Review of Gigamons - a Game for Family Time

When I first opened Gigamons (from Blue Orange) I thought "Oh it's just a fancier variation of the game of Concentration" I was wrong! It is much more than that.

Yes, Gigamons is a game of memory. But it's also a game that engages our imaginations. The colours and designs are extremely well done and compelling.

My 5 year old grandson loved the Elemons - creatures who have magical powers that are only released when a pair of matching Elemons are put together. Different Elemons have different powers which give whoever holds them a special advantage throughout the whole game. 

Finding three Elemons that are identical allows you to take the matching Gigamon. Three Gigamons and you win the game.

Each player in turn reveals two Elemons on the play area (a 3x3 square of Elemons whose faces we cannot see until they are turned over). If they match, that player takes them. If they do not match, they are turned over again and everyone tries to remember where thy were.

Thankfully there is a reference card that lists each Elemon and its powers or I'd have been lost! The creativity in this game is of high calibre and the visual appeal is very good. Rules are easy to learn, and presented in a colourful fold-out brochure that is somewhat like reading a children's book.

Gigamons is for ages 6 and up, and 2 to 4 players can play together. It's a perfect game for grandparents with a couple of grandchildren, or a family of 4. I loved this game for bonding time with my grandchildren. We played, we laughed, and I talked to them about my grandmother, comparing the kinds of games she would have played and games such as Gigamons. Their great-grandmother comes alive for them as a real person, not just a name on a chart.

There is so much you can discuss education-wise:  problem solving, decision making, planning, tricks for remembering what Elemon was turned over (and where) and so on.

What could be better than combing fun, bonding time with your children or grandchildren, education and yes - genealogy!

Contents:

• 7 Gigamon Figures
• 42 Elemon Tiles
• 3 Rock Tokens
• 4 Reference Cards
• Illustrated Rules

I give this game a 9 out of 10. My 5 year old grandson rates it a "mega TEN!"  

Disclaimer: I was given a free game for review purposes.