Jason English
Your Favorite Games & Puzzles
by Jason English - July 21, 2009 - 3:45 PM

puzzles

If you’re ever browsing in the mental_floss store, you’ll notice a ‘Games & Puzzles’ section. Two items that have been flying off the shelves all year are Bananagrams (an addictive word game) and The Global Puzzle (a puzzle with pieces shaped like the countries).

We’d like to (slightly) expand that part of the store, and we figured our readers would be able to turn us on to some new games that smart people would enjoy. What are your favorite games/puzzles?

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Comments (48)

  1. A card game called “Set”. You have to make sets of cards with four features (shape, color, shading, number) so that each set of 3 cards has the features the same or totally different, or some combination thereof.

    posted by Biogirl on 7-21-2009 at 3:57 pm

  2. Scrabble! Cranium! Trivial Pursuit! Anything that requires at least a little bit of brain power. Cranium less so, but too much fun!

    posted by Hyacinth on 7-21-2009 at 3:58 pm

  3. I love ‘Apples to Oranges’

    posted by Witty Nickname on 7-21-2009 at 4:06 pm

  4. There was a game many years back that I used to play called “Judge for Yourself.” I wasn’t able to keep it when I left the family to live independently, and no one I have talked to about it has ever heard of it. It was a game that involved real courtroom cases in which the cases were read to you and you had to determine your verdict. You advanced, and ultimately won if your decision matched the real verdicts. Amusingly enough, on amazon.com, i did a quick search, and the “frequently bought together” section included the mental_floss trivia game alongside this one.

    I liked this game for two reasons. first, it helped me hone in my advocating skills and seeing things from multiple perspectives in an unbiased light. Secondly, the debates over the verdicts kept the conversation lively and engaging, especially in team play. Oh, and some of the cases answer the question “why is this redundant waste of paper a law?” quite often!

    posted by Steven on 7-21-2009 at 4:10 pm

  5. Hyacinth! We would get along! I love all three of those games – in that particular order, too! Pretty crazy about Cranium, though….

    posted by Sarah on 7-21-2009 at 4:20 pm

  6. Ricochet Robots
    Settlers of Catan

    posted by JimA on 7-21-2009 at 4:26 pm

  7. I second the nomination for Apples to Oranges!

    reCaptcha: nona deranged…

    posted by ac on 7-21-2009 at 4:28 pm

  8. PowerGrid, FTW!

    posted by DavidA on 7-21-2009 at 4:28 pm

  9. Blokus! It’s such a fun game, especially with 4 people playing.

    posted by Nicole on 7-21-2009 at 4:30 pm

  10. Am I missing something? Isn’t it Apples to Apples? What is Apples to Oranges?

    posted by K on 7-21-2009 at 4:32 pm

  11. Balderdash and Mad Gab are my 2 favorites.

    reCaptcha: Blanko worthy. interesting

    posted by Heather on 7-21-2009 at 4:43 pm

  12. Elfenland, Kill Dr. Lucky, Mamma Mia, and Gloom are family favorites! All available through Funagain Games. We also liked Hellrail (drop the sinners in the correct circle of Hell) but it didn’t hold up as well over many, many game nights! Kill Dr. Lucky has become a tradition on our beach trips.

    ReCaptcha: ork delays

    That said, do ork shortcuts make long delays?

    posted by Julie on 7-21-2009 at 4:47 pm

  13. I’ll second SET – that game is AWESOME. Once you get how it works you’ll start seeing sets in your sleep. Also love Medici, and Maharaja.

    Bananagrams is a favorite warm-up game for a game night, since it’s so speedy :)

    posted by Adrienne on 7-21-2009 at 4:50 pm

  14. I second/third/whatever Settlers of Catan, Apples to Apples, and Cranium. Pit is another fave of mine, but it doesn’t require much brain power – more luck than anything.

