TOS REVIEW: Tri-Cross from Games For Competitors

My first review for the 2011/2012 school year from the TOS Homeschool Crew and it is a game

Here is a little bit about the company and game before I get into my review. The game was a concept of Glenn Burns in the 1980s and it sold well when first introduced. The game however didn’t go to the stores after 1987 due to life getting in the way of Glenn’s idea. His three boys, Brian, Greg and Jeff, who were young when he first designed the game, always suggested that he bring the game back. In 2008, Jeff did just that. The company is a family company. The new version, which I have been given to review, has an updated rulebook from the original.

It is called a strategy game somewhat like checkers, chess or dominoes. We like all three of those games in our house. This one is set for ages 7 years and up. It can be played by 2, 3, or 4 individuals or up to 4 teams.

I was sent the home game (the photo below) and an eco-friendly travel edition* (the image above).

You can purchase these online or in some retail stores. See the list of states/locations at the website (see the right side of the page). The home edition is $24.95 and the eco-friendly travel edition is available for $19.95 or they also offer a wood board edition for $34.95

The instructions are fairly straight forward but you can watch tutorials on the website.

Tri-Cross can help develop skills in the following areas (from the website):

• Logical Thinking
• Cause and Effect
• Predicting
• Interpreting Outcomes
• Abstract Thinking
• Memory (In Variations of Play)
• Visualization

It takes some getting used to the strategies of this game! My dd wanted to play as soon as we got it (not even exaggerating) and she beat us the first few times. I thought for sure that I wasn’t going to get it down…but “luck” was on my side at least once And I do mean “luck” because I wasn’t paying as close attention as I should have been and still won!

I will give you a basic idea how to play the game, the goal is to place your pieces in a way that when you are “challenged” you will kick the opponent off the board. (Visit the Tri-Cross website for video tutorials) In the end, you have to either be the only one with pieces on the board OR you have to have one of your pieces in the center of the board for four consecutive turns. Not as simple as it sounds, let me tell you!

The capability of having only two players or up to four players adds challenge to this game. And dd pointed out that the games duration is really unpredictable. Our first game was quite quick because she had read the rules completely through and ds and I had not. She had an advantage over us Each game afterward has ranged from quick to a bit drawn out (not that that is a bad thing). It’s a bit like solitaire- you don’t know how long the game will last when you first start it.      

We took the travel game with us on our recent move across 5 states and it came in quite handy. The case is small enough to fit in to a purse (if you wanted to) and because it is a cloth ‘board’ it is flexible. We played it on the bed but I would suggest a more flat surface.

  

Bottomline:
This is a winner in our house! Definitely worth getting. This would be a great gift for young and old. It isn’t too complicated but you do have to pay attention if you really want to play. Your opponent will win real quick if you don’t!

I would recommend this to any person or family that enjoys board games and especially strategy games.

*The eco-friendly travel edition “eco-specs” can be found here.

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See what others thought of this game. Check out the reviews by the TOS Homeschool Crew.

**Disclaimer: I was sent the game above from Games for Competitors (Tri-Cross) in exchange of an honest review as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own.