Cranium Cariboo - A Magical Treasure Hunt Game Reviews

• Great game for everyone

  
  By A1JDFHPTAURYU6 on 2007-10-04
  We got this game for our 4 year old daughter, but the whole family loves to play it, even our 2 year old. It's a pretty durable toy. I would say that the only "issue" is that you can cheat by peeking in the holes to see where the balls are, but that's not really a big deal. The kids just love winning and getting the big jewel in the treasure chest. I would recommend it to anyone. It's good for color identification (for the little ones) and letter identification for the older kids.
  
  

• Great fun but not exactly preschooler-proof

  
  By A1HBC0NBQJHT7X on 2008-03-03
  I purchased this game for my 4-year-old daughter because it looked so cool and because it struck me as more educational than some of the other games from which she was choosing. It was ultimately a great choice because my daughter adores it and wants to play it endlessly. It's enjoyable enough that my husband and I don't mind playing it with her (as opposed to Chutes and Ladders, which I loved as a kid but have discovered is deathly boring for adults).
  
  As an educational toy I give it high marks. There are two degrees of difficulty so the game is customizable. Reading is not necessary but the game may help children begin to learn some words. Instead, the game relies on color matching, alphabetical recognition (letters A-C for the easier game play and all 26 letters for the more challenging), and quantity recognition (if a number card is drawn, the player must pick a door with a corresponding quantity).
  
  As a fun toy, it also gets high marks. The brightly colored balls are fun to look at and fun to slip into the "stream". My daughter also enjoys using the key to "unlock" the doors that she chooses and we both enjoy sliding the final ball into the "stream" to unlock the treasure chest.
  
  The biggest weak point of this game are the cards, both those that go on the doors and those that are drawn during gameplay. They are simply not durable enough and after having only owned this game for about a week, one of the door cards has a hole that was punched in it when my daughter jabbed it with the key while trying to show me which card she was speaking of and a good many of the cards in the deck are bent. Though this has offered me the opportunity to discuss with my daughter why it's important that she take care of her things, I would have liked the cards to be much sturdier than they are. That said, it won't stop me from buying another Cranium game for my daughter.
  
  

• Fun, but could be constructed better

  
  By A1PORFY8S17FYY on 2008-01-18
  Likes: My 3-year-old got this right away and really liked playing. Much easier instructions for her to understand than even stuff like Candyland, Chutes & Ladders, etc. Educational -- helps with letter, number and color recognition. Instead of one winner, everyone works together to open the "treasure."
  
  Dislikes: The many parts and the way it was constructed stressed me out -- cards kept falling inside the game -- if you lose one ball you can't play at all (the treasure box won't open upon winning). Although it's fun and educational, didn't hold her attention for long (although what does?)
  
  

• A good game for my 3 year old

  
  By A1CBDUTZ2UN74C on 2008-01-03
  Out of the box this game was easy to learn with minimal reading. Those with small children understand how much torture it is for someone to spend forever trying to read the directions to a fun new game while they're waiting to play. The lid to the box has a clear plastic sheeting over it which came loose right away, making it prone to losing pieces. My son learned within 30 minutes how to cheat at the game by looking in the open doors to find where the balls are. It's also kind of difficult to get the balls placed sometimes, and you end up with 2 in one door. Overall though, he does enjoy playing the game and it's something that is easy for him to play with my visually impaired brother with.
  
  

• My 3 year old loves this game

  
  By AIVPSUX9WRRYD on 2008-02-24
  My 3-year old son received this game for Christmas and it was an instant hit. It is an enjoyable, fast-paced game that the entire family can enjoy. In fact, the first people to play the game with him were his grandparents. I like that there are 2 playing levels, "Beginners" and "Advanced". We're still using the Beginners cards right now, but it's nice to know that the Advanced cards are waiting for us when we outgrow the earlier stage.
  
  This game promotes letter recognition, color recognition, basic object counting and turn taking. It's a great game to play at playdates as all of the children can easily learn how to play right away.
  
  The only problem I've had with this game is that one of the cards comes loose every time we play and it is already a little ripped and bent. All in all, the game is constructed well given that it is played by an active 3-year old boy on a daily basis. BUT, I wanted to mention this as part of my review.
  
  All in all, it's a great game and my son loves to play with it. We've given it as a gift already and I will continue to consider this game when choosing gifts for other preschoolers.
  
