Prime Climb

I have two boys, ages 9 & 11 who really need to work on memorizing their math facts better, so I thought this game might help. I didn't expect it to be so strategy-based, but that's going to be a good thing. We've only played the game once, and right now my boys aren't using good strategy, and are relying heavily on addition to play the game. I can see that as they play the game with my husband and I more, they are going to see the benefits of thinking strategically and they will want to use more multiplication, division, and subtraction. The first time we played, they mostly just tried to move their pawns forward to win, but by the end they were starting to see that moving forward isn't always the best strategy. I think this game is going to be a lot of fun to play for many years to come. Because of the strategy involved, this isn't just a game to help kids learn their math facts, but a game that helps develop deeper mathematical thinking and the ability to predict several moves ahead, like in chess. My kids don't love the game yet, but I see its potential, and I think they are really going to enjoy it once they get the hang of it.On another note, I have an old board game I got when I was a kid called "X From Outer Space" made by Discovery Toys. I used to like it because of the cute little plastic pawns shaped like aliens flying spaceships and the cute space theme. (I got it around the time of the Challenger explosion, and I was very interested in outer space.) My boys have played it with me a couple of times and liked it, but all it really does is help you learn multiplication. There really isn't any strategy to it at all, so after a while it starts to get boring, and it really holds no challenge for parents, so it's a pretty short-lived family game. While I still enjoy it for kids learning their times tables, Prime Climb is really a much more interesting game and offers more room for growth .

This game is a lot of fun for our family. The strategy can range from simple to complex and in all honesty our 10 year is the master of the strategy, teaching even his math-loving mom what she could have done to better advantage, lol. For kids who have learned their basic math facts this games rewards those who do multiple mental calculations; the player determines the order of their operations using the numbers rolled to find their best advantage (and prime cards add to the mix to make it even better). We find the more we play and the experiment with various strategies, the more fun it becomes. For me, this is the mark of an excellent game; its not just an exercise of mental math facts; its an excellent game first most. Easy to learn, but there is no worries about this game being too simple for those who love math and are already successful at it. For me it was worth the expense because it is a worthy well designed.

My guy hates math with a passion. We are always opened to new ways to work on math during school (or sneak it in after). This game is great for both. The game itself is simple, be the first to move both your tokens to 101. You add, subtract, divide and multiply (your choice) your way over the board. We noticed that you usually multiply at the beginning and then add your way to the end. If you land on a prime number, you get a special card to play too. The game can be played by the whole family too! It doesn't matter if dad is a math wizard and junior is just learning the multiplication tables. The board itself helps you multiply using a color system. It takes 10 minutes per player (3 players = 30 min). It's fun, competitive and you practice your math skills. Great game!

My 6 & 8 year old are loving this game! And I enjoy playing it just as much because it’s just as engaging for an adult.They learned their times tables watching “Times Tales” videos and can practice them here.Only one star off because 2 pawns broke within 2 hours of getting the game. We hadn’t even played yet. My 4yo broke one and my Husband stepped on the other. I noticed this design was an upgrade from a previous design of regular pawns. But I’d like to suggest a redesign again with doughnut shaped pieces. Flat to the board. So they aren’t so easily broken. We play board games so often, the ability for them to hold up over time is an important factor.

Great game for helping kids understand factors and learn their multiplication/division (and addition/subtraction) facts, plus it's FUN! The part that initially drew me in for where my kids are was the color coding of the basic primes, and by extension the use of those colors to represent factors in the products. Then, it arrived and the gameplay was really fun--there are two ten sided dice and you can add, subtract, multiply or divide the number you are on by each die in turn to move. If you land on a prime you get to draw a Prime Card, which you can either use right away or save for later to benefit yourself or target an opponent, depending on whether the card is an Action card or Keeper. The first person to move both pawns to 101 wins. If you get tired of the standard rules, though, they apparently have some variations here: [...] but I have not yet tried any--looking forward to doing so after we've played through a few more times.Oh and keep in mind that it takes longer the more players there are--folks with younger kids might want to keep it to 2 or 3 players so it doesn't go so long, or modify the rules so people don't get sent back to start so often. I'm sure there are cooperative ways to play too if that's more up someone's alley, like it was for us when the kids were younger.