Butter Pecan Strawberry Shortcake

Grades K and up. Europe's 2003 game of the year! Develops logic and spacial perception while kids learn to be tactical. Players take turns placing pieces on their board, each starting from their corner. Each new piece must touch at least one other piece of the same color, but only at the corners! The goal is to get rid of all your pieces. The game ends when all players are blocked from laying down any more of their pieces. Includes one gameboard with 400 squares, 84 game pieces in four bright translucent colors, and an instruction guide.

Making a simple flying UFO took only a few minutes. View larger.

Create your own complex inventions using parts such as the fan motor, alarm speaker, and over 60 other pieces. View larger.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Makes learning about electronics fun. The Bad: Physics principles can be difficult to understand. In a Nutshell: Interactive, hands-on way of playing with electronics that is fun and educational. At a Glance Ages: 8 and older Requires: 4 AA batteries

The SC-300 lets you build electronic devices such as a whistle chip, speaker, alarm circuit, LED, lamp socket, fan motor, and a speaker. Additional pieces can be purchased separately, or in different models, and they can all be used together to create larger and more elaborate projects.

Making Electronics Fun and Easy
The included instruction manual offers 305 projects ranging from a simple light switch to a noise-activated burglar alarm. We found the color-coded instruction manual clear and easy to understand, and we had no problems creating any of the projects we tried. The projects are organized by levels of difficulty, and each project teaches an objective such as "To show how electricity can only pass in one direction through an LED."

We definitely experienced a sense of satisfaction as we completed each project, and we definitely learned about electronics concepts. The manufacturer recommends the set for ages 8-108; younger engineers should be able to easily follow the diagrams for each project, but will probably require their parents to help explain how everything works. So a word of warning to parents: Brush up on your high school physics! Although the instruction offers some good information, we found that we still needed to brush up on the physics we learned years ago so we could understand concepts such as the difference between a circuit in parallel and in series.

Unique Learning Experience
Creating a flying UFO from "scratch" with rudimentary electronic pieces was highly satisfying to us, and we think Electronic Snap Circuits may well help young students gain and foster an appreciation for, and interest in, how electronics work and are built.

For students who are already learning about electronics in school, this set creates a hands-on experience that makes for more fun than reading about how these things work in a textbook. So don't be surprised if report cards come back with higher grades after playing with this toy.

Parent-Child Bonding Experience
The Elenco Electronic Snap Circuits would make a great parent-child bonding experience that is both educational and fun. As you work through each project with your child, don't be surprised when you, too, are learning something new and interesting. And after you've completed all the projects, you can create your own! The combinations are limitless!

What's in the Box
Plastic "circuit board," over 60 pieces including wire, resistors, speaker, battery holder, motor fan, red led, and lamp module.

2 month manufacturer's warranty.

The party box includes over a thousand cards for many card combinations. View larger.

Unexpected and funny comparisons make the game fun to come back to again and again. View larger.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Quick set up; inspires quick thinking and creativity; fun for whole family The Bad: Not as fun without at least five players; subject matter targeted for mid-teens and older In a Nutshell: Quick-paced board game requires just a minute to set up and will have everyone laughing for hours At a Glance Ages: 12 and up Requires: At least four players

Hilarious Comparisons and Analogies
The name of the game is a play on the phrase "apples to oranges," and the game is about making comparisons between different things. General game play is as follows: players are dealt red cards which have a noun printed on them, and the judge (a different player in each turn) draws a green card on which an adjective is printed and places it for all players to see. Each player then chooses a red card they are holding that they think best describes the green card. The judge then decides which adjective she likes best.

The fun is in the variety of unexpected comparisons people make, sometimes apt, funny, creative, or simply absurd. For example: people might match "Awkward" with "Oil Spills," "My First Kiss," "Dandruff," and "Gold Chains. " Or: "Painful" with "High School Reunions" and "Regis Philben. " Strategy comes into play since, because each player takes turns being the judge, you begin to pick up on the preferences of each player and tailor your choices accordingly.

Players can also try variations on the basic game play. For example, instead of choosing the most apt comparison, players might try choosing the red card that is least like the green one. These variations keep the game fresh and interesting every time.

Conversation Kick Starter
Part of the fun is in standing up for your choices. For instance, you might discuss why you think "Regis Philben" is painful, or segue into a discussion of the embarrassing situations you got into on your first day of school, or your first kiss. Apples to Apples excels as an ice breaker and promotes a good amount of social interaction, as many conversations will be kick started thanks to these little cards.

More Players, More Fun
Although the box states that the game is playable with just four players, we found that the game is a lot more fun when there are at least five or six players. This increases both the frequency of funny answers and also requires players to refine their strategy a little more. Once we got going, hours passed, and it was only the lateness of the hour that reminded some of us that we had to go home.

This Party Box set comes with more than 1,000 cards total, and will entertain for a long time. Additional expansion sets are available to further increase the variety of word combinations.

What's in the Box
756 Red Apple Cards, 252 Green Apple Cards, card tray, quick play rules.