Thames & Kosmos Ingenious | Ultimate Family Strategy Game | 1 – 4 Players | Spiel Des Jahres-Nominated | Fun Abstract Tile Laying | Winner Golden Geek Award, Red, Standard (696116)

The designer of this game has created many great games. It's odd to see a game that has no real thematic element is his portfolio. This game looks like a scrabble-type of game. How tough can that be? Well, looks can be deceiving. You can explain this game in a matter of minutes but once you start playing and seeing how your opponents' pieces change the ever-growing board landscape, things get a little "sticky".The scoring element is interesting - you need to monitor ALL of your scores, not just a few. Your final score is actually the lowest of the six different scores that you will keep track of throughout the game.Clever opponents will see what color you need to improve and might start to cut that color off by blocking it from the board. So, there are several things that you have to watch out for as you place tiles "scrabble style" and draw new ones each turn.This is not a filler game. It can take upwards of 45 minutes with 4 players. But it's fun when you play a strategy game with a short rule set and no theme to distract you from what is ultimately going on. It's a great change of pace from many games out there today. I highly recommend it!

Our whole family loves this game including my 9 year old granddaughter. Love that it can be played with only two people as a dual and I believe it can be played solo.

Each of our family members enjoys different types of games, but Ingenious is one we all love to play. Easy to set up and explain, we pull this out when we want to get straight to playing. It is surprising to see who ends up winning, which has been our 7 year old on more than one occasion!This edition features plastic tiles and a peg board for keeping track. While I miss the wooden cubes, this new system prevents the inevitable loss of where one is at on their scoreboard when you would bump the cubes from their places. Personally, I would love to see a tray in which the wooden cubes are set in and held in place. But this peg system definitely works better than the original.Ingenious may not have fancy artwork or amazing mechs, but the simple (and yet strategic) gameplay has you forget about that. It is great fun for experienced and new gamers alike. 5 stars!

The game is part dominos and part Scrabble. The rules are easy to understand. The tiles are sturdy, for plastic, and the storage pouch is very nice. The game can be played on a few levels, although it’s not in the same league as chess. My 7-year old granddaughter figured out the strategy quickly. I was continually distracted by the desire to work a puzzle. A pleasant family pastime; even the 3-year old could play puzzle style.

Easy to learn and hard to master. Highly recommended!!

This game is easy to learn and fun. Game is sturdy and well made. I taught my grandkids to play it 6 and 8 years old, we were laughing in no time. We had several good evenings of fun with them. It doesn't stop there, adults can have fun and play a tougher game with thought and serious strategy. So you don't want to debate about politics but need something to do together? Here you go have fun outsmarting other players and drinking if you like. Have fun playing, we do. =)

This game is pretty fun and well made. All the pieces seem solid and they are made out of plastic. The concept of the game is great, I’ve seen a few with the same idea but this one sets itself apart with replay ability. I’ve only played the 3 player version so far but it was very fun and I look forward to playing the 1 person “solitaire” version next.

This game is very good BUT the scoreboard components are practically unusable. The pegs are EXTREMELY difficult to push into the holes and even harder to get out. I rarely write a bad review but I’d definitely stay away from this game. Returning it tomorrow.