    posted by Jessi on 7-21-2009 at 4:51 pm

  15. I’ll put in another vote for Settlers of Catan.

    posted by TXCherokee on 7-21-2009 at 5:03 pm

  16. Scrabble, Life, and RISK

    posted by Kate on 7-21-2009 at 5:07 pm

  17. Solar Quest (Think Monopoly in Space)
    Killer Bunnies
    Apples to Apples

    posted by Katrina on 7-21-2009 at 5:22 pm

  18. Twilight Imperium is a very in-depth game. It’s definitely NOT for mental_floss to regularly stock, but still worthy of a mention. If you have ninety dollars to fork out for a board game, this is the one to get. the setting is an ever-changing solar system (ever-changing, because the board is never the same in any two games…you BUILD the board before the first turn). you objective is to establish dominance over the other races in the solar system – whether you choose your method by war, politics, or technological advancements – and prove that you are the strongest influence.

    reCaptcha: STEVE idols lol

    posted by Steven on 7-21-2009 at 5:33 pm

  19. Shadows Over Camelot, Kill Dr. Lucky, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and the ever hillarious Snorta!

    posted by Alex on 7-21-2009 at 6:03 pm

  20. I have been enjoying FITS and Code Omega. Both are spatial reasoning type games. Sadly they are german games, so they may not be in print here in the states. They are worth playing if you can find them. Blokus Trigon and Blokus 3D are also fabulous.

    posted by Katie on 7-21-2009 at 6:07 pm

  21. We have a game that we bought a few years ago called “Smartmouth”. You’re given two letters, and then you have to make a word using those as the first and last letters of the word. For example, if the letters are D and N, you can make “driven”, or “drown”.

    It’s a fun game. It really keeps you on your feet.

    posted by PunKid on 7-21-2009 at 6:31 pm

  22. My favorite game is Rudolph Monopoly.
    You should do a Dominoes game for Mental Floss, where you link the dominoes with facts in a “before and after” fashion.

    posted by Monica on 7-21-2009 at 6:46 pm

  23. i will third set.
    rummikub is also pretty great, as is apples to apples.

    posted by tiffany on 7-21-2009 at 7:07 pm

  24. settlers of catan! best game ever. also wizard. excellent. i’m also a monopoly fan but nobody ever wants to play it.

    posted by oldblackhen on 7-21-2009 at 7:42 pm

  25. Brick-by-Brick
    block-by-Block

    posted by Di on 7-21-2009 at 7:44 pm

  26. I love Mastermind, where you had to figure out your opponent’s combination of coloured pegs hidden behind a barrier.

    I played a game once and have since been trying to find its name. It consisted of wooden pieces, all different shapes (cones, spheres, etc.) that had to be stacked (I think?), and you didn’t want to be the one to topple the structure. Anyway, I remember thinking it was pretty cool. Does anyone know what I’m talking about?

    posted by Ranger J on 7-21-2009 at 8:06 pm

  27. Agree with Set. Best card game in a long time. Also, Quiddler from the same manufacturer. Settlers of Catan is also wonderful. I’d like to see Ticket to Ride as well.

    posted by arkansaswebb on 7-21-2009 at 10:15 pm

  28. pass the pigs
    it is a great family game, or a great game while drinking with your friends

    posted by mark on 7-21-2009 at 10:28 pm

  29. Another vote for Set.

    posted by anotherfascist on 7-21-2009 at 10:39 pm

  30. I would have to nominate Quelf, which is a fantastically hilarious game. Nothing like moving a piece named Queen Spatula, or the Platypus.

    posted by Mark on 7-21-2009 at 10:54 pm

  31. Pass the pigs is hilarious. I love that game.

    posted by Heather on 7-21-2009 at 11:12 pm

  32. I second the Quelf nomination! Very quirky and ridiculous, but very fun. My nieces and nephews also love the version for kids called Flapdoodle.

    posted by JD on 7-21-2009 at 11:31 pm

  33. Second on Shadows over Camelot, but the same company also makes a great game called Ticket to Ride. A turn only takes about ten seconds, so you’re never waiting for anything to do. Holla!

    posted by Frank on 7-22-2009 at 1:05 am

  34. SET for sure. Also Cranium. And has anyone mentioned Taboo? It is so fun.

    posted by nicole on 7-22-2009 at 1:42 am

  35. There was a game I bought when I was a youngling at a church rummage sale called Pente. It was kind of like Othello. It was very fun and very addictive. My siblings and I played no other board games that year. Tragically, the game was destroyed in a family squabble (an argument over the game actually). I found it once at a board game shop in the mall but, couldn’t afford it at the time. I would so buy this game if you started selling it.

    posted by Gil on 7-22-2009 at 1:44 am

  36. +1 for “Set” and “Quiddler” – although the manufacturer does have some other games, of equal addictiveness.

