With Christmas looming on the not too distant horizon, it’s always good to be prepared early. Board games are usually on my children’s Christmas list, so we were delighted to receive the Igloo Mania board game from Brainstorm to review.
The game features an igloo built with blocks of ice with an Eskimo (Parka Pete :)) standing at the top. Each person takes on the role of a penguin character, who sneakily removes the blocks of ice with an ice pick. It’s a little like Jenga, in that the aim of the game is to make as few blocks as possible fall before the Eskimo topples from the top. The winner of the game is the player with the lowest amount of blocks. There are variations of the game to play, both aimed at younger and older players.
The instructions on how to play the game are very easy to follow and clear, which is always a bonus for parents!
Setting the game up for the first time takes a little bit of effort. You need to apply number stickers to each individual block, which is a little bit fiddly, but once done that’s it. Setting up the igloo each time you start a new game was surprisingly enjoyable. There’s something mesmerising by the way the blocks fit together in a curve. In fact my daughters (aged six) have played the game together without me and seem to love the setting up part! For younger children it’s a good way to learn numbers, size and shape.
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| The completed igloo when all the blocks in place |
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| Each player takes turns to remove a single block with their penguin ice-pick |
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| Any extra blocks that fall are kept by the player who removed the block |
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| Sheer concentration! |
The game is aimed at children and adults aged 5 years+. My girls are aged six and enjoyed the easier version of the game. 2-4 players can play.
We spent an enjoyable couple of hours playing Igloo Mania and the girls have played independently with it since. I would recommend buying the game. It is a very simple concept, so easy to set up and play at anytime. The length of each game is about 15 minutes, depending on how steady the players hands are!
Brainstorm games can be found at good toy shops and Amazon
For the purpose of this review I received an Igloo Mania board game from Brainstorm. All words and opinions are my own
