5.0 out of 5 stars A children-friendly and travel-version of Pandemic

A.J. · 7 April 2012

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Co-operative games are becoming a favourite in our household. We have Pandemic - Game in English (in my opinion one of the greatest of all board games) which I play with adults, not with our children who are aged 5 and 7. The first co-op game the children played was Castle Panic Board Game, which is a great game, and it was almost played every day: TV was forgotten, troll slaying was in! Then we got Castle Panic: The Wizards Tower, a brilliant expansion for Castle Panic, but one that in a strange way left Castle Panic in the cupboard unplayed. The main reason for this was that the new Wizard cards required reading, and the 5 year old, as a result, lost interest. It was difficult to revert to the original version as it was so basic by contrast. Plus, Castle Panic can easily go on for over an hour, and during the game the children will say "I want to do something else" and off they go.Enter Forbidden Island. Reading all the other reviews I'm sure you'll get an idea of what the game is about. A game takes about 30 mins, so it's easy to sneak a game in before bed time. The game doesn't rely on reading, with cards having pictures that says it all, so even the 5 year old can shout out "Sandbags!" or "Airlift!" or feel dismay when drawing a Water Rise card. The adventurer roles also capture the imagination of the younger players (with perhaps the exception of the Navigator, whose ability to move other players is a bit more subtle), whether it be a diver, a pilot, or Explorer. The treasure figurines also look good, and help to the atmosphere that you're risking your lives to get something truly valuable. For me, the genius of the game comes from setting up the tiles to form the island, so that the layout is never the same. What's more, you can alter the shape of the island (check out the variant rules on the Forum website) which alters the difficulty of play.In Pandemic (by the same author) which has notable similarities, you win when you cure all 4 diseases. What is different with Forbidden Island is once you gain all 4 treaures, all players still have to get to the helipad, known as Fool's Landing, and use the Airlift card to claim victory. This adds a sense of complete closure to the game, and also added tension as there are still oppurtunities to loose before everyone is lifted to safety.And full marks for presentation. The game comes in a tin box with well presented instructions, and is easy to take around. I wouldn't take Pandemic on a camping trip, for instance, as there are quite a few little pieces to loose. Forbidden Island, on the other hand, is easier to fit in a suitcase and is more durable.In a few years time, I'm sure the children will get back to Castle Panic and be able to play the whole game in a single setting, and when they reach 10, I will introduce Pandemic to them. As for now, Forbidden Island is all the rage. The suggested age of 10+ is a bit high. My 7 year old daughter has easily grasped the concept and tactics, and is able to make her own suggestions, and I think could play this game with children of a simlar age. The 5 year does need adult supervision.Overall, excellent! A very good introduction to co-op games for any age. For adults though, I thouroughly recommend Pandemic.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun: a well-crafted collaborative game that works brilliantly with youngsters

B.S. · 25 January 2019

This was a Christmas present for my nine year old son. I had played it before and though he would like it, but I was surprised to see how easily his younger brother, my seven year old son, picked it up.The game play is actually very simple with players competing against the storm that moves around the board burying locations deeper under the sand. All players win or lose as a team, with the team losing if the storm becomes too ferocious, the board gets buried in sand or any of the team dies of thirst.Each player has different abilities to help them discover pieces of the flying machine you need to escape. Combining this with the desert constantly shifting and items in random locations, each game feels different to keep it fresh each time.What has impressed me most is how well balanced the game is. The difficulty level of the game can be varied nicely, by simply changing the strength that the storm starts at. All the different characters feel nicely balanced too, with distinct strengths, none of which are too insignificant or too powerful. Most importantly, they are sufficiently different to encourage the players to adopt unique roles within the team.The game is driven by collaboration, with the storm taking a go for every player's. If players don't work together, the team will fail quickly due to dying of thirst. If they don't utilise their unique individual strengths for the benefit of everyone, the storm will usually overwhelm them before they escape.If you've not tried a collaborative game before, this is a great one to start with.I can thoroughly recommend it for younger players too. The fundamentals of the rules are easy to grasp. The instructions are well-written and most eventualities are covered. But there will never be an argument as everyone is on the same side. And when someone loses a game, there is no-one who has won to wind them up.Perfect for competitive siblings!

