Games for Brains: Forbidden Island

Forbidden Island

Playing Time: 30 minutes

Players: 2-4

Overview: Forbidden Island was one of the first games I bought when I was trying to find more "adult" games to play with Xander.  It is a cooperative game, so he was able to start playing younger than other games (maybe 5?).  The premise of the game is that you're trying to capture the four treasures from an island before it sinks into the ocean.  Different characters have slightly different abilities.

Brain Value:
Since this game is played cooperatively, we were able to start playing when Xander mostly just followed directions and did what another adult or I suggested.  We talked through our reasoning and strategy, and as he gained experience, he could contribute to decision making.  We played last weekend and he pretty much played as well as any adult.  This game has a lot of trade offs.  You have a set number of actions you can take per turn, so you have to balance how you use them.  Since players can give each other cards or become stranded, being able to look around the board and consider the locations of other players is beneficial.  There's also some probability at play, when considering how likely it is that a particular location will be sink the next round.

All in all, I think this is a fun game to play with Xander or someone who is not as comfortable with more complicated board games.  It is not so simple or easy as to be boring, but it is not so complex that people are easily overwhelmed.

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