Review on "The Kids of Carcassonne"

Ok, I've got a 6 month old (Aubrielle), 2 year old (Oceane) and just about 5 year old (Laura). All girls...

If any of you have young kids, you should check this game out for them.

It's "The Kids of Carcassonne", I heard of this game from The D6 Generation podcast when they talked about recommended games for kids. This game wasn't reviewed but I've been trying to get a couple of the other games they were talking about and couldn't find one, but I've been itching to play something with the girls that wasn't shoots and ladders or candy land.

Just to get this out of the way, I've never played Carcassonne, but after getting this kids version, my wife is interested in trying it (so an I).

Link to Rio Grande Games
http://www.riograndegames.com/games.html?id=313]

The game is for Kids 4 and up (My two year old is getting a kick out of it too)
2-4 players
-no dice or no cards

36 heavy card stock (about 2.5mm)
32 wooden bonhommes (larger than the regular bonhommes from the Carcassonne game)

The object of the game is to take turns placing tiles and try and connect roads that have your coloured bonhommes and be the first to place eight guys on the tiles.

And that's pretty much it.

The first game I played was with my wife, Laura, Oceane and myself. This game was pretty much, get the concept of placing tiles, taking your turn and placing guys on the board.

By game three, Laura is carefully looking over the playing area and trying to close off roads that have her coloured bonhommes on. Oceane is having fun with placing tiles (any tile can go anywhere) and placing guys on the board once Laura, my wife or I tell her too. And my wife and I are blocking each other with every turn we get.

I got this game last week, and we've been playing it almost every night since then. Sometimes the four of us, and sometimes just me and the girls (Aubrielle still a little too young :P ). I've also not been pulling punches with Laura in this game ether, she really gets it and understands what to do to win. She not playing to try and block, but closing off roads and thinking two or three moves ahead. And she has kicked my ass a few times.

In conclusion, I recommend this game for anyone who has a kid(s) at almost any age above 3 or 4, and like me, if you have a kid that is under that, you can still include them in the game with the older kid(s).