Stringamajig and Here, Kitty, Kitty! Games Review

If you love playing games, then check out these two new games from Fireside Games.

If you like Pictionary and Charades, then you’ll like the challenge of Stringamajig. There’s a loop of string and 140 word cards. Draw a card, pick a word from that card, and then draw, move, and animate the string to get other players to guess the word. When you draw a card, look at the back of the card now showing on the deck. If you see, for instance, 1 and 4, you can only choose between the first and fourth words on your card. If a person guesses the word correctly, they earn that card. Try to get through as many words as you can before the 60-second timer runs out. Drawers score one point for every word guessed, and each guesser scores a point for every correct guess they made. Keep track of the scores on the scorepad. Each word card also has Challenge words. If you choose a challenge word, not only do you have to act it out with the string, but you might have to do it with another player, with your eyes closed, or avoiding forbidden words. Because of the extra challenge, these words are worth two points to the drawer when guessed correctly. You can also use the four blank cards to add your own favorite words! If you’re playing with four to six players, each player takes two turns as the drawer, and then the player with the most points wins. If you have seven to 10 players, each person gets one turn as the drawer before you tally up all the points to determine the winner. The game instructions provide rule reminders on the back, as well as alternate rules to change things up, depending on who you play with. This game is for ages 13 and up.

Cat lovers will enjoy playing Here, Kitty, Kitty! In this cat-collecting game, you score points for cats that are on your porch or in your house. Each player gets a property card (showing a yard, porch, and house), and the 40 cat figures get placed in the center of the table. Each player gets three cards, and the rest of the cards are placed in the center of the table next to the cats. You’ll start a discard pile next to it as cards are played. Take turns performing two actions. You can move a cat one space, play one card, or discard one to three cards. Instant cards have red borders, and they must be played the instant they are drawn. With these, you might have to pass a card to another player or move cats back to the neighborhood. Purple cards are Standard cards. These cards offer a benefit to you, such as moving two cats into your home or choosing a card from the discard pile to add to your hand. And then there are blue Defensive cards. You play these to protect against certain Standard or Instant cards, such as preventing cats from being stolen or moved. You can play the game with two to six players ages 10 and up, and depending on the number of players you have, some of the cards will be removed from gameplay. At the end of your turn, draw so that you have three cards again. When the final card is drawn, each player gets one last turn, and then you tally up your score. You get points for having cats in your house or porch, if you have five or more of the same color cat on your property, if you have one cat of each color on your property, if you have the most cats of a single color on your property, and if all the cats in your house are a single color. The player with the most points wins.