Yamslam

Played yamslam with the kids this morning. I will admit I was skeptical at first but after just a few rounds I think it is a wonderful improvement on yahtzee which was already a great "edutainment" game to play with the kids. It is not the same as Yahtzee but it does have a similar feel and some similar objectives. It is much easier to teach younger kids and to keep the attention and competitiveness of older kids.

In this game you roll a set of 5 dice three times and try to get the best combination, just like in yahtzee. However when you get your final role you choose a point value chip from the side of the board. This makes playing with younger kids easy and fun. They can keep track of their own score and have a very easy visual cue as to what they need. Since you compete for the tiles it also adds in more competition than regular yahtzee for some of the older players, once they figure out the importance of strategy and how to work the game to their advantage.

It is fairly quick to play which is also a bonus for parents, looking to get just a quick game in. You can play one on one or with a group of people. I played today with a 6 and 9 year old and both had equal amounts of fun but for different reasons. I especially like it for the younger set who can be hard to find a good easy to do game on their own. Games for 5 and 6 years olds where they feel they inherently get it and are actually competitive with older siblings and adults are hard to find. The only time age becomes an issue is during point counting where you can easily assist younger kids and show them how to add up point values to equal 100 at a time to make it easier.

Might make a nice addition for Easter if you are looking for a last minute game for the family.