#93: Cariboo

Cariboo

• designer: Forrest-Pruzan Creative
• publisher: Cranium
• date: 1998
• BoardGameGeek rank/rating: 1624/6.4
• age: 3+
• # of players: 2-4
• print status: in print
• cost: $14.99 (Target.com)

More toy than game, Cariboo is a (mostly) sturdy piece of play equipment that manages to be both educational & fun. And, if you're willing to set your brain power on "dim", it's not a bad little cooperative game.

Players begin by "seeding" the balls into the board through the holes at the top... then take turns flipping over a card and finding a door with the matching element: color, shape, number or first letter. (More recent editions of the game have "advanced" sets of doors & cards, which would be nice. We don't have that.)

The player uses the "key" to pop open the door... and then checks to see if a ball is hiding beneath. If it is, the ball is removed (parent warning: kid fingers work better than adult fingers) and placed another hole to the side of the board. When all of the balls are found, the pressure from putting the last ball ends opens up the treasure chest... which, btw, both of my kids have loved. In fact, from about age 2 1/2 until age 4, this has been a favorite of both my boys.

You can play it "competitively" - in other words, whoever finds the last ball "wins" - but it's really a great game for a parent to play with a young child or for two kids to play together cooperatively.