| Recommended Age: | 4 + |
| Players: | 2-4 |
| Cost: | $24.99 |
| Play Time: | 10-15 minutes |
| Company Site: | www.blueorangegames.com |
| Official Site: | games/pengoloo |
| Note: | Paragraphs marked with * were added after the initial post. |
| Skills: | Memory Color Identification Fine Motor Strategy |
Pengoloo takes the Memory game to a whole new level of fun. I didn’t like playing Memory with my kids mostly because it was taking turns flipping cards. Sure you could get different cards but it got old fast. Pengoloo made me love Memory all over again and my Diva (who NEVER liked Memory) loves this game too!
This game is easy to learn and fun to play (over and over and over again) and doesn’t get old or drive you crazy! Here is the video from the company on how to play but I will give you my version..which is the real version this time too.
Pengoloo – Memory Game for Children from Blue Orange Games on Vimeo.
This game is recommended for ages 4 and up but my 3 year old Diva can play just fine. She has a tendency of cheating but she is only 3 and doesn’t exactly know that looking under more than two penguins is cheating. We are working on this.
Setup:
Remove all the Penguins and their eggs and the dice from the box. Then make sure each Penguin has an egg under it and then shuffle them around a bit on your table. Now every player takes an iceberg counter and places it in front them. Easy set up!
Objective:
Be the first player to capture 6 penguins or if you are playing with all four people then be the one with the most penguins.
Play:
Once all the Penguins are set up on your table (I do recommend a flat surface for this game) and everyone has their icebergs decide who goes first based on who is the youngest. I always have the pleasure of not going first…
First player rolls both dice and says the colors that comes up. (the verbal part is more for reinforcement than actual need in the game). Then they lift up two Penguins to see what color egg is under them. If they find one of the colors on the die they capture the Penguin and place it and its egg (still under it) on their iceberg.
Example time! If you roll Orange and Blue then you get to look under two Penguins to find either an Orange egg or a Blue egg. If you find both then you keep both and( according to the video) get another turn. If you only find one color then you keep that Penguin and egg and the next player gets to go.
Play continues until one player gets 6 Penguins and then they win the game. When someone wins you can simply slide the Penguins off of your iceberg and back into the middle, shuffle them up and play again.
Variations:
If you have older kids you can play a form of Memory Take-Away. The basic game is the same where you roll both dice and look under two Penguins BUT in this version you can look under the other players Penguins and if you find your color you can take THEIR Penguin! This version requires more Memory skills and a bit of strategy but can be very fun for kids around 8+.
Pengoloo helps reinforce colors or even can be used to teach them to toddlers. If you have a young child around 2-3 who either just learned or is learning their colors but they might not get the whole of the game you can adjust it a bit. Simply have them roll one die and lift a Penguin and identify its color egg.
My Diva also would lift a Penguin and say its color egg and then find that color on the die and show that it matched it.
Another way to play is a simple Memory game. Instead of flipping cards you lift Penguins and find its match under another Penguin. I could play this version of Memory all day!
*The box has cute little compartments for the Penguins which are made of wood. Every piece in this game including the dice are made of sturdy soft wood. I LOVE wood game pieces because generally they don’t break. Sturdy pieces and a pretty sturdy box that has compartments (the OCD in me seriously Squee’d) make this game perfect for little ones.
If you are looking for a game for your little OR older kids Pengoloo is fun for all ages and doesn’t get old. Trust me…I had to play it (literally) a dozen times during our Snowmageddon and it was fun every time. I even won a few! 
She is such a cutie! Looked like you all had fun. Thanks for the great review!
She has played that game with one of us or by herself every day for the last 5 days. She loves it! Thanks for such a great opportunity and for making awesome games =D