Alrightgames: Carcassonne – The Tower

Carcassonne: The Tower

2006 / Tile placement board game expansion / 2-6 players

**

Resold

I swore off buying even more Carcassonne expansions, but then my daughter stuck it through a whole game for the first time, using all the tiles we had, and I don't want to limit her horizons. They have to run out at some point, surely?

This is possibly the most gimmicky expansion of them all (which is saying something), and was never on my personal list until I saw it going cheap in a bundle, but since she enjoys the divisive Princess & the Dragon, I figured she might appreciate this similarly cut-throat one too. It turned out to require considerably more strategic thinking than a five year old can muster though, and I can see the captures causing more arguments and frustration than wicked glee down the line, so I passed it on.

The storage tower was also a less convenient solution to a problem that was already solved by the bag.

Alrightgames: CATS

CATS

2024 / Micro roleplaying game / 2-6 players

***

The furry sitcom gets repetitive before long if you're relying on the dice-rolled prompts, but then the kitten got carried away and the roleplay expanded into the real world. She arguably took it too far when she demanded to try one of Wilbur's biscuits, which spent as little time in her mouth as predicted. We've all done it.

Alrightgames: Adventures on a Single Page – Lost in the Marshes (Adapted)

Adventures on a Single Page: Lost in the Marshes (Adapted)

2020 / Roleplaying game adventure / 2+ players

***

Never a viable option for our regular characters who could fly, its time came when the player felt like catching up with our old, grounded ponies Angel and Firebrand, and it was generic enough that excessively high levels and insufficiently developed skills didn't matter as we paddled between encounters, fortunately in the order that made the most sense. I got turned into a frog for a while, she ate a lot of cakes and did a big poo. Some of it was off script.

Alrightgames: Dixit – Journey

Dixit: Journey

2012 / Card game / 3-6 players

****

I already rated the pretty cards when buying those knock-offs separately, but buying a spare scoreboard from this edition off eBay meant we could  switch up our family favourite Stella for original Dixit slightly more legitimately than scoring on a whiteboard, along with having a handy reference for the rules that it turns out we were doing quite wrong. We use Stella voting tokens and supply our own pawns. It's a nice game.

Alrightgames: Stellarion expansions

Stellarion expansions

2022 / Solo/cooperative card/board game expansions / 1-2 players

The base game hinted at Onirim in Space and the expansions are less shy about that, while exploring some new frontiers.

Black Holes and Revelations **

Eating up valuable resources for the promise of tempting rewards, this mini expansion is thematically on point, but it's more annoying than helpful. I did say the base game was too easy though, so I should probably stick with it.

Theories and Breakthroughs ***

A handy power-up for an extra obligation is worth it, and the astronomy duty mostly takes care of itself, as long as you actually remember to look.

Mirrors and Orbits ****

If the multicolour card backs and observatory setting weren't already clues, the Onirim comparison becomes clear with the return of the first ever expansion task: having to complete the sets in order! It's just as intimidating and ultimately satisfying here. Going back to freedom of choice would feel like cheating now.

The Glaucous Sun ****

Combining the eponymous baddie figurine, tokens, an extra card and a bloody board, this makes the biggest statement of any Oniverse expansion. That statement being, "why isn't this the regular game?"

Installing: Cyberion >

Alrightgames: Stellarion

Stellarion

2022 / Solo/cooperative card game / 1-2 players

***

Onirim, but Aerion. I keep thinking I've found the Oniverse game that's the most lacking without its expansions, only to uncover hidden depths the more I play. Then I encountered this exercise in cosmic micro-management, which is stripped down almost to the point of pointlessness at the base level. Expanding the universe with the bundled add-ons sorts that out, but it still feels more like going through the celestial motions than having fun.

Alrightgames: Catan

Catan (a.k.a. Settlers of Catan)

1995 (2025 edition) / Strategy board game / 3-4 players

****

Although firmly on Team Carcassonne, I was curious about this other cornerstone of modern board gaming, but figured I'd wait until my daughter was old enough to comprehend or care. Then I spotted it at a bargain price that I wasn't likely to again, so snapped it up. The trading aspect lends it less well to disassociative solo playing than Carcassonne, but a mandatory 2-for-1 rule makes it workable in the meantime. At least it should be easier to resist expansion fever this time.

Alrightgames: I Doubt It

I Doubt It (a.k.a. Cheat, Bullshit)

Card game / 3+ players (or 2 players with a spare pile)

****

This exercise in sequential deception was a big hit with the five-year-old, especially when mixing two decks (including jokers) to stretch credibility further.

Babyliography CCXXI

Nick Butterworth, One Springy Day

2019 / School book / 32 pages

**

Percy the parkkeeper seems vaguely familiar. She'll be in for a shock when she gets to Farthing Wood.

Joseph Coelho and artists, Ten-Word Tiny Tales

2023 / Library book / 56 pages

***

An exercise I've tried myself, it wasn't surprising that most tended towards the creepy, sometimes too much for a for a five-year-old whose limit is Monster High. I read her a few choice morsels and enjoyed the rest myself.

Sorrel Pitts, My Little Pony Ladybird Readers Beginner: Izzy's Presents / Hitch Finds an Egg / Sparky, Where Are You? / Where Is Sunny's Lantern? / The Storm

2023 / Library books / 120 pages

**

Before she could read, these were just overly simplified storybooks, but now they're filling in as more appealing school books to keep her practising over the summer holidays. More appealing for her, at least.

Unknown, Step Into Reading: Frozen Story Collection

2015 / Paperback / 160 pages

**

Not new, but she fortunately remembered she had this on the shelf when she'd reached its reading level and it had a purpose, before it was rendered unreadable again.

Chris Van Allsburg, Jumanji

1981 / Library book / 32 pages

****

An eager re-read of the classic picture book after watching the scariest film of her young life.

Babyliography CCXX

Suzy Senior and Patrick Corrigan, How to Spot a Mermaid

2025 / Library book / 32 pages

**

Same thing as the unicorn one, choose your favourite elusive magical creature.

Alice Hemming and Mike Byrne, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: Tickets

2021 / School book / 16 pages

**

I'll be surprised if Trish isn't the most annoying character in the range.

Unknown, The Children's Encyclopedia of Animals

2015 / Paperback / 224 pages

***

A decent find in Morrisons' book exchange that should be handy for future screen-free homework, even if it was mainly appealing for the lenticular mandrill.

Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird, I Need a New Bum!

2018 / Library book / 32 pages

*

She was more amused by the concept than the execution. Being sexist, I was surprised that a lady wrote it.

Clare Helen Welsh and Irene Montano, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: Scrap Rat

2020 / School book / 16 pages

**

If some plot details don't fit your rigid vocabulary scheme, just leave them unexplained, that's right.