We ordered Animal Upon Animal (Tier auf Tier) for our 4 year old's Christmas present. It seemed like a solid dexterity game and we wanted him to work on his hand skills.
From the moment he opened the box and picked up the chunky wooden animals he has loved this game. He pulls it out at any opportunity.
Animal Upon Animal is a simple game, and other than 2 symbols on the die (the question mark and the hand, neither of which seemed immediately obvious for us and we had to check the rule book for several plays before we learned what they meant) the rules are quickly understood by all players. Players roll the die and either balance 1 animal, 2 animals, give an animal to another player to place, allow other players to chose the animal they place, or place an animal to the front or rear of the alligator.
The pieces are chunky and well-made (although I think detailing on 2 sides instead of just 1 would be better). Children can easily handle them. They also have bumps and curves which make placement interesting for older players (matching the snake humps or the bristles of the hedgehogs, curving the beak of a toucan around the leg of another animal).
Play continues and often the pile falls. One thing I like about this game is that you only keep 2 of the fallen animals no matter how many fall. This encourages a fun game where younger players don't feel beaten down and where older ones feel free to experiment.
This can even be fun as a solo venture, seeing how many pieces you can add to the tower of animals. We also added a rule ourselves to make a more even game when adults and young children are playing. The adults simply don't allow themselves easy moves like placing an animal in front of or behind the alligator or handing off pieces for a younger player to place.
Perhaps not a game for adults or older children, but a very fun dexterity game for young children. Easy to set up on their own (unlike Break the Ice or Jenga) and encouraging fast play.
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Haba Animal Upon Animal GameProduct Description: The animals want to show how capable they are at making a tall pyramid!Who will position the penguin on top of the crocodile, the sheep on top of the penguin, the serpent on the sheep, the tucan...?A wobbly stacking game for 2 - 4 players. With variations for one player. This games helps:⋅ eye-hand coordination ⋅ fine motor skills
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It seems that finding children's gifts this year is more about safety than anything else.
