I've grown up with the video game generation and have never really been able to stay focused or entertained with most table top games like Monopoly or Scrabble. Maybe I'm just a little impatient with my games, but I never liked waiting for everyone else to finish taking their turns. I'd rather just cut the game short and be done with it most of the time. So last Christmas time, when my mom suggested me and my brothers all play a game called Bananagrams with her, I was skeptical about the "fun" that she was raving we'd have together.
My Mom had played Bananagrams a few weeks ago with her sisters and they were all hooked on it now. So she bought us our own Bananagram word game to play while we were all home for the holidays. The four of us sat around the table and then unzipped the little banana-shaped pouch and poured out all of the144 little tiles into a pile in the center of the table. The tiles must then be placed face down and this group of tiles in the center is referred to as the "BUNCH."
Then the game began! A player says "SPLIT" and all the players turn their tiles face-up and begin to form their own individual group of intersecting words. Nobody has to wait turns for other players. This was a surprising change for me. I could make my own words and the game action was non-stop! The words may be horizontal or vertical, reading left to right or top down like a crossword puzzle, and each player can order their new words, whenever they want.
If a player has left nothing of its original character, player says "peel" and take a stone from the pile. At this point, all other players must also be a card from the pile and add your collection of letters. This is part of what makes the game exciting in the race to create tiles with all your words before you are forced to peelmore tiles from the bunch.
Also, at any time and as often as desired during the game, a player may return a difficult-to-use letter back to the center of the bunch, face down, but must take three letters in return. The player must declare this action to the other players by saying "DUMP". This exchange doesn't affect the other players though.
The first player with no remaining letters shouts "BANANAS" and is the winner of that game. Each game can be played in as little as five minutes or for much longer depending on the number of players and their abilities.
In the end, we all played about ten games in that first sitting and we were all really pleased with Bananagrams! It looks simple, just being a banana-shaped pouch with some tiles, but it's really a fun game that challenges you to think. It's a great game but also a great educational tool too. I think all age groups will enjoy this game and it's a wonderful way to spend some quality time with friends and family.
The Bananagrams game has won several awards and has received high reviews from everyone from toy stores to schools. There's even a Facebook application for the game. It's also a really great game for travel since it's so portable and small. If you're looking for some addicting fun for the whole family or just a little stress relief from your busy life, then go do yourself a favor and invest in a Bananagram for instant entertainment!
By Alex Sumerall
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