Board Game News

Board Game Central is pleased to offer a new online Mahjong game, Mahjong Time.

Mahjong Time is an online version of the traditional Chinese game of Mahjong. This is not the solitaire type of mahjong, in which a player tries to take pair of tiles away from the board. Traditional mahjong is played by 4 players, where the objective is to assemble a hand of certain combinations. At Mahjong Time, You can play against other players 24/7, no download required. Compete in tournaments (or create your own!) and win money + prizes! You’ll receive $20 in free game credits to get you started.

MahjongTime.com is the first online mahjong club where the worldwide community of mahjong players can play mahjong anytime, anywhere without downloading any software! MahjongTime.com also offers a state-of-the-art, live multi-player mahjong tournaments where members can play this skill-based game against other members to win cash and prizes.

You can play for fun (no cash & prizes) for FREE or you can participate in tournaments with entry fees starting at $1.00 and win cash and prizes!

Play Mahjong Now

Global warming has melted the great ice sheets. No Polar caps remain. The oceans are free. Icebergs are only a memory. The waters have risen more than 80 meters. Gone are the magnificent harbours that once dotted the shores of every land.

But land is everything! Millions are starving. Fertile plains are no more. The great grain belts of the world have been tightened. Tension runs high yet there is hope. There is a new continent to explore and cultivate. But who will lay claim to this new land?

Four rallying hosts prepare in haste. One dominion can save but a few … the race is on. Armies are raised with every man coming forth. Unite and fight … conquer or be lost. Combine your forces, assemble your fleets and breach the storms. Clouds clear for one last stand. The prize is yours … Antarctica!

Antarctica Global WARming is a new game from the father and son team of Peter and Frank Zuuring, at Savita Games.

This futuristic game of global survival features an innovative rotating weather map, which allows storms to move around the game board affecting game pieces with a roll of a dice. (see illustration).

If you’re a fan of strategy games such as Risk, or are interested in the possible effects of global warming, you’ll probably enjoy this game. Now that Antarctica is free of the ice that has trapped it for millions of years, it’s a whole new world to explore and conquer!

After a 40-hour game-playing marathon, members of American Mensa named five new games as Mensa Select®. In alphabetical order, this year’s winners are:

• Deflexion – Players alternate turns moving Egyptian-themed pieces with mirrored surfaces. At the end of each turn, the player fires a built-in laser in hopes of illuminating the opponent’s pharaoh. (Deflexion, www.deflexion.biz)
• Hive – Nature’s chess game. The object is to surround the opponent’s queen bee. Each player gets 11 tiles of five different insects. Each insect’s move is different. (Smart Zone, www.smartzonegames.com)
• Keesdrow – Identify words within a maze of letters using three different colored pegs. Earn premium points by building on opponents’ words or by using a letter more than once within your own word. (Pywacket, www.pywacketgames.com)
• Pentago – Create a row of five marbles, any direction, on a game board that consists of four twistable game blocks. (Pentago, www.pentago.com)
• Wits & Wagers – A trivia game you can win without knowing any trivia. How? By betting on answers provided by your friends. (North Star Games, www.northstargames.com)

Mensa Select winners are chosen annually at the Mensa Mind Games® competition. During the competition, Mensa members play and rate new board and card games. The five games that rate the highest are named Mensa Select and may display the Mensa Select seal on their packaging.

“You don’t have to be a genius to enjoy these games — you just have to enjoy a challenge,” said Pam Donahoo, executive director of American Mensa. “This year’s winners include something for everyone — strategy games, a word game and a party/trivia game. They’ve earned the Mensa Select seal because they are well-designed, original and, best of all, fun to play!”

This year’s Mind Games competition was held April 21-23 in Portland, Ore. One hundred ninety-eight players from every corner of United States reviewed the 62 game entries. During the event, Mensa members also filled out thousands of comment cards, which will be returned to the manufacturers. Suggestions from the comment cards are often used to improve the games.

Based in Arlington, Texas, American Mensa is an organization open to anyone who scores in the top two percent on an accepted, standardized intelligence test. More information about the organization may be found at www.us.mensa.org. More information about Mind Games may be found at www.mindgames.us.mensa.org.

See Also: Mensa Select winners from previous years.

Source: American Mensa Names Mensa Select® Winners. Mensa Select®, Mensa Mind Games®, and the Mensa Mind Games logo are registered trademarks of American Mensa.

All of the mystery and intrigue of the famed Mona Lisa is captured for the first time in a board game. Would-be sleuths of all ages will enjoy seeking the answer to the big question: “Who has Da Vinci’s Masterpiece?”.

Become an art detective and travel back in time to 1911 when the real Mona Lisa painting was stolen in Florence, Italy. Now it’s up to the players to determine which painting is the real one and which are forgeries. Players bid to earn valuable appraisals from an interesting cast of art “experts.” Some experts are a little shady and may try to sabotage you. Precious gems are used to influence the market value of expert guild ratings. Players hire these “experts” to decode paint strokes, paint styles and more, to help them solve the Mona Lisa Mystery.

The beautifully crafted, cleverly playing Mona Lisa Mysteries captures the intrigue and suspense of the events surrounding the caper. The game features 5 Mona Lisa player-painting boards, hand illustrated bid and expert cards, glass gemstones and the history behind the real Mona Lisa heist.

Mona Lisa Mysteries is designed for the age group teens to adults and can be played with 3 to 5 players.

Mona Lisa Mysteries is produced by Winning Moves Games, a leading maker of classic card games, children’s and family games. Founded in 1995, Winning Moves makes special editions of many of the world’s most popular games and creates new, original game concepts for all ages to enjoy.

Mona Lisa Mysteries is available now at a list price of $25.95.