Rattlesnake Jake and Banana Blast Games Review

Goliath Games has mastered the element of suspense in kids’ games. Beware of striking snakes in Rattlesnake Jake and jumping monkeys in Banana Blast.

Rattlesnake Jake comes with a battery-operated snake wearing a cowboy hat, a double-sided fate coin, and 16 gold nuggets. The object of the game is to get the most gold nuggets. Players take turns stealing one gold nugget at a time from Jake. If a player’s feeling brave, she can flip the Fate Coin for a chance to grab a second nugget. If the coin lands on a nugget, the player can steal a second nugget, and even flip the coin again for a chance at a third nugget. But if the coin lands on the crossed nugget side, the turn is over and that player must give back a nugget. This all sounds easy, except you never know when Jake will strike, and if he jumps forward on your turn, you must return half of your nuggets to Jake’s pile. Reset Jake and keep playing until all the gold nuggets are gone. The player who has the most wins.

Banana Blast includes Banana Joe the jumping monkey, a banana tree, 12 bananas, a die, and a sticker sheet for the die. The object of this game is to collect the most bananas. Players take turns rolling the die and doing what the die says. If you land on one banana, pick one banana from the tree. If you roll two bananas, pick two bananas from the tree. If you roll the banana wrapped in a bow, give a banana to any other player. And if you roll the monkey’s hand holding a banana, that means you steal a banana from any other player. Stay alert because Banana Joe can jump from the tree at any moment, and if you catch the monkey, you get to steal two bananas. When the monkey jumps, the game is over, and players count up their bananas to see who won.