Customer Reviews

Cranium Cariboo

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

We got this game for our 4 year old daughter, but the whole family loves to play it, even our 2 year old. It's a pretty durable toy. I would say that the only "issue" is that you can cheat by peeking in the holes to see where the balls are, but that's not really a big deal. The kids just love winning and getting the big jewel in the treasure chest. I would recommend it to anyone. It's good for color identification (for the little ones) and letter identification for the older kids.

I purchased this game for my 4-year-old daughter because it looked so cool and because it struck me as more educational than some of the other games from which she was choosing. It was ultimately a great choice because my daughter adores it and wants to play it endlessly. It's enjoyable enough that my husband and I don't mind playing it with her (as opposed to Chutes and Ladders, which I loved as a kid but have discovered is deathly boring for adults).

As an educational toy I give it high marks. There are two degrees of difficulty so the game is customizable. Reading is not necessary but the game may help children begin to learn some words. Instead, the game relies on color matching, alphabetical recognition (letters A-C for the easier game play and all 26 letters for the more challenging), and quantity recognition (if a number card is drawn, the player must pick a door with a corresponding quantity).

As a fun toy, it also gets high marks. The brightly colored balls are fun to look at and fun to slip into the "stream". My daughter also enjoys using the key to "unlock" the doors that she chooses and we both enjoy sliding the final ball into the "stream" to unlock the treasure chest.

The biggest weak point of this game are the cards, both those that go on the doors and those that are drawn during gameplay. They are simply not durable enough and after having only owned this game for about a week, one of the door cards has a hole that was punched in it when my daughter jabbed it with the key while trying to show me which card she was speaking of and a good many of the cards in the deck are bent. Though this has offered me the opportunity to discuss with my daughter why it's important that she take care of her things, I would have liked the cards to be much sturdier than they are. That said, it won't stop me from buying another Cranium game for my daughter.

Likes: My 3-year-old got this right away and really liked playing. Much easier instructions for her to understand than even stuff like Candyland, Chutes & Ladders, etc. Educational -- helps with letter, number and color recognition. Instead of one winner, everyone works together to open the "treasure."

Dislikes: The many parts and the way it was constructed stressed me out -- cards kept falling inside the game -- if you lose one ball you can't play at all (the treasure box won't open upon winning). Although it's fun and educational, didn't hold her attention for long (although what does?)

My 3-year old son received this game for Christmas and it was an instant hit. It is an enjoyable, fast-paced game that the entire family can enjoy. In fact, the first people to play the game with him were his grandparents. I like that there are 2 playing levels, "Beginners" and "Advanced". We're still using the Beginners cards right now, but it's nice to know that the Advanced cards are waiting for us when we outgrow the earlier stage.

This game promotes letter recognition, color recognition, basic object counting and turn taking. It's a great game to play at playdates as all of the children can easily learn how to play right away.

The only problem I've had with this game is that one of the cards comes loose every time we play and it is already a little ripped and bent. All in all, the game is constructed well given that it is played by an active 3-year old boy on a daily basis. BUT, I wanted to mention this as part of my review.

All in all, it's a great game and my son loves to play with it. We've given it as a gift already and I will continue to consider this game when choosing gifts for other preschoolers.

Out of the box this game was easy to learn with minimal reading. Those with small children understand how much torture it is for someone to spend forever trying to read the directions to a fun new game while they're waiting to play. The lid to the box has a clear plastic sheeting over it which came loose right away, making it prone to losing pieces. My son learned within 30 minutes how to cheat at the game by looking in the open doors to find where the balls are. It's also kind of difficult to get the balls placed sometimes, and you end up with 2 in one door. Overall though, he does enjoy playing the game and it's something that is easy for him to play with my visually impaired brother with.

My son loved the game the first 3 times he played it, but he has already lost interest. Identifying colors and letters? The age level for this game of 3-8 is insulting to older children. I think my son would have liked the game better if he played it when he just turned 3 but he will be 4 in a few months. OK for children who are learning colors and letters but otherwise a bore.

I actually purchased this game a couple of years ago, but just opened it now that our daughter is 3. This is the first game that she has wanted to play consistently almost every day and several times a day. We play it as a family. We have Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, and your other standard preschool games. None of them keep her interest and attention as this one does.

There are 2 games included. One is the Beginner level. In this game, children draw cards with colors, numbers, shapes or letters on them. Then they must choose which "door" matches the card. At this level, they are only to match the first letter of the words. When they find a door that matches, they must use the key to open the door and see if a ball is under the door. If a ball is there, they place it in the treasure chest "chute". When all 6 balls are collected and placed in the "chute", the treasure chest will open.

There is also an advanced level. To play this level you use a 2nd set of cards and flip over the cards on the doors. This level uses recognition of lower case letters (along with upper case), colors and numbers. Sometimes we play only recognizing numbers and letters as our daughter finds the colors too easy.

This game has helped her with her counting habits and recognizing letters within words (such as helicopters, foxes, yo-yo, vegetables, zebras, etc.)

One of the best things about this game is that each time you play it's different. The balls can end up behind different doors. Also, you can switch around the placement of the door cards, so your child isn't playing just by memorizing which door has the answer. And you can change the "rules" of the game by ignoring certain cards (like saying, no colors - only letters and numbers).

I have not had any quality issues with this game. We always make sure that she plays with her games appropriately (although never had a problem with her breaking games), but I know that every child is different. I could see where the door cards could be punctured, but you would have to really hit it hard with the key to do that.

This is one of our favorite games to play as a family and our daughter. It's the only game that keeps her attention span at 3 years old.

Highly recommended.

I have been woken up to "Cariboo, Mommy?" That pretty much says it all...it is his favorite game on the planet. I actually enjoy it too- it is not as mind-numbing as Chutes and Ladders or some of the other basic roll-and-move type of game. Even my 5-year-old daughter loves playing it with him. My only complaint isn't really a complaint, but I wish that there was a booster set or some additional cards available for purchase. The "easy" side of the cards is easy for a 3-year-old, but the "advanced" side is too difficult. It would be nice if there were more options. Overall- I highly recommend. It is educational and fun- what a great combination!

I've adapted this game for use as a speech and language therapy tool. Using Boardmaker or any other picture symbol program, you can easily replace the pictures that come with the game to target different articulation goals, categorization skills, or almost any other goal! Such a motivating game!

This game has been a favorite in our house for the past 3 1/2 years. My oldest daughter received this game as a gift and it was instantly a hit. She loved that the treasure was revealed at the end of each game and I loved that it was a quick game to play [some games like Chutes and Ladders for example, make me want to run screaming from the house].

I particularly like that this game has two levels of play. For a younger child you start off with the beginner level where you match by shape, color, number (1-4) or letter (A-C). My daughter who is three now is now quite skilled at playing this game after being introduced to it about two months ago. It is one of her favorite games, just as it was for her big sister. I would rate the advanced level of the game on a pre-K level. In the advance version you match based on lowercase letters instead of just 3 upper case letters. The number range on the advance level is also higher than 4.
The only issue I have ever had with this game is a few of the balls started to crack and crumble on us after about a month of playing with it. I contacted Cranium about it and they sent us replacement balls free of charge. The replacement balls have been in use for over three years now and they're as good as new.
We have been very pleased with this game. It's fun to play and set up. We have given this as a gift to many friends over the past few years. Whether you have a pirate or princess on your hands, this treasure hunting game is sure to please.