Qwirkle Board Game

As a mom with 6 kids of different ages, I look for games that my younger ones can play but that don't make me crazy with boredom (ie CandyLand, Chutes and Ladders) My 4 year old can only make it through 1/2 a game, the end gets too complex for him, but my 7, 10, and 12 year old boys love it, as do my in-laws and everyone else who has played it with us. I like games that only take minute to explain and start playing but that have enough strategy to keep the mind occupied.

Also at 30-45 minutes a round, it's enough of a distraction but doesn't take hours to play. The game consists of wooden tiles with 6 different shapes and colors and that's it. Very durable, my 4 year old loves to build Qwirkle castles. I recommend this game. My other favorites are Blokus, Othello and Rummikube, all the same genre, fun, easy to explain and play and yet a challenge.



Qwirkle has excellent game play and I have enjoyed playing it with friends many times (using their copies). It's a bit like Scrabble, but without the letters. However, this current production run (from China) is extremely poor and I would highly recommend waiting to purchase this game until production values have improved. The blocks sometimes have chips / gouges in them. The paint used is extremely thin and lacks glossiness. You can see the black paint under the stamped shapes. The shapes are not always centered on the block and some of the shapes are incompletely stamped (i.e. part of a star's point may be missing). I have seen versions of Qwirkle from its first production run and these are of much higher quality. Yet you pay the same price. So despite its excellent game play, I would recommend not purchasing this game until production values are vastly improved.