You may remember that we reviewed a couple of Shuffle games last year. They’re great compact family games that you can play at home and away. With the holiday season fast approaching I’m looking for more ideas to occupy and entertain Monkey and there are a range of new games launched by Cartamundi that might just fit the bill.
In the run up to the new Formula One Grand Prix season Monkey and I had been having lots of racing fun with the Disney Cars Racing and Action Game Box. This game is aimed at children aged 4 years and over and can be played with 2-4 players.
The game comes with 4 fold out 3D cars, double-sided playing cards (one side has cars, the other has track) and instructions. The Disney Cars Racing and Action Game Box is also a 2 in 1 game – Action and Racing, so great value for money at £7.49 too.
In the Action Game the idea of the game is get rid of your cards as quickly as possible. You play with the Cars side of the cards. There are 4 different coloured cards and each card has one of these symbols on it. Ø (the next player has to miss a go), +1 (the next player has to draw one extra card), +2 (the next player has to draw two extra cards), ? (if you draw this card, the direction of play changes) or rainbow (you choice any colour to continue play).
The game play is very similar to Uno, so Monkey picked it up quite quickly. A card is turned over from the pile to start play. We started with Monkey as the youngest player, putting a card with the same colour, symbol or number on top of this card. The number or symbol on his card dictated how play continued . He certainly loved putting down cards with +2 for Mummy to pick up, or even better Ø – oh dear Mummy you miss a go!
He’d soon thrashed me and got rid of all his cards.
I thought I might fare better with the Racing Game. We made the 3D cars up, this is easy to do, although we did find that one of the cars just wouldn’t stay together.
The idea of the Racing Game is to race your car across the city as the roads change direction and be the first to reach the finish line. For this game you play with the cards road side upwards. Take the start and finish cards out, shuffle the remaining 48 cards and make a 5×5 grid with the start card in the left corner at the top, and the finish card at the bottom right corner. Place the remaining cards face down in a pile.
Place your cars on the starting line, Monkey started the game and picked up a card from the pile, he needed to place it road side up on the grid in a way that would help his car move forward. Once you’ve placed your card on the grid you can move your car as far along the road as it can go but you have to stop when your road runs out, you meet another car (passing is not allowed) or if you come across road works. Your turn is then over and play moves on. Play continues until one player crosses the finish line.
Monkey loved this game, and it’s great for getting children to think strategically and plan ahead.
Shuffle Twister was the second game we received from Cartamundi. I was really interested to see how this game translated without the infamous mat.
The Shuffle Twister game is aimed at children aged 6 years and over, and can be played with 2-6 players. It’s a real family game and for us, I can see this game coming into its own when we’re on holiday, with extended family.
You can play this game with or without the free app and so far we’ve played the game just using the cards provided (but have used the app to help Monkey understand the rules of the game.
I have to be honest, he’s struggled with this game, and I think it’s something we’ll have to revisit in the months ahead. But I can see others loving this game. I’ve had a look at the app, and it certainly does extend play. The game is still based on colours, but it’s about who is wearing what colour, placing cards on them (I’m still not sure how you are able to not drop them) and getting in funny positions and you may need to touch players with your hands or feet. It’s a good twist on a family classic, we just have a slow burner here.
Shuffle Twister is priced at £6.99 and I’ve also included my Amazon Affiliate link below for you.
disclosure: we were sent the items mentioned in exchange for an honest review
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I can offer one lucky reader the chance to win both of the games mentioned – Shuffle Twister and Disney Cars Racing and Action Game Box. Just complete the Gleam form below.
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(Please note that all entries will be checked against comments for validation).
Only the first step of this form is mandatory, all other steps are optional. Only one entry per person is allowed.
This giveaway is for UK residents only.
Once a winner is randomly picked, I will check if the winner has done what was requested and I will contact them, if they do not reply within one week, the prize will be allocated to another person.
The giveaway will close on 20th April 2016 at midnight.
