| User | Rating | Min. Age | Adults Too | Comment |
| boltongeordie | 10 | 8 | Yes | I would never recommend a dry adult game for kids. Fortunately this is anything but dry. Cool, dayglo minis, secret missions, a great board. Highly recommended. |
| Mark | 10 | 8 | Yes | Fun sci fi fighting game. Lots of dice-rolling. |
| Matt Loter | 10 | 8 | Yes | Perfect blend of simple mechanics with the possibility for more complex strategy. Totally awesome theme and bits make this impossible to resist. |
| mawiker | 10 | 7 | Yes | |
| The Unbeliever | 10 | 7 | Yes | Reading required. My girls love the bug game and request it often. |
| akambe | 9 | 9 | Yes | My kids kick my butt at this game, but it's fun to play with them. The mine tiles that are hidden at the first give a lot of incentive to expand and explore the first few turns, which is a refreshing change from the slow starts of most other strategic games. The placement of which characters can operate (and how) on which tiles) is logical and easy to remember. The secret missions add a good surprise to game play. The dragons may be a little too powerful, IMO, but it gives the players a mega unit to save and strive for. The board isn't so huge and unweildly that it's difficult to reach, and the random nature of the tile placements make each game unique. Because it's gone out of print, I got it on clearance for only $10 and it's one of the best game buys I've ever made. One of my kids wants to buy an additional set to make a larger board. Excellent game, great recommendation from a friend.
One suggested improvement: fold-to-assemble towers or objects in these games inevitably get torn, crushed, or worn out, as I can see this monolith doing. Although you can use an empty pop can as a substitute, I'd suggest they make a short, more durable, solid-piece plastic monolith, one with more room at the top for a swarm of creatures. |
| Merkle | 9 | 10 | Yes | Not too long and fun dice rolling with cards. Boys 10 and older should have a blast. Its close enough to Risk (though very different) that it should be fairly easy to explain (esp if they've ever played a game with victory points like Settlers of Catan). That said, the rules are more intimidating than the run of the mill board game....but boys in particular will like it! |
| pikkusiili2000 | 9 | 10 | Yes | |
| talhoffer | 9 | 9 | Yes | Awesome sci-fi themed wargame. The same sorta feel as Risk with out the extremely long playing time and monotonous game play. One of my all time favorites!!! |
| tbaker | 9 | 10 | Yes | If you want to avoid interminable Risk games this one offers better combat, more choices, and much more fun in a much shorter playing time. The components are great, it plays well with two and even better with three, and there are some equzlizing mechanisms that help players make comebacks if they get clobbered early on. |
| clandaith | 8 | 8 | Some | |
| heinzy57 | 8 | 8 | Yes | The rules are simple and it's a very fast moving game, as long as players aren't turtling. I don't see this being problem with most kids. But it's the bits, in my opinion, that help this game from a kid's perspective. The bits make this a game that my three year old frequently asks me to get off the self just so that he can play with it. I don't think I'll have any problem teaching him the game in 4 or five years. |
| Norwood | 8 | 9 | Yes | This is a really good, simple war game akin to Risk but with far fewer problems. There is an element of exploration and resource management, but in general it comes down to deciding which battles to fight in order to get the victory points necessary to win. The board (a series of hexagonal tiles you assemble) and bits (especially the colorful little plastic unit figures) are very attractive and easy to differentiate. Game play is simple and children perhaps even younger than 9 can understand its basics, but the bigger problem seems to be attention span. While the game is fast-paced and eye-catching, there is an element of downtime involved especially in a 4-player game. But definitely for older children and teens, this game can't be beat! |
| shawndumas | 8 | 10 | Yes | Only for the smartest and most focused of pre-teens. Teens will have no trouble and are likely to enjoy. No half naked women, gore, cursing, or morbidity. |
| sigmazero13 | 8 | 9 | Yes | A great game, pretty simple to learn. Not for the youngest of kids (and has lots of tiny bits, so keep away from VERY young kids), but the cool factor of the game, combined with the relative ease of the rules will make this good for them.
A decent level of reading is required, due to the secret objective and energize cards. Nothing super complicated, but enough that you need to be able to read. |
| TGov | 8 | 9 | Yes | Give it an 8 for no other reason than the kids love the bugs! It really isn't that complex of a game, it just sounds daunting. Teaching it is easy. |
| artfuldodge2 | 7 | 10 | Yes | The older the child the more they'll enjoy this game. Not tons of strategy, but enough to keep track of that the older the child the more fun they'll have. |
| chance | 7 | 6 | Yes | The older the child, the more they will get out of this game. However, its easy enough for some 6 year olds. Others it may be too long. Some aspects are hard for younger kids to pick up, particularly reading the cards, but when it comes to simply building dragons and breathing fire, they like it. |
| laraberrycross | 6 | 8 | Yes | Fun theme. Not the most exciting gameplay, but it's a lot shorter than Risk. |
| guantanamo | 5 | 10 | Yes | |