Games run the gamut

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Nov, 1996

This season's crop of games are designed for all ages, with a distinct nostalgic touch. In addition to the memory-trivia versions that have been proliferating in recent years, there is a flashback to one's school cafeteria days that definitely will strike a familiar chord.

Endgame Entertainment, Inc., Portland, Ore., favors the trivia approach with the self-explanatory Movie Mania and Music Mania. The former asks cinemaphiles to identify quotes from films in the action/adventure, drama, comedy, classic/western, and science fiction/horror categories, ranging from Bogie's "Here's looking at you, kid" to Arnold Schwarzenegger's "I'll be back!" The music questions in the latter are less simplistic and require a wider range of knowledge. The appeal of both, of course, depends on interests. Meanwhile, Noggin Nosh is designed for those who would rather use logic than memory. Beware, though, the element of trickery built into such questions as "How many bluebirds were baked in the pie?" An instant reply of "four and twenty" will leave you with egg on your face since the pastry contents were blackbirds.

Reel Schpeel from Game Geste, Inc., Lincolnwood, Ill., is a movie trivia game requiring more interactive participation as you try to extract the answer by acting out the appropriate line in the specified manner--i.e., in a confused tone, "Houston, we have a problem." If that's not enough to have everyone shouting "Apollo 13," there are a series of hints that follow to aid those who are not about to award your performance with an Oscar. You have to be a real (or reel) film buff to achieve top scores, though, since you frequently have to know not only the movie, but the actor, character name, and director.

PiQuadilly from Chatham Hill Games, Inc., Chatham, N.Y., is a crossword puzzle-board gamemind bender filled with deviousness. Wading through the six pages of instructions may be off-putting, but once you get the hang of it, the game becomes fascinating. With dice throws, two sets of alphabet cards of different colors, backgammon-like strategy, Scrabble-type word building, and Monopoly-like instruction cards, complications abound. Sharpen your wits before you embark.

Honor of the Samurai from Gamewright Inc., Boston, is perfect for all those who loved Shogun, taking you back to the Sengoku period (1467-1568) in feudal Japan and requiring the gathering of honor points through a combination of dice throws and playing cards. As a samurai warrior in service to a daimyo (warlord), loyalty and swordsmanship are to be cherished, but new-fangled gunpowder is to be treated with disdain. Caution, beware the treacherous ninja. Kimonos and swords are optional.

Meanwhile, those who once whiled away idle hours in the school lunchroom playing football by flicking a penny or folded piece of paper across the cafeteria table, seeking to balance it over the table edge, will find their skills resuscitated with two new entries. Nickel & Dime Pool from Puffin Corp., Huntersville, N.C., requires you to carom dime-sized coins into the pool table pockets on the playing board, using a nickel-sized coin as a cue. The Koops Hoops Basketball Game from Channel Craft & Distribution, Inc., North Charleroi, Pa., calls for the flicking of coins into various holes on a simulated basketball court floor. Frankly, both are a bit lame and quickly outwear their charm. The cafeteria contests were far more fun.