I would call it PTL boys go
After my 3 nephews (their initials )
They are all mad about cars and love learning about different sized cars models and engine sizes they are 8 5 and 4 and would love it
I would call it Jevan racers, it’s a mixture of my 3 kids names, the cars would be blue, green and purple, their favourite colours.
We would be team 4D, blue and green as they are our favourite colours.
Yorkshire Vikings, I’m from Yorkshire. Racing green.
A nice bright blue colour and would be called Speed Demons
The Pink Patrol and the cars would be bink of course!
Purple car called lilac wings
yellow, I would call our team fand l
Purple and we would be the purple jets xx
Pink ladies and of course pink!
I would call it lavender racers, and it would be purple x
my cars would be blue and the team would be speed peeps
Dream riders, and the cars would be black and silver
Eagle Eye Racers and Purple x
bright yellow colours – called the Yellow Racing Bananas
The Bask Star Racers – Colours would be purple and grey
I would call it ABG3, my children’s initials, and the colour of the cars would be a sky blue, which is my favourite colours.
Would be called the Brobeans and would be black with lightning on
They would be pastel yellow colour and I would call them the Custard crusaders
The cars would be red and our team would be called Raspberry Racers
blue with white stripes and red stars and they be called Jolly Jetstream
The cars would be yellow and the team called the Lemon Dodgers
North London Flyboys blue and white
North London Flyboys blue and black checks
Red, Prima ( which I believe means First, as we would be aiming to win races).
I think I would call it something obvious like The Really Really Fast Race Team (TRRFRT) and go for painted flames down the side.
Cluckys Lot and deep purple
The She Wolves. Black and gold livery as I support Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Jackson.co and blue
My daughter says “Lilys Monkeys” and they would be brown cars covered in pictures of Bananas….
I would choose team 4D!
I would choose Becks bangers and they’d be green x
I would call them the ‘lightening bolts’ and they would be dark blue.
the Zoomers!
I would call my team @The Arley Aces’ and our team colour would be purple
The Dragons, and the cars would be green
Would call it, daisy flowers and cars would be purple
I would call them Flash Lightening and the colour would be orange
The Purple Reign – purple!
mine would be called the burty bassetts after my other half and where we live. Our colours would be blue, black, pink and white stripes
The racing riots and the cars would be red
I would call it team swift and it will be turquoise coloured
Brilliant question…we would drape our car in the colours of the Union Jack and call our team Rule Britannia 😉
Pink and my team would be called Sweet Temptations because we’re sweet and very tempting.
Norfolk yellows! Yellow and green…football fans will work out why!!!
Brighton Bulldogs – as I’m from Brighton
it would be bright red and called Fast and Furious
team rees! blue and green, kids favourite colours
The speedy boys and they would be purple cars 🙂
I’d call it The Steamu’s and we’d be fast as the bird.
I would call my team the Jumping Jos and the cars would be red with a yellow flash.
Team O’D we would have Red cars
Vroom Racers and the cars would be red and black.
Strawberry girls – pink
Whoosh Whoosh Zoom – we’d be glittery purple!
l’d call it . . . . . . . Chris’s Crazy Cars ‘cos it alliterates
The Red Racers and red of course
Rapid Racers would have red cars
Razor races, and would have purple cars
red cars and would call them the spot team
We would be called the red racers and our cars would be red!
I would call our team pink in blues – as I am the only female in a house of 4 males! Our colours would be pink and blue!
