Disclaimer: I am fully aware that there are loads of great game reviewers out there. I will lead you to these people, as I find them. My intent: focus on games for those aged 4-12, and games that I have played with my children--and seen their reactions. This page will take some time to build, as well!
This will be an on-going page as I discover more games, and/or take the time to write about them.
MADE FOR TRADE: Option 1: Amazon's Made for Trade (click on the link from the photo)
Option 2: Fat Brain Toy's Made for Trade (click on the link on this line)
Well, our family loves to play it (pulled out of the game cupboard at least once a week). My daughter is seven, and I've used this game to get her feet wet regarding early American history.
There are many levels of play for this game. To this point, we have played two levels. 1) At the tourist level: if you're able to land on a shop "enter" space, you can enter the shop and, again, if lucky enough to roll the dice and score the number/price for which the object in that shop is being sold, you gain the item--assuming you have enough shillings, but... Ah! There's the rub. Often you don't have enough money/shillings to pay. What do you learn from this? My daughter and I have spoken of how difficult it was to gain items during this period; we've pretended we had a bad harvest, or that England taxed us, etc. True, we're dealing with luck (in the game), but in early times, you were lucky to have the shillings to pay for essentials and had to wait some time to earn them. This level of game play goes fairly fast and no event cards are used. 2) At the Trader level (you start as an indentured servant with NO rights to enter shops unless so directed by an Event card, and become a free citizen. You become a free citizen through luck: rolling certain numbers, drawing an event card that frees you, or by passing the entire board once. What have we learned? On the most basic level, she understands that it was hard to be an indentured servant, and that if you don't have shillings to pay fines, you spend a lot of time in gaol (jail: this led us to how spelling has changed over the centuries). Being in gaol has led us to imagine why, for those times, we were in jail. Once you become a free citizen, you get your 6 shillings, and apart from "harvest day" and one other day, you draw no income unless you get an Event card that gives you some--again, lesson learned is that it was hard to accumulate possessions, even necessities. As a trader, you're given an inventory, based on the character you choose, and you have to accumulate those items. The marketplace and bartering (and math) come into play more at this stage, as does some basic history. For instance, you learn about smallpox, theatrical productions, etc. Very basic, but the game is meant for young children after all, not those who have already studied American History.
Overall, I am pleased with this product. Yes, the issue with how the directions were written has driven me a bit mad, but we've worked through it. When we play, we call each other "Miss, Mr., etc.". We've started listening to music from the period (on Pandora) as we play so as to become more familiar with what was then considered popular. The game pieces are sturdy cardboard construction, and if we lose a piece, we can go to early American costume/coloring books and find a character that interests us. We can make new inventory lists, we can make new EVENT cards that demonstrate other aspects of early American history. In short, we are turning this into our own game and my daughter is quite taken with the idea of researching to add new Event cards, and looking through costume books to find additional characters so that we can make new inventory cards. So yes, the game has its limitations, but this inadequacy leaves you able to do what you will with it. This game can be incredibly fun: my daughter loves imaging she's from the time and we even try to use language from the period when we are playing the game.
I love the game and all of its possibilities. Yes, it has problems, but with a little imagination... a little imagination goes a long way and leads to this having endless possibilities. I would certainly purchase this game again and am always happy to play it with her.
CONS: Poorly written directions;
Limited Events;
Items are not from one period (but stretch past the early Victorian era, which can lead to complications when discussing "early" American history);
Limited level of strategy, if strategy is always important to you in a game.
PROS: Sturdy materials (but keep them away from toddlers);
If you lose a shilling or a piece, you can use a penny, or find your own characters to photocopy;
You can create your own Event cards to teach or enforce certain parts of life or a particular phase of early American history;
You can create your own Inventory lists (and thus add objects to the inventory);
You can listen to music from the period while playing;
You can role play as if you're from that period.
All in all, tremendous fun, and you can make it what you will! Depends upon your style and your child's needs/interests. Highly recommend, particularly if you add your own aspects to it!
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