We bought this game as a Christmas present for my youngest daughter, who will be 3 next month. It's turned out to be a huge hit with her on a couple of different levels. The game itself is fun, brief, simple to understand, and fast-paced. Perfect for kids maybe 2-4 years who don't often get to join in for family game time due to a lack of attention span or lack of comprehension of the rules of more complex games. Really, the only skill needed to play this game is an awareness of different colors, though it could certainly be used as a teaching aid for children who don't yet know their colors. The gameplay is simple. Each of the 12 penguins is placed in a central location, each hiding an egg beneath him/her. There are 6 different colors of eggs, 2 of each color. Each player has a wooden strip that looks like an iceberg, with the numbers 1-6 on it. Each player rolls two dice in turn. Each die has 6 matching color dots on it. After rolling the dice, the player gets two chances to find the corresponding colors beneath the penguins.... And so on until one player gets 6 penguins with the correct egg color on their iceberg, or until all the penguins are gone (then the player with the most penguins is the winner). There is an element of memory to this game, but there is also - it seems - an almost stronger element of chance. So if you're not on even ground, say an adult versus a child, you don't have to 'dumb down' playing to compensate for their lack of skill in this department. The limited number of penguins certainly contributes to memory playing a very loose role, and a child can often win in earnest by sheer chance. I see this as a good thing, since I'm not overly fond of anything I have to think too hard about not playing well for the kids' sake. It is this element - and the limited time in which the game plays out - that make it a fun and simple game for adults to play with young children. The second thing that has been a big hit with our daughter are the actual pieces of the game. In fact, her love of the penguins and eggs might well be to the detriment of the gameplay, as they have already been misplaced a few times and we've owned the game less than a week. The penguins are adorable, truly. The eggs seem to hold a certain fascination too (yes, they could be choking hazards for young kids who are still mouthing toys and such). These items get carried about the house, stashed in bags and purses, flown around in the Playmobil jet and so on. Blue Orange games are all made in China, making them something I would normally be opposed to purchasing, but it does sound as if they are manufacturing in China ethically and in an environmentally sound manner. I hope this is the reality, rather than just the effect of slick marketing, particularly since they make such neat games (we also bought Gobblet Gobblers and love it too). All the pieces are very well made, smooth, rounded, no visible glue, the paint (or perhaps stain?) is well-applied, and it seems as if chipping paint will not be an issue. Even the box is a heavy-weight laminated cardboard and should stand up to some abuse. Everything about this game just seems to say 'high quality' and I think it's absolutely worth the price. Highly recommended.
