Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

SHORT REVIEW In just a short while, Robot Turtles has become my son's favorite board game. That's saying quite a lot, as our collection of games runs across the tops of half a dozen bookcases and stretches almost to the ceiling. — NOT-SO-SHORT REVIEW Since I won’t be explaining how to play Robot Turtles, I wonder if some of my comments below might make more sense after skimming through the rule book: [...] SETUP (2 out of 5) This was my least favorite part of the whole experience (in fact, the only part that wasn’t overwhelmingly positive). I’d stop just short of calling the setup a negative experience, but it was definitely less than ideal. I suppose I should take most of the blame (?) since there was a note in the box suggesting a grown up spend some time (I estimate you’ll need about 15 minutes) learning how to play before bringing a youngster into the mix to actually play. But the excitement of opening a new box and “Hey, we’re gonna play Robot Turtles!” was too much for my son not to hang around while I learned the rules. After a while of hanging around and “Why aren’t we playing yet?” he began to lose interest. Of course, 10 seconds into our first official game and he had forgotten all about the waiting. FIRST THOUGHTS (5 out of 5) After a few rounds, we were hooked. As a parent considering what’s happening in my son’s brain while he plays, I was super excited that he was learning the basics of programming in a hands-on, screen-free environment. As a kid looking to have a blast, my son was literally jumping around the room with excitement as we learned the ropes, solved our first few challenges, and created our own challenges to solve (more on this in a minute) CHARM (5 out of 5) Robots are great. Robot turtles? Even better. Throw lasers in the mix, and you’re golden. I don’t know how much of this was carefully crafted scheming, or if the inventor of Robot Turtles just happened upon a great combination of images and imagination. Whatever the case, my son loves everything about the game. And any game that requires players (adults, especially) to make funny robot noises earns extra points in my book. EDUCATIONAL VALUE (5 out of 5) "Teach Your Kids to Code Before They Learn To Read. It’s the first board game for little programmers!” Yep and yep. But for me, it’s more than that. Or, I should say, those statements pack quite a punch. Cause and effect, learning from mistakes, short and long term planning, communication, problem solving… These are all fantastic things for a kid to engage in, and Robot Turtles has them in spades. And lasers! Everything is always better with lasers. Since my son is only four and we’ve yet to tap into the more complex features and options of the game (Function Frog, for one), the thing I’m most excited about from what I’ve observed while playing is that in taking turns as the Robot Mover (and map designer), my son has an opportunity to use (and thereby further develop) his creativity. The board is a blank slate, and after a few moments he’s set up an adventure for me to guide my turtle through. I look forward to watching his creativity blossom as we continue to play this year and on into the future. REPLAYABILITY (6 out of 5) To me, this is where Robot Turtles really shines. The game has a series of "unlockables" designed to gradually increase the complexity of the game as players are ready. The game starts out rather basic, which was perfect for my four year old. Within a few rounds, he was chomping at the bit to learn what new cards and pieces would do. Over the course of that first few evenings, we brought in one, then two, then three of the unlockables. The difficulty ramped up nicely, and continued to hold my son’s interest, while also providing a within-reach set of challenges. However, we’ve really only scratched the surface. The combination of unlockables and alternative game modes means Robot Turtles will continue to grow in complexity as my kiddos grow in stature and ability. Oh, and speaking of replayability, I just stumbled across the Galapagos Rules ([...]) for adults and older kids and realize the game has even more potential for expansion than I originally thought. OVERALL If I could, I’d give the game 42 stars out of 42. (Especially since ThinkFun has some videos in the works to make that first-time setup process a little easier.) Well done, Dan Shapiro! And nice addition to an already outstanding lineup, ThinkFun. ME In case it helps anyone take my comments with an appropriate grain of salt, here's some background: I'm a father of four (4yo, 3yo, and 18mo twins), a JH/HS math teacher, I've purchased just about everything ever released by ThinkFun (games, apps, you name it), and I've never written an Amazon review before. --- UPDATE: AGE RANGE Prior to writing this review, all of my Robot Turtles experience had been with my four year old. Amazon and ThinkFun list the age range as 4+, but the box I have (possibly from the KickStarter printing?) says 3+. I tried teaching my three year old this afternoon. He’s a bright little guy and typically enjoys games, though he isn’t quite as focused as my four year old (he’s 17 months younger, so that makes sense). He has no problem playing a few rounds of other games (Zingo, Connect 4, an extremely modified version of Monopoly), but this experience was a frustrating mess. I don’t think he’s ready for it, and to save us from further anguish I plan on waiting about 6 months before giving it another go with him.