Biscuit Power – Red W/Stripes
2d monkeys xx thankyou for the chance
We would be blues and called mo’s Motors after my son 😀
The Scottie Speeders in blue
red and the racer roits x
Our team would be Fox and Cubs and the cars would be red xx
BillBob racing, Pink and Blue. Representing my two little boys nick names, and their favourite colours. They absolutely love cars, we watch it at least once a day. My eldest gets really shy around lightening mcqueen toys, he gets so star struck! x
The Speedy Racers and they would be red with black go faster stripes.
team super duper and we would be rainbow coloured 🙂
The saxophones and it would have to be pink cars
the black thirteens with black cars x
Watch me go… and blue cars
Green and red cars and they would be called Welsh Dragons
Team rocket and the cars would be black with orange race stripes
Rebeccas’ Rushers – with cherry red cars
Wrinkly Racer & I’d be silver
London Lightening (my home town) and we’d have purple with yellow lightening!
Rainbow Dashers – they’d be rainbow coloured too!
I would call it criminal go and they would be black and white
We are from Lancashire, so we’d be called “The Lancashire Roses” … we’d be bright red (like the Lancashire Rose) xx
The Derby Darbys – in blue
DMS Racing, and the cars would be red.
I think we would be called the wild red racers and we would have to have red cars with some yellow racing stripes
Avery’s Aces – team colours black and pink 🙂
The Educators (we home educate our children) and the colours would be green and purple
I would call my racing team ‘Speedsters’ and they would be red and purple.
I would call them the Racing Ryans and the cars would be yellow
Durham Dashers – we’d be purple!
I would call team MacSpeed and the cars would be Blue with red wheels 🙂
Mine would be the Toffee Turbo’s and blue like the mighty Everton
We would be called Kilbride Racers and it would be a blue car with red and white detail
Speedy Cars – We’d have white cars
Coopers cars and they would be bright yellow
They would be Blue and called Carito club
They would be red & called the Liverbird Lightnings.
We would be the EF Racers and we’d be matte black 😀
The red rockets – my son’s favourite colour
I asked my son and he said they will be red and called the Anfield Racers
Mine would be called the “Blue Bangers” and they would obviously be blue – chelsea blue! This is because I am an avid Chelsea FC supporter!
They would be called Amy’s avengers as he is superhero and they would be electric blue
HITMAN RACING, Black car with bright pink writing
I would call the team The Racing Pigeons and have black, white and grey cars.
Sunlight speed! With green cars 🙂
We’d have a red colourway and call the team Lucifers 😉
team wind in blue and white.
moody blues …… BLUE !
Red, Robyns Racers
Team Jenerate – purple with peppermint green stripes.
Web Weavers and we would be black with a red stripe
The Readee Racers, Red
The Dream Chasers, and the cars would be black, red and silver.
Blitz Racing! Fire colours, red, orange and yellow.
Team tammy and they would all be pink!
blue thunder
the lappers because everyone would lap us, and we would have to have neon yellow so they can see us and avoid us
I would call my team Kitty Cars and they would be pink and grey :-). All the names are always masculine so a bit of feminine in the mix would make a nice change xx
The Lancashire Ladys, we’d be red for the Lancashire rose!
Kite in Red and Green
i would have purple cars and call them turbo tribe
Blue and Silver and we would call ourselves winners!
Gold and silver, and we’d be called the Super Shepherds.
The colour be would be Red and the team called Triple Trouble
black and silver cars call the team dynamic twinsters
Purple Dashers in purple of course
The Excited Emeralds and our cars would be green 🙂 x
They would be Pink and called Fast not Last.
I’d call it Caz’s Crew – it has a nice ring to it!
Team Ginger Ninja, in orange
wigan warriors–and are colours would be cherry and white–like the rugby team
SDK after my late father. Red, his fave colour
rumberling reds in red obviously
The dashers in red
We’d be called Jumping Jack flash after my 3 year old son Jack who bounces everywhere and our colours would be blue and silver (his favourite colours).
Team Predators with red and green colours
Silver Dream Team
I would call my team The Dali Demons.They would be yellow with a black flash.
White and purple and be called ‘Lucky 3’
We would call them the Phiviamosh Racers and they would be a metallic purple and pink with blue stars 🙂
Chahcheran Racers – Silver and Blue
I would call them TadPole Position and they would be green 🙂