    Flossy fact – Set was derived from a project the creator was working on while working as Geneticist.

    One other vote – “Abalone” an addictive game of checkers/othello/chinese checkers/war things smashed-up into a fun marble game…. Really hard to descibe – but a blast

    posted by Justin L. on 7-22-2009 at 2:48 am

  37. Quelf! Hahahah, that is a mad game. This is the first place I have ever met anyone else who has heard of it.

    I would like to recommend Lost Cities. It is super great and designed for two people, which works out really well for my husband and me. You can also combine decks for more players, but I have never tried that.

    posted by missjoules on 7-22-2009 at 6:41 am

  38. brainquest – question cards for kids. perfect for flossers, and especially great on road trips.

    posted by nerdy mom on 7-22-2009 at 7:50 am

  39. Too many to name! Anything from the companies Days of Wonder (Ticket to Ride, Shadows over Camelot, Mystery of the Abbey, et al) or Avalon Hill (Acquire, Diplomacy, Vegas Showdown, Monsters Menace America, et al) are great, but if I have to choose a single fav it must go to…

    Arkham Horror! Players cooperatively investigate H.P. Lovecraft’s city of Arkham while fighting eldritch monsters, getting sucked into other dimensions, risking their sanity, and trying to stave off Things That Should Not Be. I don’t know any other game that executes so well on its theme.

    posted by Chris on 7-22-2009 at 10:02 am

  40. I recommend Fluxx. It’s a fast paced game where the rules and goal of the game change with every card drawn.

    posted by arae on 7-22-2009 at 10:28 am

  41. Oh, I love Quelf. I like Mrs. Picklefeather. How about Ra, its a game (obviously) that has an Egyptian theme. You try to get tiles for points to win the “epochs,” of which there are three.

    posted by Caitlyn on 7-22-2009 at 11:40 am

  42. Hey, has anyone tried Phase 10? great game. Another game that’s kind of like Rummy is 5 crowns…it does require some skill to see the sets and runs as it brings and extra suit.

    I also second Settlers of Catan, taboo and Cranium. I have yet to try the rest of the ones mentioned.

    posted by Carmen on 7-22-2009 at 12:08 pm

  43. I liked “Guess who?” the non-electric version,of course. I was in the fouth grade, and now I think the sound effects would be too distracting.

    posted by Sara in AL on 7-22-2009 at 12:22 pm

  44. Another vote for Set. It’s even a game recommended by Mensa. I have the iPhone app, too!

    posted by AmyD on 7-22-2009 at 12:50 pm

  45. I’d vote for GiftTrap. It’s an it’s an hilarious game that revolves around gift-giving, but the focus is on social exchanges – not the gifts. It won the globally recognized German Spiel Des Jahres prize for “Best Party Game 2009” as well as “Best Party Game” from Games Magazine, “Game of the Year” in France, “Best Party Game” by Creative Child Magazine, “TV2 Hjelper Deg” in Norway & “Best New Game” in Sweden.

    posted by Graeme on 7-22-2009 at 5:45 pm

  46. I vote for Amuze Amaze is loads of fun. Unlike other word games it’s knowing the small words that lets you win, so more people can play and stand a chance of winning. It’s won lots of award.

    There’s millions of play combinations.

    It’s an indiea game from
    http://hlgames.com/ who also make GoMental. They are all made in the USA.

    posted by Dembo on 7-22-2009 at 6:05 pm

  47. Forgot to mention Amuze Amaze won a Mensa Award! Wicked cool

    posted by Dembo on 7-22-2009 at 6:07 pm

  48. my kids and I have played apples to oranges and we all loved the game now they want me to get it for them for Christmas and I cant find it anywhere. Where can I find this game?

    posted by Anna on 12-7-2010 at 10:58 am

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