Games: Ages 9 and up
Ice Lake
Created by: Live Oak Games
For more information or to order: www.liveoakgames.com

Ready to spice up family game night with a quick fun game?  We have really enjoyed our copy of Ice Lake, which was sent to us to review by Live Oak Games.  On the surface, it seems to be very simple - plan your moves, then execute them one at a time as play progresses around the table.  The only problem is…what if another skater (player) has planned moves that cause you to be surrounded by cracked ice or you find yourself about to collide as another player is playing their preplanned moves?  It's enough to give you goose bumps..brrr!  If you end up surrounded by cracks in the ice, well, let's just say you're on "thin ice" and that's not safe so you're out of the game!

The playing surface is a shiny board illustrated with a winter white lake and snowy banks.  The lake is made up of hexagon spaces.  Each player uses the dry erase markers included to secretly write their planned moves - as many as they choose - on their own reusable "notepad".  Then each player takes turns executing those moves one at a time.  When everyone has taken his or her planned moves, it's time to plan again.  When you move your playing piece across the hexagon spaces, you use your dry erase marker to mark your path.  Soon the game board is filled with lines or "cracks" each skater has created.  The last one left skating is the winner!  There is a fair amount of strategy involved and we did have to learn not to plan too many moves in advance.  My youngest son found using the marker on his wipe-off notepad a bit challenging since the letters smear so easily, so we elected to use scratch paper instead. 

If you're looking for a different kind of board game to add to your family game night repertoire, you might want to give Ice Lake a try!  The Live Oak Games website listed above has lots of helpful information to help you decide if Ice Lake is right for your family.

Making the grade: A
Cost: $20.00
Value for your homeschool dollar: 9
Reviewed by Cindy Prechtel, Editor