New Releases : 14 July 2009

Most of the new the new releases this week are party games – it’s all about cracking open a party seven and putting aside the heavy stuff aside.( Note to self – must let Automobile sit on shelf for more than three days ….)



The first is ‘Gambit 7’, the rather uninspiring named ‘Commonwealth’ version of ‘Wits & Wagers’. I hope this is as good as the original, with a Lamont brother credited as a designer it promises to be good. ‘Wits and Wagers’ is the only game I have managed to get all my family (ages spanning nine decades) to play together. If you can guess which decade the person who thought ‘The Muppets’ was first aired on TV in 1856 it pays odds of 2 to 1……



The second is Tumblin’Dice (in a full and a medium sized portable version). This game sees 2 -4 players flicking or rolling dice on to scoring points on an attractive board.



Third is the fourth expansion for PitchCar – the ‘stunt car’ expansion adds a third dimension to the basic set.



Last of the party releases is ‘Are you the Traitor?’ from Looney Labs, a magical game of bluffing and deception.



There are also a couple of more serious games released this week.



The English language edition of ‘Sherwood Forest’ from Rio Grande will be with us next week.



And ‘Livingstone’ is released in an English edition by Playroom entertainment. I also have a few of the German (totally language independent) version from Schmidt Spiele left at a bargain price of. £19.99.



I have played Livingstone a few times – it shines as a game played with youngsters – they love the ‘Thebes’ like treasure bag.



‘Tales of the Arabian Nights’ is scheduled for release on Tuesday 21st July. It will be available for pre-order from the middle of next week.