Leaping Lizards is a wonderful and compact matching game from Gamewright Games, who make a whole line of inexpensive, educational and fun board and card games. Instead of a conventional playing board, the game is played on a long cord which has beads strung on it. The spaces between the beads are the playing spaces, and players race to get their little wooden lizard to the end.
Game play is relatively simple. Each player gets a set of "Creature Cards". Before every round, they pick one of their creature cards to be their match. Then the creature tiles (which are two-sided) and the lead lizard tile are shaken up in the provided cup and spilled out. If the lead lizard tile has a smiley face showing, the player whose lizard is furthest back in the line may move their lizard as many pieces forward as they have matched their creature card to the creature tiles. So if they chose a dragonfly as their creature card and three dragonflies are showing face up, they may move three spaces forward. If the lead lizard tile shows a sad face, the player whose lizard is at the front of the line must move their lizard back as many matches as they've made.
Matching skills are the only essential skill needed for the game, kids who are still too young to read can play this game easily. It's also completely a game of luck, which levels the playing field between different ages of children.
Because of this game's super-compact size, it makes for a great travel game. It'll work on airplanes or in back seats, and kids will have fun with it for hours. The illustrations are wonderful and the pieces are made with real materials. This is a great game!
LEAPING LIZARDS AT-A-GLANCE:
GAME BOX INCLUDES: 1 Cord, 18 Wooden Beads, Shaker Cup, 16 Secret Creature Cards (4 per player), 10 two-sided creature tiles (5 each of 2 different styles), 1 Lead Lizard Tile, 4 Wooden Lizard Playing Pieces
YOU'LL NEED: Nothing
SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $11.95
AWARDS WON: Dr. Toy's Best Vacation Products, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence Award, iParenting Media Award, and more!
TRY IF YOU LIKE: Candy Land, Granny Apples
PERFECT FOR: Bringing on a plane or car trip.
RATING: Five Creepy-Crawly Things out of Five
Leaping Lizards
