Lucky Ducks

  Lucky Ducks is one of those battery games. Yellow, plastic ducks ride around an electronic pond while a quacking sound repeats. Each duck has a shape under it, and the ducks are sorted as players pick them up.
  My 3-year-old doesn't have much patience for playing this as a game. She prefers to play alone with the ducks as a toy. My older children think the game is too boring to play.
  My biggest criticism of the game is a packaging issue. In order to fit the game back into the box, both sides of the box must be opened so that three ducks can be tucked into each corner. Another problem is that the red button in the center, which makes the pond move and quack, gets hit right through the box. I don't have any luck turning off the pond through the box, so I have to take the ducks out of one side, pull out the pond, turn it off, and then pack it back away.
  Maybe a more sophisticated game owner wouldn't have these problems. Maybe some people wouldn't be bothered by the quacking. Maybe some kids would play more with the game. But not us.
  For ages 3 and older, 2-4 players. Cost: About $20.

Our rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Blokus

  Blokus was fun to play right out of the box. The directions are simple enough to be playing within a minute. Learning how to play the game well takes longer.
  Each person has colored tiles connected in different patterns. These tiles must be laid down corner-to-corner with the same color. Players try to block each other and leave themselves enough space to play all their pieces.
  We found that if two players use one color each, it's too easy. If two players play two colors each, it's a game that is as challenging as a four-person game.
  Young children will enjoy the colorful tiles that look like jewels. Older children will enjoy mercilessly blocking off their parents. Blokus has won many awards, and I can see that the game has educational value, teaching spacial relationships and logic. The education isn't heavy-handed, however, and Blokus is a fun, competitive game that takes about 20 minutes to play.
  For ages 5 to adult, 1-4 players. Cost: About $25.

Our rating: 4 out of 5 stars