattails and make more bank for Disney. 

Getting set up and reading the rules for the first time seems pretty complicated and drawn out, which would be fine if gameplay were worth the effort. But, unless you’re a big fan and you want to read all the details on all the cards and imagine yourself into the story, it turns out that this is just a simple game of luck, racing to the finish line, with no skill or knowledge involved. And if you’re playing with people who aren’t Narnia fans, they tend to skip over all the details on the cards, so in the end it's hardly better than Candyland. Except that in Candyland you can't intentionally sabotage your opponents, unless you cheat and stack the deck.

Verdict: I would probably get rid of this game except for two things: first, I love all things Narnia; second, apparently Finn had a blast playing this game and now wants to play it all the time. 

Cranium

I regret to inform you that Sam hated this game. Which is especially unfortunate, because I have always loved this game. One of his complaints about it was something I think makes it great fun: this game takes little bits from all kinds of other games (like charades, Pictionary, and “name that tune").

We had to get a bit creative with gameplay, having only three players. It would have been less confusing with at least four (two teams of two), but we made it work. 

Another drawback was playing with a child who doesn't know all the necessary pop culture. He's heard of James Bond, but doesn't know how to act like him. He knows the tune for Take Me Out to the Ballgame, but thinks it's actually something about . . . going to the bathroom? And he didn't know what a convent was (even after I explained it to him). 

So I would say this is still one of my favorite games, and I really enjoy playing it, but it should be reserved for a group of at least three other adults . . . none of which are Sam, I guess? Unless he either changes his mind or forgets about his experience with it this evening.

Verdict: I would never want to get rid of this game, I like it so much. Not sure when I'll ever play it, though.