Once the game is activated, simply follow the voiced directions before the buzzer sounds. As the game goes on, you will take less time with each turn to complete the actions. So be prepared to "bop it" or "pull it" quickly!

Bop It features useful rubber grips around the "twisting" and "pulling" gadgets to prevent it from slipping out of your hands. The bright, primary colors of the gadgets also add to the fun and goofiness of the game itself.

Fun, Competitive Play or Solo Mode
Bop It can be played by one person in solo mode or in a group/party setting. The toy is interactive and mentally stimulating--which keeps the game interesting and challenging for players of all ages. Bop It promotes responsive reflexes and good listening skills, along with lots of twisting, bopping family fun.

What's in the Box
Bop It, three "AAA" batteries and instructions.

Connect 4 x 4 Ages:8+ Required:4 players

What We Think Fun factor: Durability: Ease of assembly: Educational factor: The Good: Up to four people can play Connect 4 x 4; features new colors and helpful blockers. The Challenging: Younger children may need pointers on the double-sided grid when first playing. In a Nutshell: Fun remake of a favorite game with added challenge and complexity.

Double-sided Grid, More Colors, New Pieces
Connect 4 x 4 is the only checkers four-in-a-row, four-player game--making it perfect for family game nights. With the new double-sided grid, you can score on both the front and back side of the game.

Game play is simple--pick a line, drop a checker in on each turn, and hope that your opponents don't foil your strategy before you get four checkers in a row! The game has also added "blockers," which can be used to block your opponents on both sides of the grid in one turn. However, make sure to save your blockers for when you really need them--you only get two and they are valuable!

When you're finished playing Connect 4 x 4, a convenient locking top slide keeps the pieces on the grid so you never have to worry about lost checkers.

Challenging Remake of a Timeless Favorite
If you grew up playing Connect 4, you'll quickly realize that Connect 4 x 4 is like having both an old favorite and a new game all in one. You can still play the game with two players, but now also have the option of playing with four. The double-sided grid adds a welcome challenge and complexity for long-time Connect 4 players. A word of warning for younger players: the added complexity may be a bit challenging to understand at first, but once they do, they'll definitely be hooked.

What's in the Box
Double-sided grid, 68 checkers (17 of each color), and eight blockers (two of each color).

The game map changes every time for an endless variety of play. View larger.

Settlers of Catan engages both children and adults, garnering best-seller status in both Germany and the US. View larger.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good:Engaging strategy game that's different each time you play The Bad:Requires three or four players In a Nutshell:The Settlers of Catan is fun, easy to learn, and keeps advanced players on their toes At a Glance Ages:10 and up Requires:Three or four players

On the Road to Settlement
The game rules and almanac booklet sets out four pages of guidelines for getting started. Don't worry, the rules are straightforward and the four pages include plenty of illustrations. There's a starting map that shows a well-balanced set-up for beginners to follow and directions that allow more advanced players to lay out the map of the island at random. You'll have to pop the die-cut components of the game out of their cardboard holders before you play your first game.

The almanac portion of the booklet is laid out alphabetically, so while playing you can find answers to specific questions quickly. Useful entries remind you exactly what role pieces like the robber play, how actions like maritime trade work, and how to set up the board or finish the game.

Exploring and Developing Catan
The board consists of 19 terrain hexes surrounded by the ocean. Each type of terrain produces a different type of resource: brick, wool, ore, grain or lumber. There's also a desert hex that produces no resources. As the game progresses, players use resources to build roads along the edges of these hexes and settlements or cities on the intersections where three hexes meet. Each player begins the game with two settlements and two roads.

Each player's roll of the dice causes certain hexes to produce resources, which you collect if you have a settlement on one of them. On your turn, you'll use various combinations of the resources you've acquired to build new roads and settlements, upgrade settlements to cities, or purchase development cards. The ability to trade resources with other players adds a new level of strategy and ensures that the game includes lots of interaction between players. You can also trade without worrying about other players using an unfavorable maritime trade rate. Elements including a robber piece that lets you steal from other players and a variety of development cards add intrigue to the game.

The objective of The Settlers of Catan is to be the first one who collects 10 victory points. Each settlement is worth one victory point and each city is worth two victory points. You can also earn victory points by holding the "Longest Road" card, the "Largest Army" card, or special victory point development cards.

Best-Selling Game of the Year
It's easy to see why The Settlers of Catan has been recognized as a best-selling Game of the Year in both Germany and the U. S. We found this game to be fun and engaging for both children and adults, and the variable nature of the playing field really made us want to play again and again. When we started pausing to contemplate our opponents' strategy and factoring the probability of different dice rolls into our moves, the game sometimes took longer than expected, but we were so engrossed we didn't even notice until it was all over.

Due to the widespread popularity of the original game, several expansion sets (sold separately) are available that allow you to explore new aspects of the game or add more players. The only downside to this game is that you need to have either three or four players to play, so it's great that expansion sets are available that will allow you to add players.

Scene It? Deluxe Twilight Edition Ages:13+ Players:2 or more Requires: DVD player TV Remote control

What We Think Fun factor: Durability: Ease of assembly: Novelty factor: The Good: Unique DVD puzzles and trivia appeals to Twilight fans of all levels. The Challenging: Limited target audience, might turn off non-fans. In a Nutshell: An interactive DVD/board game, made especially for Twilight fans.

The ultimate Twilight trivia experience, this DVD/board game is packed with Twilight-themed trivia, puzzles, and mini-games. View larger.

A Dazzling Twilight Experience
From the game pieces to the trivia cards, every aspect of Twilight Scene It? has been infused with the spirit of Twilight. The game begins with players choosing one of four collectible tokens to represent their team. Sculpted out of metal, these tokens have been modeled after some of Twilight's most iconic items: Charlie's house, a baseball, Bella's truck, and Edward's piano.

Teams advance around the board by answering two types of questions: traditional trivia cards and DVD-based puzzles. The trivia cards, which resemble what you might find in Trivial Pursuit, provide questions in a wide range of difficulty. Some of the tougher questions are challenging enough to stump even the most devoted Twilight fans. Players can also strategically use special "Fate Cards" to throw their opponents off course.

The main attraction, however, is the interactive DVD. Hosted by Dr. Carlisle Cullen (played by Peter Facinelli), it is filled with hundreds of video clips, sound bites, and images from the movie. When players draw a DVD challenge card, they must solve a video puzzle. These puzzles range from memory games to message decryptions, and will put your knowledge of Twilight to the test.

Fun for Every Level of Twilight Fan
The DVD has been designed with the fans in mind. Everything about it has been adapted from the film, right down to the gothic font used for the menus. You'll see cameos by your favorite characters and relive classic moments from the film. Also included are several mini-games, so you can get a quick Twilight fix even when you're not playing the board game.

With hundreds of questions, Twilight Scene It? has something for every type of Twilight fan. The difficulty is varied enough to keep everyone engaged -- from Twilight die-hards to casual fans. Also, some of the video puzzles are completely self-contained, so even non-fans can participate in the game.

What's in the Box
DVD, game board, 4 collectible metal tokens, 100 trivia cards, 30 Fate cards, 1 six-sided numbered die, 1 eight-sided category die, 4 category reference cards, and instruction sheet.