Excellent jeu de plateau coopératif avec du challenge et très beau!

s. · 20 June 2020

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Tout d'abord ce jeu est très joli et d'excellente facture. Le jeu est fourni dans une boite métallique, contenant des dalles épaisses pour jouer, les cartes et la réglette du niveau d'eau en carton sont aussi d'excellente qualité et il y a également des figurines pour les trésors. Les pions sont en bois. Un manuel d'instruction illustré est livré avec et il est très clair.Le jeu lui-même est de type coopératif: on joue ensemble contre le jeu pour essayer de gagner. Chaque joueur a des pouvoirs spéciaux. Si un seul des joueurs tombe à l'eau, c'est perdu pour toute l'équipe. Je ne vais pas spoiler comment le jeu fonctionne, mais il est pas facile du tout, même au niveau le plus facile, on peut perdre lors des premières parties! Et il y a plusieurs niveaux de difficultés, je n'ai pas encore été plus haut mais j'imagine à quel point les parties doivent être endiablées! C'est l'un des rares vrais jeux coopératifs avec du challenge, tous les autres jeux coopératifs que j'ai trouvé sont soit seulement semi-coopératifs, soit ennuyeux. Là il y a une vraie profondeur.Je recommande vivement ce jeu pour ceux qui souhaitent essayer ou qui aiment les jeux coopératifs, il est vraiment extrêmement bien réalisé. Et j'imagine qu'il créera d'excellent souvenirs chez les enfants avec ses belles figurines et dalles d'environnement qui nourrissent l'imagination.

Fun game whether you're playing with 2 or 5 players.

N. · 26 July 2017

Forbidden Desert is made by Matt Leacock, who has created a whole host of fun, cooperative board games. The reason I even looked up Forbidden Desert (and the similar Forbidden Island) is because I played Pandemic. While Pandemic lacks a moving board, the rule set is somewhat similar. You get four moves per turn to perform several different actions.The goal of Forbidden Desert is for you and your friends to reassemble your broken flying machine while navigating the perils of the desert. At its simplest level, it reminds me of playing Ravensburger Labyrinth, a great game in its own right; although, that game was about messing with your opponents. Forbidden Desert, on the other hand, requires you to work together... or burn to death trying. I absolutely love the concept of moving tiles. Something about its inherent simplicity while still having a different board every play-through is enjoyable.My friends and I have been getting more and more into board games. Thanks to their variety, imagination, and sometimes strategic complexity, they're making a comeback into our get-together gaming rotation. However, I didn't buy this simply to play with my friends. Sometimes, my wife and I want to disconnect, chill, and play something off-screen. Forbidden Desert (and Island) are perfectly playable with 2 people. 3 or more ups the chaos, but the base experience is still fun with limited players.Rather than get into the mechanics, I highly recommend you Google "how to play forbidden desert." There's a great YouTube video by "Board Simple" that explains the game concept as well as mechanics in detail. I'll leave the link in the comment section below my review as well. Just click the comments link if you're so inclined.•• Conclusion ••Overall, this game is great for 3-5 players... or simply 2. The game play is elegant, and I love the shifting board, ensuring no two play-throughs are the exact same. The rules don't take long to learn, and you won't be diving into the rule book every single play-through to figure things out. I highly recommend it, especially at around the $30 mark. You could do way worse for hours upon hours of playtime.

Me encantó

A.Q. · 2 January 2022

Soy aficionada de los juegos de mesa y me junto con mis amistades y familia a jugar. Nos encantó a todes. Es relativamente fácil de aprender, solo al principio sí hay que leer bien qué es cada cosa y cómo funciona. De ahí para jugar no se necesita leer mucho, creo que eso es bueno por si juegas con alguien que no sepa inglés. Involucra muy bien a todo el grupo y está padre que cada uno tenga habilidades diferentes.

Great game and price!

D.R.D. · 12 June 2025

We love these games and this one was very decently priced compared to in store options.

Fun and challenging

C. · 18 June 2025

This game is great and very challenging. We have played it 3 times since buying it and have yet to be successful, but we have been so close each time! It really makes you have to strategize and work together as a team. Seemingly small decisions can have a big impact especially as the storm picks up and starts to bury your tiles and consume your sand pile. I have played this with my 3 kids (10, 8 and 6) and they all enjoy it and it was easy for them to pick up. Definitely recommend for a fun family game night.