The fun starts immediately as kids set up the 3-D game board, stacking boxes at different levels for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to traverse through the maze-like warehouse. An excellent introduction to strategy games, Clash Alley has many options to enhance the turtle’s success as they run, climb and leap to race to complete their mission, uncovering the card to rescue April, retrieve the AI chip, grab the Mutagen or even pick up a pizza! Earning and playing Action cards are the key to successful travel across the board as your turtle can team up to battle villains–Kraag, powerful mutants and even Shredder–to collect Spy cards to peak under a mission card, Swipe card to steal a card from another player, or Team Up which allows two turtles to combine attack points to overcome a villain. The directions take a little time to understand but once kids got them, they couldn’t get enough of this game. Because of the many levels of strategy there was much chatter as kids discussed strategy, advised each other, collaborated on attacks and got into the pretend play of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ missions. Even though players were competing, there was a atmosphere of camaraderie as they battled the villains. The language of math prevails as kids help each other add up attack points, discuss greater and less than and help each other with strategy. After an hour of play with two 8 year-olds, they chanted, “Again! Again!” They couldn’t get enough of the fun, exercising their minds too.
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