Product Description

The travel version of award-winning Blokus, Travel Blokus is the perfect on-the-go strategy game for two. The simple rules take less than a minute to learn, yet the game has the depth to challenge both beginners and experts alike. Set includes game board with 196 recessed squares, 42 game pieces in vibrant, translucent purple and orange, and game guide.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19036 in Toys & Games
• Size: Travel: 8.2 x 8.2 x 1.7 inches
• Brand: Educational Insights
• Model: 2988
• Released on: 2006-06-12
• Dimensions: 8.20" h x 8.20" w x 1.70" l, 1.00 pounds

Features

• Compact, two-player edition
• The simple rules take less than a minute to learn, yet the game has the depth to challenge both beginners and experts alike
• Set includes game board with 196 recessed squares, 42 game pieces in vibrant, translucent purple and orange, and a quide
• Includes game board, 42 game pieces, instruction guide and a storage tray

From the Manufacturer
The travel version of award-winning Blokus, Travel Blokus is the perfect on-the-go strategy game for two. The simple rules take less than a minute to learn, yet the game has the depth to challenge both beginners and experts alike. Set includes game board with 196 recessed squares, 42 game pieces in vibrant, translucent purple and orange, and guide.

Customer Reviews

"Travel Blokus" is a misnomer...
In Europe, this game is called Blokus Duo, and it's actually the two-person version of the four-person game Blokus. The pieces are identical, except there are only two sets, not four, so the board is smaller too. So yes, you can travel with it - but it's ideal to play at home when there are only two of you.

Personally, I prefer this version to standard Blokus - there isn't the "gang-up" factor that standard Blokus has. I almost took away one star because the game is so addicting, but that wouldn't be fair to the game.

Excellent Game - very addictive!!!!
This is a GREAT game!! I enjoy finding visual based games because they are easier for our younger daughter to play and enjoy with us. We also don't have a lot of space for games so I only buy ones I think we will really enjoy and that aren't similar to other games or toys we already own. I also try to avoid ones that require batteries.

I bought this game a few days ago. My older daughter and I decided on the travel version because the two of us could play it. We brought it home and couldn't stop playing it. One of the things we love best is that we can play it in 10-15 minutes. We play it before she leaves for school and doesn't have time for a longer game. We also play it about any time we can! We have dozens of games at home but really love this one. She calls it the Addicted Game.

We have thought of optional ways to play it. One strategy is to place our pieces so they fit as tightly on the game board, leaving the fewest unoccupied squares possible. We still place them so the pieces of the same color don't touch, as in the instructions. We pick our pieces according to their shape and how well they work with the other pieces on the board, rather than blocking the other player. Another way we like to play is to divide the game board in half and place our own pieces as closely together as possible.

The only complaint I have about this game is that it could have been designed better for travel. A slide out tray to contain the pieces or a flip open type board like Travel Othello or Travel Scrabble would have been nice. Then it would be self contained and not require the box. As it is, you need to take it in the box, with the two compartments for storing the game pieces. I would take it a lot more places if I didn't need the box because it's not made for wear and tear of travel.

Addicting...
This game has literally taken over my life. We are the type of family that does not eat in front of the TV or play during meals. Rather, we enjoy conversation during dinnertime. We now find ourselves eating WHILE playing "Travel" Blokus. (The plastic pieces are easily washable). My five-year-old picked up the game quickly, since there is only one rule - your pieces must only touch at the corners. While this seems simplistic there is so much strategy behind each move. If you think you know where you are going to put your next piece, you better have a back up plan, or seven, because your opponent can inadvertently or strategically kill your game plan. It is challenging for adults and children and is highly recommended to teach your child spatial reasoning (will later help them in the area of mathematics) and is somewhat similar to Tetris in the way that you have to look at a shape and understand how it can fit in a space by manipulating the shape (upside-down, backward, sideways, etc.)

Everyone who I have played this game with (other adults) was not been able to play just once, or even ten times for that matter. I now have friends dropping by just for a game. The reason I went with the "Travel" version, which as someone pointed out is not really a travel version as it is a two-person version, is that the regular Blokus game is only for 2 OR 4 players and from the reviews I read, the two-player game on the regular Blokus game is not as fun and challenging. With a smaller board this game is truly meant for two-players, and is usually the amount of people who want to play a game in our house. If we ever have four players in our house the next player challenges the winner of the previous game.
As a side note, my five-year-old wins about 50% of the time... a university degree doesn't not necessarily guarantee success.