Flea Circus - TOS Review

 

Fleas? A Flea Circus? FAMILY FUN????  No, I've not lost my mind.  I've just been playing a new game with the littles.  The game of choice just happened to be Flea Circus. 

You know you want to play too!  To get started, simply open the colorful, petite little box, and you'll be greeted by 20 itty bitty white rubber cats, 20 blue rubber dogs, and 55 Flea Attraction cards featuring various circus acts, free tickets, acrobatic fleas, clowns, and an animal catcher.  I know I was surprised to see so much in a small package, but it all fits neatly inside and is returned to the box as easily as it comes out.

Even with so many small pieces, at first, I found the most difficult thing to keep up with in the game to be the number of special cards each allowing a different action or worth a different value.  I recommend Mom and Dad keep the directions close by for a cheat sheet.  However, after a few games, it will no longer be necessary.  My little ones picked up very quickly and understood the functions of the cards surprisingly well. 

If you are competitor like some in my family, you are asking... "Enough already, how do I play?  Better yet, how do I win?"  The object is to play cards that will award you the most spectators - a.k.a dogs and cats.  Depending on the card you choose to play or later draw, you may gain those spectators from the pile or from other players. When there are no remaining spectators in the pile, the player with the highest point total of spectators wins. 

This game is designed for children 6 and up, and I find that to be an accurate description.  Rachel is soon-to-be-five and definitely needed some assistance, but my boys 5 - almost 6 and a solid 6 1/2 did fine on their own.  They were even able to practice some of their basic math skills since cats are valued at 1 point and dogs 2.  When a number card of 2, 3, or 4 was shown, they had to determine what combination of cats and dogs added to that sum.  When calculating their total points, they were able to practice counting by 1's & 2's.  The "fun" practice of skip counting was perfect! 

Flea Circus can be purchased from the R & R Games Website for $15.95. Use the coupon code CREW20 to get 20% off any purchase for the rest of the year.  After our enjoyment and entertainment with Flea Circus, I have spent some time on the R & R Games website.  I encourage you to take a peek.  Not only will you find some wonderful options for your next family game night, but you may just score the next hit with a great party game.  Also, it's never too early to think Christmas gifts!

See what others are saying about Flea Circus at the TOS Crew Blog.

**Disclosure:  I was provided this product in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not compensated for this review.