Lego Games

Recently Lego has branched out into a new area, games. I like games. I try to get my family to play games, and I'm only sometimes successful. But if you add Legos, who can refuse?

We have played several of these games and enjoyed all of them. The first one we tried was the Lava Dragon game. My older son had fun putting it together, and once it was ready we gathered around to play. The game was very easy to learn, and my 5 year old had no trouble following the rules. It seems a simple race to the top, but there is a very interesting mechanic in this game in that the die you use change during the course of the game. Every time it's rolled, a colored tile is added so that the next time that side is rolled, the action is different. This makes it very interesting and exciting to see how the die is changing during the course of the game.

The next one we tried was Magikus. So far, this seems to be the simplest of the games. The kit includes some neat figures, so there's fun to be had even when you're not playing the game. In this game, the players simply collect the ingredients for a magic stew. This is definitely more fun with more players. With only two players it really is just the luck of the roll that decides who wins.

The last one that we've tried is Ramses Pyramid. This also is a race to the top game, but it does have some twists, physically that is. On certain die rolls the player actually twists the different levels of the pyramid, and this can change the path that a player has to take to the top. This game has proven to be the most popular so far, with everyone in the family getting involved. This kit also includes some really neat pieces like mummies and scorpions that are fun outside of the game.

What's great about these games is that just like normal Legos, you can modify and create your own games with these sets. Optional rules are included in each of them, and you're encouraged to make up your own. Even my 5 year old has made up different ways to play Ramses Pyramid, changing the way you win and changing what the symbols on the dice mean. Now when we play he asks, "Do you want to play the normal way or my way?" I do have to remind him that he's not allowed to change the rules in the middle of the game, but overall it has really encouraged the kids to be creative.

My older son actually went to a birthday party where they played several of these games as part of the party. They can generally be done in 30 minutes to an hour, with additional players making the games longer. There are several others that look fun, including a recently released Harry Potter game. Here are the others that are out right now: