Candyland

Playing cards thoughtfully designed for non-readers are coded with colorful squares matching the jeweled stepping-stone path or an occasional token matching one of the characters' symbols: draw a blue card, move to the nearest blue stepping-stone; draw a snowflake and earn a visit to Queen Frostine's iceberg. There are occasional pitfalls, too: land on the wrong square and you might be stuck in Molasses Swamp until a red card is drawn. With all these enticing, sugarcoated images (and King Kandy plainly visible at path's end), children can't help but be delighted by Candy Land. It's delicious! Instructions are in both Spanish and English. Candy Land is for two to four players) --Julie Ubben

First, the game does not require children know how to read. They do not even need to know their numbers as they do in "Chutes and Ladders." Movement is based on a child being able to recognize colors and symbols. What could be easier than that?

Second, the game is based on luck (or chance or divine intervention or however you want to characterize it), which means it is a great equalizer. This is a game where a kid has the same chance of winning as their parents, older siblings, grandparents, babysitters or whoever. Children are not going to be interested in playing a game they cannot win, which is why "Candy Land" is where they begin instead of "Monopoly" or "Trivial Pursuit."

Third, the game teaches the basic skills of board games. The hardest lesson kid have to learn with this game is to...take turns. Yes, this might be one of the first times in their young lives when kids are confronted with the regiment of structure that will afflict them the rest of their lives. But from board games like "Candy Land" to sports like baseball, structure and rules are a basic consideration. Strategy and tactics come later, but learning to take turns comes first (and I could argue is a basic lesson in civil behavior).

Therefore, I would respectfully submit that "Candy Land" remains the ideal choice for the first board game you play with your children. Just pick a card, move to the appropriate square, and proceed to have a great life.


A Game That Transcends Generations   May 25, 2001
Clark Paull (Murder City)
37 out of 38 found this review helpful

I'm not sure how long "Candyland" has been on the market, but I played it when I was a kid and I'm pushing 44. My wife and I bought this game for our then-three-year-old son (he's now four), unsure if it would hold his Nintendo-infatuated attention. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on who is playing with him), it does, so much so that his record at one sitting is 17 straight games. Still a classic of its kind, "Candyland" is easy to learn and fun for kids and adults (sheesh, I'm beginning to sound like a commercial here). One minor complaint: the cards aren't very durable and perhaps need to be made of thicker material to facilitate multiple shuffling and to endure the often rough touch of little hands.


My 4-year-old's favorite game   October 10, 2007
Brent Smith (Redmond, WA)
28 out of 28 found this review helpful

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R140VRJ98DUX7I


The same old Candyland, but from a different perspective.   March 11, 2001
Jane James (California)
18 out of 19 found this review helpful

I loved this game as a child, and I love it now as a mommy. I have six kids, and I've noticed that my girls generally like this game better than my boys.

It is very colorful, and the movements across the board are based on the color of the card one chooses from the deck. If you pick a blue card, you move to the next blue square.

The game is spiced up by the addition of "special" squares and "special" cards... you might get one of these cards that moves you to the beginning of the game!! Or it might move you from near the beginning to the end!

It is a bit more unpredictable than Chutes and Ladders because of these cards.

It's a great tool when the kids are learning their colors, and also just for teaching the idea of taking turns and as an introduction to board games.

We keep it fun, and if the 3 year old really insists on going to a green square when he has a yellow card, well, we let him.

I recommend this one for preschoolers and the mommies who love them.


Old version was better   July 26, 1999
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

I loved this game as a child, and it was with great delight that I purchased a copy for my son. However, I was disappointed with the artwork on the new board. The characters look too cartoonish and the board has lost some of the childlike beauty it once had. I tossed out the new one and went to a second hand store and purchased an older copy.