Quick Takes: 
2-4 players 
30 minutes 
Ages 6+ 
Level 1 (easy to learn, easy to play and FUN!)
Bocce, Bowling, and Pinball meet in this fun arctic themed, multi-award winning game. We surveyed real parents in the Bay Area, and this was top of their lists for family game night. Even the parents want in on this game about class-cutting penguins! It's Ice Cool! (ICECOOL? Who knows!)
This Ice Cool game board is a school, with hallways, rooms, and doorways rendered in 3D. Your objective is to flick your little wobbly penguin token through the doorways to find fish and win points. To do this, you need to stand up and move around the table to get juuuust the right angle for your flick! You might even get your penguin through multiple doorways with one flick. But you'd better practice, because these penguins aren't that easy to aim.
The penguins can be flicked, making curved lines, spinning and even jumping walls in unexpected ways, so the game is all about setting up the right angles and timing to get them going in the direction you want.
There's no way to play ICECOOL sitting down - it just doesn't work. Moms love this game because it keeps kids very engaged, and it focuses their excess energy on good instead of mischief. This game is not only fun, but it helps young children build dexterity. At Board's Edge Games, we have a toddler in the house and can really attest this isn't as intuitive as one might think! The reward of making your penguin go farther and farther through the doorways, learning better control over time, keeps kids motivated.
And best of all, this game combines a fun layout, great detailed illustrations, and an original game story. Fun for the whole family. That's why we put it on our list of top 5 games for kids.
- Simplicity - easy to learn (very simple) rules
- Family fun - the game helps young children build dexterity and also holds interest for older children with all the action on each turn
- Design - the pieces and board setup were artfully designed and thought through
- Oscar winner - winner of the German Board Game Oscars, Kids category (Kinderspiel des Jahres)
- Kids can beat the parents! (ask us how we know)
- Kinderspiel des Jahres Winner - 2017
- Spring Parent's Choice Fun Stuff Award Winner - 2017
- Board Games Quest Awards Best Family Game Winner - 2016