Brick Like This!, By Asmodee - REVIEW

Nature / Type:             Board game / tabletop game 

Rating:                        ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:     7 year-old ++ 

Who would love this:  Lego-lovers / those who enjoy communication games 

We adored Monkey Palace, Asmodee Australia - first Lego game, so when a LEGO party game came along, we jumped right in. Brick Like This! packs all the joy of building bricks into a quick-burst of creativity and chaos! 

Why I love ❤️ this: 

(1) LEGO Game That Tests Your Communication Skills

Finally - a LEGO game that tests your communication skills! Each round, one player becomes the Instructor, drawing a shape card and describing how to build it using only words (no pointing, no touching!). Their teammate, the Builder, listens and gets to work. Each shape scores 5–8 points and uses that many bricks — the trickier the build, the bigger the reward. As soon as a Builder finishes, they shout ‘Done!’ and flip the timer, giving everyone else just 30 seconds to wrap up. Then comes the big reveal: place your creation on the 1:1 scale build card to see if you nailed it!

(2) Scales Well For Different Ages & Skill Levels

I love that this game scales so well for different ages and skill levels. The easiest cards break the shapes into clear brick outlines, while the tougher ones show just a silhouette - perfect for players who like a challenge. The trickier builds definitely call for imagination and sharp instructions, especially when choosing and positioning the right bricks. There are only eight shapes to master, and LEGO lovers will recognize the brick names right away - but even if you don’t, that’s fine too! Making up your own names is half the fun - whether it’s the ‘circle-hole brick,’ the ‘upside-down triangle,’ or the ‘sloping hill,’ everyone gets the idea. 

(3) Challenge Cards With Extra Rules!

The game also comes with a deck of challenge cards that crank up the chaos. These add extra rules like ‘no saying colours,’ ‘build with eyes closed,’ or our kids’ favourite - ‘no thumbs allowed!’ With 92 build cards and 20 challenge cards, there’s loads of replayability and plenty of ways to mix up the difficulty. We loved racing to finish first for those cheeky bonus points - every round turns into a fresh, hilarious surprise.

(4) Packed In Box For Game Night

This game comes neatly packed in a box that’s perfect to pull out on game night. Within minutes, you’ll have teammates shouting wild instructions while Builders scramble to make sense of the madness! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.m-g.com.au/product/brick-like-this/

https://www.gameology.com.au/products/lego-brick-like-this

Enjoy the video! 

Monkey Palace, By Lego & Asmodee - REVIEW

Nature / Type:             Board game

Rating:                        ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:     10 year-old ++ 

Who would love this:  Lego lovers & anyone who enjoys strategy games with stunning set-up! 

Lego and Asmodee have teamed up to bring something groundbreaking to the table – Monkey Palace! This is a brilliant fusion of strategy, fun, and the iconic creativity of LEGO pieces. Seriously, how cool is this! Big thanks to VR Distribution for sending over a copy. 

Why I love ❤️ it: 

(1) Collaborate To Build - With REAL LEGO Bricks!

Monkey Palace is a one-of-a-kind placement game where players collaborate to build, but with a competitive edge! The goal is to rack up the most banana points by constructing a staircase that earns Monkey Credits through monkey, trophy, and bonus cards. On your turn, you’ll build an ascending staircase using blocks, columns, and arches, topping it off with a decoration like bamboo leaves or a golden block. The more height you build (earn bonus points for columns with 5 or more blocks) and the more arches you use, the more credits you earn (which you can then spend on cards for additional building blocks -  both one-time and recurring). The set includes 80 arches, 80 1×1 bricks, 16 1×3 columns, 32 bamboo leaves in 2 colors, 16 1×1 round bricks, a monkey, butterfly, frog, 4 corner bricks, a baseplate, 84 cards, 4 player boards, and 2 double-sided ground maps. The player with the most banana points at the end of the game wins!

(2) Strategy, Strategy, Strategy

I’m in love with the strategic depth! There’s so much to consider: which cards to buy for the best mix of arches and blocks, whilst ensuring you earn enough banana points to win. Don’t forget the trophy cards for extra points and the mischievous critters that can disrupt your opponents—like the monkey that sits on top of a golden decoration block, the butterfly that hovers at the highest decoration block, and the frog that gives you a free column piece in exchange for -3 points.

(3) Replayability & Variety

I love the game’s replayability and variety. With four different game maps featuring unique layouts and ground types, each structure looks different every time. The shuffled cards each round provide new building pieces, keeping the gameplay dynamic and fresh. 

(4) Fun & Playful Style With Hint Of Humour

The game’s aesthetic is charming and playful, with LEGO’s signature humor and style shining through. The monkeys add a fun, goofy touch.

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.gamesworld.com.au/product/lego-monkey-palace/

https://www.ebgames.com.au/product/toys-and-collectibles/308122-lego-monkey-palace-board-game

https://www.zingpopculture.com.au/product/card-board-games/308122-lego-monkey-palace-board-game

Enjoy the video! 

