New/Back This Week 7/2/13 to 7/8/13

by Becky "Purple Disease" Topol

This week we got a bunch of great new puzzles in. Some beautiful art by Mucha, classic posters, and crazy pyramid-shaped jigsaws featuring pre-Colombian and Egyptian art are now on the shelves.

Look at this gorgeous thing! For high-level puzzlers only; mere mortals need not apply.

For board and card games, there's nothing brand new this week, but we're really excited to have some great stuff back again.

Following the triumphant and long-awaited return of Pandemic, the game's On the Brink expansion is back as well. This expansion allows a fifth payer to join in the game, and also adds new challenging possibilities. The Virulent Strain challenge makes one disease even more powerful and unpredictable. The Mutation challenge adds a new disease with a completely individual pattern of behavior, diverging from the other four. Possibly most exciting is the Bio-Terrorist challenge, which transforms the game from a cooperative challenge into a deadly one-vs.-many struggle for the survival of the world. With one player plotting global destruction, the others must fight to save humanity. Note: This new edition of the expansion matches the styling of the new-edition base game, meaning that the cards are not compatible with the older edition without a conversion deck.

Also returning is Sentinels of the Multiverse, a cooperative card game with comic book flair. This fixed-deck game pits heroic players against crazed villains bent on world domination (Mua-ha-ha-haaa!). Players choose from the various 40-card hero decks, each with its own amazing powers and abilities, and then team up against mad scientists, alien warlords, and giant robots. With enemy and environment decks that play themselves, Sentinels of the Multiverse is another great addition to the cooperative gaming pantheon.

Of course, not all games are meant to be played inside. With the weather heating up, it's the perfect time to get out to the park or yard with a classic active game. For outdoor fun, our lawn darts have returned today! Never fear; these darts have safety tips, so they're perfect for all ages and surfaces - they'll work great on grass or a patio. The set includes enough darts and target rings for two players or teams. A great way to get the family playing together at your Fourth of July barbecue, or any summer get-together!