Magma Monster

My kids really enjoy this game, and truth be told, their parents don't mind playing it either. It's not a fast game, and It can drag on a little for my taste. However, my seven-year-old and five-year-old can play it pretty close to correct with little guidance. My four-year-old needs help and tends to drift a bit when it drags on. Overall though, it's another solid win from LEGO. One nice aspect of the game is its very small size which makes it perfect for car trips. My two oldest put it on the seat between them and are entertained for at least half an hour. more less

This is a very simple set, both in building and in playing, and being at the cheaper end of the range makes it ideal for younger brothers and sisters to cut their teeth on. None of that makes it bad, by any means, but it probably won't stand up to repeated playing. Games are fast and simple. There can be a problem when one player splits off from the pack, as Azul (the blue guy) did in this demonstration game, because then it simply becomes a question of rolling the die and hopping on to the new brick, plodding relentlessly and boringly across the lava. That player will likely be the target of all the bats and flame walls, as a cluster of players are quite capable of tripping each other up by laying inconvenient path bricks for each other. Keeping the group together is the best way to make the game fun. more less