DUPLO Build Me Emotions, By LEGO - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:          LEGO DUPLO bricks with a focus on emotions/ expressions  

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:  3 year-old ++   

Who would love this: Young DUPLO fans 

There is hardly ever a Duplo set that doesn’t excite my kids. LEGO DUPLO Build Me Emotions - 188 pieces is one engaging and cute construction toy that makes us smile and creates loads of fun discussions. 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Double-Sided Facial Bricks - The best thing about this set is the unique double-sided facial expression pieces. The emotions depicted are obvious and easily discernible. I think this is a great starter set for any young kids who are learning and grappling with the concept of “good” and “bad” emotions. The “angry” face has eyebrows pushing towards each other with suppressed narrow lips; a “sad” face is represented by eyebrows that droop towards each corners and downwards-pulling lips; the “surprise” face has two widened eyes and an opened-mouth gape. The “positive” emotions, on the other hand, are displayed with lively round eyes, cheeky wink, raising lip-corners, and happy rosy blushes. It’s easy to tell the expression apart, and it’s even more fun when we can “transform” an expression just by turning our constructed figures from front to back, as each side of the expression brick shows a different emotion. These are child-friendly toy that teaches apparent and easily- recognisable “feelings”; there is nothing complicated, no “in-between”. 

(2) Build Your Characters - The set comes with sufficient pieces to build interesting figure structures. The “curved top” brick is perfect for building “feet”; the “curved bottom” is great for connecting the “head” with “body”, and the taller curvy pieces can be combined into a “skirt” for the characters. There is no right or wrong way to build this. I love how “open-ended” the concept is. 

(3) Building Ideas - The set also comes with 8 double-sided building cards (featuring 16 characters) that provides the kids with interesting building inspirations. 

(4)  It's DUPLO - And last of all, like any other DUPLO sets, the durable plastic brick pieces are compatible with other DUPLO / LEGO products. The colours are, as usual, appealing to young kids with so many varieties! 

 

I think this is an awesome “beginner” emotion set for kids (but it would probably outgrow the kids pretty soon). 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.teaching.com.au/product/LEG5018 (Australia) 

Enjoy the video! 

Coding Express, by LEGO education

Nature/ Type:           Construction/ Building Toy 

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:  2 year-old ++

Who would love this: Building + Coding Lovers

I like open-ended natural-material toys, but I also think coding toys are pretty awesome, especially a screen-free one that can be played and understood by young kids. This Coding Express by LEGO education is one that I personally love and enjoy playing with my two monkeys. 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Lego Building Time - it’s Lego Duplo! So before we can start any actual coding, kids need to spend time constructing the objects: a train, a castle-playground, a fishing boat, a fuel station, a train stop, train tracks and any other Duplo creations that the kids can think of. 

(2) Push-And-Go Train Engine - the set comes with a clever push-and-go train engine that can detect and follow instructions of the “action bricks” - Red brick means “stop”, green means “change of direction”, blue means “stop for fuel”, yellow brick makes a train sound, white brick triggers light on and off. Kids can place these action bricks on the train tracks, and watch how the train acts according to the pre-planned instructions when it passes over them. We had loads of fun trying out different plans and actions, and watch the train reacted accurately on each step. The boy was eager to design and watch the train performs each action at the “correct timing”, eg stopping for fuel when it arrives at the fuel station, turning backwards when arriving at the end of track etc. 

(3) App Experience - There is also an optional app which enhances the experience of play if you need some educative screen-time with kids. 

Enjoy the video! 

Duplo Steam Park Building Set, by Lego Education

Nature/ Type:         Construction & Building Toy 

Rating:                   ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age: 3 to 5-year-old

Who would love this: Lego Duplo lovers 

We know Lego is awesome. But what if we can combine the joy of building and creating, with the fascination in the world of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics? That, is Lego Education, a whole new level of awesomeness. This Duplo steam park building set has been a big hit in this household. The kids love building all sorts of structures according to the idea sheets or simply creating their own unique inventions of crazy rides. They are as usually, colourful, fun, and amazingly versatile when it comes to building and creating. 

Why I love ❤️ this Duplo steam park building set? 

(1) Entertaining Amusement Park Theme: who doesn’t love amusement park with their crazy rides, fast and furious, games and winning? This set has all the pieces for kids to create an entertaining park of their style. 

(2) Engineering Skills: it combines education with creative build; a long crazy ramp that allows car to speed down in full velocity, a canon that shoots, spinning gears and cogs, pulleys and some crazy rides that swing and circle around. Each has its own little knowledge and engineering wisdom to impart. 

(3) Independent Play. Yes, both of my kids spend almost an hour creating and recreating. This is an absolute value for money investment. 

Enjoy the video below and see how we can utilise the different clever gears and duplo parts to create an amusement park that actually comes “alive” with rides moving around!