6 July 2011

Review: Cars 2 Card Games


The lovely people from Cartamundi have kindly sent me two of their new Card Games for the new Disney Cars 2 film which is out this summer. Since Logan was a little young to help me review these card games I had to rope in the help of the lucky other half, oh what fun we had! It really was a good giggle I assure you. We were sent the Happy Families card game and Mega Memo 4 in 1 card game to review. Here is what we thought.

What they say; "As 'Cars 2' drives through cinema screens this summer, Cartamundi bursts into pole position with the release of its Disney Cars 2 Card Games. Rookie racers can enjoy hours of revved up holiday fun with Lightning McQueen, Mater and friends."

Cars 2 Happy Families Game
So first and foremost, how do you play the game? Well each card has their own symbol at the top left and bottom right of the card which has a letter and a number. The letters go through A - H and the numbers go from 1 - 4 in each set so for example you would have A1, A2, A3, A4 then B1, B2, B3, B4 all the way through to H and there are 8 families of cards (hence letters A - H) so that's 32 cards altogether. To help identify the families easily for children each family feature the same letter, the same colour and the same character, so pretty simple really when you have the cards in your hand to look at.

The object of the game is to collect as many families as possible so that is why it is recommended for 2 or more players as it's a competative game. So you deal out all the cards making sure that each player has an equal number of cards each. The dealer starts the game by asking another player for a card needed to complete a family. If the other player has the card he must give it to the person asking for it. The player can continue asking for cards until they make a mistake i.e. the other player doesn't have the card or they ask for the same card twice etc. When a mistake is made the player who was asked for cards takes their turn to request cards. That player can retake the cards taken from them in the previous round if they want to. When a player gathers a family they must put the 4 cards face down on the table in front of them. The player who collects the most sets wins!!


Pretty straight forward really and something really similar to a game we would have all played with a normal deck of cards, only with this deck of cards it makes it far more interesting for kids. My other half had a little giggle playing this, but enjoyed it as we spent time together. It would be a great game to get the kids minds thinking and keep them away from the TV! Excellent for taking on holiday as they are small and neatly packed in a little cardboard box so easy enough to slip into your handbag or your childs rucksack.

This Happy Families card game is recommended for kids who are 4+ and retails for £3.99.

Mega Memo Games
The Mega Memo pack contains 4 card games in 1 so more bang for your buck! These games are Pairs, Donkey, Mega Memo & Puzzle.

The pairs game is simple and straight forward everyone understands it and played it when they were little. The Donkey game should ring a bell too. Using the cards used for the Pairs game, select a pair and designate one of the cards as the 'donkey' card, its' pair is then put aside as it won't be used, only the one is needed. The object of this game is to not have the 'donkey' card in your hand at the end of the game. So after shuffling the cards deal them out to everyone in a clockwise direction. Everyone should then look at their cards and match up all the pairs, these are then put into the centre of the table as they match. When all the pairs have been removed the player to the left of the dealer should arrange their cards in a fan shape showing only the back of the cards to the next player (or the dealer if only 2 people are playing) and that person should pick a card, if that card makes a pair then those cards should be placed in the pile beside the rest of the pairs. If the player can't make a pair they must keep the card and continue the game by offering their cards to the next player always working clockwise. When a player has no cards left they are 'saved' and stop playing. The player who has the 'donkey' card in his hand at the end of the game is the loser - simple as pees!

Both the pairs and donkey game are recommended for kids aged 3+.


The mega memo game is all about learning to recognise pictures. You use the small cards which are used for pairs and donkey game but you also use the larger cards in this game as well. You basically dish out the small cards so that each player has one of each card, then the players spread these cards out facing up so you can see what picture is on it. The big cards are then placed in the table, puzzle up, so that the players cannot see the pictures on the other side.You then turn over the big cards so that the players can see the pictures and who ever puts the pictures together the fastest to match the big card wins, the players have to shout stop when they're finished. If they did it the fastest and the picture is correct they get to keep the big card, if it is wrong the big card goes back under the pile. The game continues till all large cards are gone and the winner is the player with the most large cards. This is quite a fast and furious game and one that is really fun to play but it is recommend for children aged 5+.

The puzzle game is straight forward as well, the large cards have a piece of puzzle on the back of them and you have to match them up to create the bigger picture. All very easy and fun to do, it will keep the kids busy as they have to use the puzzle pieces as clues as all the cards are smooth and don't click together like a normal jigsaw puzzle. Recommend for ages 3+.

The Mega Memo 4 in 1 games pack retails at £4.99.

Both the Happy Families Game and Mega Memo game come with instructions so you will always have them to refer to if you get stuck or forget what you're doing. And as well as the above mentioned card games Cartamundi have also released the Cars 2 Happy Families Game in a nifty metal box (RRP £6.99), Pairs & Donkey Game on their own (RRP £2.99) and the Cars 2 Gift Set (RRP £12.99).

Overall I would highly recommend the Mega Memo 4 in 1 games pack, lots of games for your money and well worth the purchase. Will keep the kids busy for ages and spurs that little competative edge all in the name of good fun ofcourse. Easy to use in the house on a rainy day or take on holiday with you for family fun. I feel the Happy Families game is a little pricey at £3.99 considering the mega memo game have 4 games for £4.99 but you can make up your own mind on that.

Mummies rating - 8.5/10
Other half's rating - 8/10

You can see Cars 2 in cinemas from 22nd July. Cars2 Card Games are available from all good toy retailers. For further information visit www.cartamundi.co.uk or Tel: 01268 511522.

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