Triviathon

My family loves games.  Once in awhile, a game comes along that just stands out above the rest.  Triviathon is one such game.  I was introduced to Triviathon by a friend, and was thrilled when it arrived in the mail yesterday and we had a chance to sit down and try it out for ourselves.  Though the box says that it's for ages 8-128, even 3 year old Ian was able to "play" this game! 



The byline for the Triviathon game is "the trivia game where you can compete and win without ever knowing the answer to a question" (hence the reason that Ian can not only play this one, but win it too!)  There are 3 different types of questions that make up the game cards - how many spaces do you want to move? (2 types) and to what colored space do you want to move?  Here's an example of one of the cards (taken from the website):

How many spaces do you want to move?

A. The number of countries that border the Sargasso Sea

B. The number of hearts in an octopus

C. The number of people named Oscar to have ever won an Oscar

D. The number of dogs that survived the Titanic



You can only move 1, 2, or 3 spaces (or 0, and stay where you are).  Of course, you want to move the most spaces (as the object is to make it around the board first).  So, which one would you choose?



The questions are fun; and, while they do require some thought, they can also be answered "off the top of your head" and still get you a good move on the game board.  In addition to the cards, though, there is also fun to be found in the playing pieces.  This game actually comes with 12 playing pieces (which I find a wonderful asset - most games require you to play in teams if you have more than 4-6 players).  Each playing piece is a different color, and each one has a name/personality - such as The Flirt, The Whiz, or The Bully (you can find out more about each character here).  Each character comes with a card that explains its personality trait, and a special "move" that the character is allowed to make throughout the game.  We haven't used these special moves yet, as we're still adjusting to the game itself; but I think they will be a fun addition to the game and would make Triviathon hilarious to play at a party.  (You can also create your own character).



Triviathon was invented by the Herbert Brothers, whose Doritos ad gained the distinction of "#1 Super Bowl Commercial of 2009". I'm impressed, as this is a game that definitely required much thought, time, and research in order to create it. The game sells for $29.99 and is, in my opinion, well worth that price. It will pay for itself in fun in no time! It can be purchased from the Triviathon Online Store or at Amazon.com.



Though I think that Triviathon would make a fabulous Christmas gift, it's too late for Christmas delivery now.  However, there is plenty of time to get Triviathon to you before New Years Eve!  I'm sure your friends will thank you for it! 



Oh, and did I mention that we had almost as much fun reading the box and the directions as we did playing the game?! 

NOTE: I received Triviathon for free in exchange for sharing my honest thoughts about the game.  These results and thoughts are mine, and may or may not be typical (though I can't imagine not liking this game!)