Lift it! Deluxe

By USAopoly
Price $34.95
Age 8+

Lift it! Deluxe is like having an amusement park in your home. 'Deluxe' is an apt label for the game's cleverly conceived, superbly playful components. It is one of very few games where just reading the description on the back of the box made players laugh out loud in anticipation. Players (or teams) race against the clock to build structures shown on cards drawn from a deck. This is done using colorful 3-dimensional building components (cylinder, line, rectangle, sphere, L-shapes . . .) with Swiss cheese-like holes in them. Why the holes? Because moving and positioning the pieces is done using a little crane with an even smaller hook on the end that is either hand-held or strapped to your forehead at the time. The space on the board your pawn is on dictates whether you use hand or head. In either case, it takes smooth moves and steady nerves to compete. Points are awarded for partially completed structures, with bonus points for completion. Sheer, invigorating, laughter-inducing fun for 1-8 players.