In a Pickle - Game Review

by Lauri Griffin | More from this Blogger

30 Jul 2007 09:58 AM

In a Pickle : The What's in a Word Game is truly unique that encourages creative and logical thinking. The game is from GAMEWRIGHT and was a Dr. Toy Winner. It retails for around $8.00. Officially the game is for ages ten and up and for two to six players. I have used it with younger children though, and we also came up a solitaire version that I'll explain a little later. The game takes about twenty to thirty minutes to play. It's very easy to learn. Basically you try to win a set of words by building a row. Each of the 320 cards has a word and an arrow. Say your word was "Ice", and the cards laid out were "Suitcase" and "Moose". You decide if "Ice" can fit in a suitcase, or if it's bigger than a moose.

The tricky part is that sometimes, it can be both. Ice cubes can fit in a suitcase, and a glacier of ice is certainly bigger than a moose. Another tricky spin from the game is that sometimes words have multiple meanings. "Trunk" could mean a large suitcase, or something that belongs on a elephant. "Spring" could mean the season, or a coiled wire. And to make it more tricky there are words like "Mystery", "Fog", "Hope" and "Earthquake".

What I like about the game is that it really gets the players thinking. Is "Hope" bigger than a "Earthquake"? Is "Love" bigger than "Fear"? "Is "Power" bigger than "Mystery"? What I don't like about the game is that since there aren't concrete answers for these questions, players will argue. You can play the game very concretely, taking out the big concept cards and sticking with nouns like chicken, nose, and golf ball. Or you can play as a team, meaning there are no winners. This helps with arguments. I also encourage a solitaire version where the player is challenged to use a portion of the deck and arrange them in a huge row. The deck is 320 cards, so using the whole deck would be a serious challenge.

Other Games to Consider:

Sequence for Kids

Zooreka

Set: The Family Game of Visual Perception

Learn more about Lauri Griffin

Lauri lives in Colorado with her husband and three sons. Amidst all the laundry and packing of lunches, she tries to keep parenting fun.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger