Hide and Eek! A Board Game for the Whole Family!

By: Jenna Duetzmann, staff writer

So, what do screeching, grabbing, laughter, and Math have in common? Why, family fun, of course! That is, if you’re playing Gamewright’s fabulous board game Hide and Eek!

This was the best addition to our Family Game Night collection in a long while. Here is a brief description from the game developer:

One hundred giant elephants are running amok, but one tiny mouse has got their number! Roll the dice and move the mouse around the board, searching high and low for elephants that are either higher or lower than the number on your card. If you spot a mouse hiding on a card, shout “Eeek!” and grab the mouse figurine before it scampers away! You’ll need to have a memory like an elephant and be quick as a mouse to win!

The game is designed for 2 to 6 players ages 8 and up; but we think it is easily playable by a number savvy 6 year old with basic understanding of simple Math concepts. The players need to know counting, number sequencing, and understand the concept of even and odd numbers. In addition to reinforcing Math skills, the game also helps children with hand eye coordination and visual discrimination.

But who cares about the learning if the game isn’t fun, right? Well, the good news is that it’s a lot of fun, for both adults and kids. The drawings on the cards are super cute and the tiny ‘hidden’ mice are sometimes obvious enough for kids to spot and sometimes difficult for everyone to spot, making that aspect of the game a fair challenge. The mouse figurine is a great little tool that adds some physical challenge to the game for the kinesthetic folks. Best of all, the gameplay is quick (about 15 minutes), which enables you to play more than one game, giving many the opportunity to win. After all, it’s important to avoid those unsportsmanlike tantrums from our littlest players.

Overall, at a price point of $13.99, we think that this is a great little game to add to your family’s collection.