  
• Great for preschoolers, kindergarteners and children with developmental delays
  By A1SAG75SMVU2TI on 2007-12-23
  I'm a speech pathologist and I have played this game countless times with various children in group and individual settings. While simple and easy for children to learn, it encourages social skill development, especially when an adult is playing to provide a model and encourage language skills. This game works for preschoolers that are learning how to attend to structured activities by encouraging sitting and listening as well as kindergarten-aged children and is also appropriate for children displaying delays in development. Children on my caseload request this game frequently (who can resist trying to open the treasure to see the purple jewel?). I consider this purchase money well spent!
  
  
• Great Toy, But a Tad Flimsy
  By A2L6ISCHBGD6NG on 2007-12-28
  My 4 year old got this for Christmas and loves it! Very good at teaching preschoolers how to take turns, and how to match colors, numbers and shapes. The doors on the game are pretty flimsy though. Also, lots of small pieces to get lost. But a great game for a preschooler.
  
  
• cranium cariboo - great game
  By AEMKX3W88U7WU on 2008-01-02
  I purchased this for my four year old for Christmas. We have played it many times since. She loves it!!! Her seven year old brother really enjoys it as well. It perfectly combines an educational experience in a fun game format. The only fault I find with the game is that the balls do not "roll" into place as the directions indicate, and I usually have to manually place them. If I don't, there are always a few that are free floating, and that kind of ruins the game. I'm sure this design flaw could be fixed, and that would make it the perfect game. Despite this, I find it one of the better games that we own, and I would highly recommend it.
  
  
• Fun Fun Fun...
  By A1OD9ZHYGAU1KD on 2008-01-09
  We got this for our three year old for Christmas and he loves it. He wants to play everyday. Even our 6 year old likes to play although the beginner side is to easy for him and he peeks to see where the balls are. I highly recommend this game to anyone with young children. It's alot of fun.
  
  
• Another thought on durability
  By A3A15TKMBHN85S on 2008-03-30
  Since so much has already been written on this game, I'll add my two cents. I agree with everyone that this is a great game, both my 3&4 year old sons love it. However, the younger son easily broke the clasp on the treasure chest when I wasn't looking and now the game is useless. The treasure chest won't stay closed. I'm not sure its worth it to buy another one and try to keep a very close watch to see that they don't break it.
  
  
• Fun for everyone
  By A2BRAVOAYRHDVR on 2008-04-04
  We got this for my son's 4th birthday and today we played it with a 3 year old neighbor boy and both boys understood the game right away and we had lots of fun. We played several games. The game goes quickly so if you're not a big game player or only have time for one game, this game is the one for you. However, as the adult, I also had fun and enjoyed watching the boys guess the correct answers pertaining to their colors, numbers, letters or shapes. I'm thinking of buying this game for the 3 year old as his birthday is next week and he really enjoyed it.
  
  
• A Really Cheaply-Made Game That Is Completely Uninspiring
  By A2GAXCOU9I1XW8 on 2008-05-03
  My daughter got this as a birthday present. It seems like a waste of money to me. There are so many more interesting and inspiring games to play that involves colors and numbers. This one didn't even pass the 2 week test for my four-year-old. And no adult in our house would honestly want to play it. School Zone's cute Crazy Eights card game for $[...] is a better bet for a game with two play options. Or have some real family fun with Orchard or Selecta Piccobello Laundry Game or Corso Cannelloni. Those all get 5-star recommendations.
  
  
• Great game!
  By ALZESEVISWATN on 2008-05-24
  My daughter received this game for her 3rd birthday and she loves it! It teaches or reinforces many concepts: letter recognition, counting, shapes, colors, turn taking and memory. Great game!
  
  
• Great game as can be expected from Crainum
  By A2W9C1WHTPQ3YG on 2008-05-30
  This game is so great! My 3 year old and 1 year old can play it together with very little help. And that is just with the beginner card deck. We haven't opened the advanced card deck but I sure the game will grow with my kids. So creative and fun!
  
  
• Great way to introduce little ones to games!
  By A3W14AGDGJJ1NJ on 2008-07-10
  This is a great product. Plays faster and has more immediate awards (finding the balls)than games such as candyland and chutes and ladders. My kids started playing this very young (18 months) when other games were beyond them. They quickly get the idea of opening the doors even if they needed help with what door matched the card. My oldest is 4 now and loves playing by himself. He still gets a kick out of the opening treasure chest. Others have complained of the durability of the cards, which hasn't been much of a problem with us, but I would have liked a slot built into the game to hold them. I'm a bit of a gameaholic and I'm thrilled there are games like this that get my kids excited about games this early!
  
  

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