Cute games for little kids aren’t the only thing HABA has to offer. For something a little more advanced, take a look at Iquazú, a game of gems and waterfalls. While still designed with kids in mind (think 8+), Iquazú has room for strategy and clever play.
Your goal is to play gems on the board and get a majority of your color in the current column, as well as each row. When you play cards, you can play sets of a single color (orange, white, or blue) and place as many gems on the board in the matching spots. At the same time, water is dripping down to fill up the first column.
When the first column is filled, you score it vertically, and then every horizontal row. Then, via a neat board component, you shift the board to the right. All the gems remain on the board, but the first column is now gone and there’s a new first column – and a new series of point values for the rows.
It’s definitely a beautiful-looking game, and has a bit more going on to keep the parents interested in the game play as well as just playing with their kids. It may not be a staple of your hobbyist group’s game night, but it is a delight to look at, and fun for a wider range of ages.
