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42 of 44 found the following review helpful:
 It's okayAug 05, 2010
By Michigoon
"tech geek"
LEGO Magikus is a parts-collecting game based mostly on random rolls of a die. It's a cute little package, and considering it can be gotten fairly cheap, it's hard to argue against.
You set up an ingredient rack by following the build instructions. The goal is to collect four specific ingredients, and then cast the magic spell by placing all the ingredients into a black cauldron piece. The cauldron seems like a pretty after-the-fact addition as you've already won when you collect all your ingredients, but hey the kids will probably love that part. So, there are four each of four ingredients on the rack. You need to collect one of each ingredient to win. The six-sided die has a color to correspond to each ingredient (Red, Green, Blue, Yellow), so you basically just roll the die and take the appropriate ingredient from the rack (assuming there are any left). Each player also has their own scoring rack (ingredient list), with four colored places to put ingredients and keep track of what you need to collect. Fill up your ingredient list, and you win.
There are two twists to this. At the beginning of your turn, you may move the white owl piece to a spot outside any row or column of ingredients. If you roll white on the die, you make take any ingredient from the row or column you've placed the owl on- if you forgot to move the owl, you have to choose from where it is. If you instead roll black on the die, you may take one ingredient from another player- this is especially useful later in the game when other players may have taken all of a specific ingredient off the rack. This completed the die (White, Black, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow).
The game also comes with optional rules, including a black bat piece that I'd recommend including as soon as players are comfortable with the base game. The bat piece can be used as a fifth ingredient, so now when you roll black on the die you may choose to either steal an ingredient from another player, or take the bat (including stealing the bat from other players). This adds a decent kick of strategy, as players have to decide between hoping to roll ingredients they need and taking the bat early, or building ingredients and going for the bat at the last minute. There are also rules for mixing up the ingredient lists, including the extra pieces necessary to make room for variations, complete with a suggestion to keep your ingredient list secret during play. Players then vie to fill their own secret shopping list, and there's some fun guessing what pieces other players need as the the game progresses.
Overall, this is a cute little game. It's mostly for young kids, but adults won't feel completely left out as there is some strategy and bluffing with the advanced rules. The gameplay would work for children younger than the "6+" recommendation, but the game does contain a number of small parts that pose a choking hazard, so be careful letting very young players near this one. Adults may also need to help small children, as the rack setup is rather delicate and requires some dexterity to pull ingredients off without disturbing other pieces.
21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
 My 5 year old LOVES this gameSep 23, 2010
By V. Carter
"Goddess"
I bought this on a whim because it was cheap and in stock at the local store. My 5 year old LOVES lego Harry Potter and likes using the pieces with his other little guys. He insists that we bring the Harry Potter lego figures over to play the game with us when we play. So far we have played this game about 50x in the last 2 days.
I like that this game is cheap, less than ten dollars is a great deal as children's board games go.
I like that it is very simple to play, but has variations to make it more exciting as well.
I like that it is a very quick game, we can play it in just a few minutes and it is every bit as satisfying as if it took longer. My son has lost a lot since we play it a lot, the first time he screamed and threw a fit and ran out of the room, but by now, he just asks to play again, so it's a good experience in not winning everytime as this game is very hard to throw in his favor or cheat at.
I like the elements that are unique to this game like the dice.
I would recommend it to anyone with young children that is a lego fan, it might even be good for a non lego fan, just so long as they don't get annoyed by small pieces.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
A fun new way to play with LegosSep 25, 2010
By Bookphile
My daughter and I first spotted the Lego games in our local Target a while back. Ever since, I've been eager to get one, so we waited for this game with great anticipation. I'm very happy to say that it does not disappoint.
Like books, games for children can be pretty taxing and less than thrilling for adults. I shudder to think of my daughter's Chutes and Ladders days. I'm always a little worried when we get a new game, because I want it to be a fun experience for the whole family, and that's exactly what Magikus is. When you first open the box, it contains a rule book for the game and an instruction book for assembling the game "board", plus all of the little Lego pieces you'll need for the assembly (and a couple extra). My husband has loved Legos ever since he was a kid, so he loved putting the game set together. It was a nice activity for him and my daughter. The assembly isn't all that complicated, but she's six, and I'm not sure it was something she could have handled on her own. At any rate, putting the game together is part of the fun of the experience.
Once the game is assembled, play can begin. The object is to get the four components you need in order to create the spell and win the game. Gameplay is fast-paced and this is a quick game, which makes it nice for squeezing a quick session in before or after dinner. My daughter really likes the customizable die, and has fun taking it apart and putting it back together in a new configuration. The die makes me marvel at Lego's ability to come up with fun, innovative products.
We began with the basic rule set and then expanded into other rule sets as we got a hang of the game. Changing the rules up helps keep the game fresh and just makes the product even more fun. Our current favorite is the "secret spell" alternate rule. The next step will be to try to cook up our own rules for the game. This is a really fun product that I would highly recommend.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Enjoyed by a Lego fanDec 28, 2010
By K. West
My friend's son who is about 10 years old requested Legos for Christmas and so after picking up Lego Monsters for my own nephew, I selected Magikus. He was so excited when he saw the Lego name and right then and there asked his friend to play a game. He/they really enjoyed it.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Fun to Build, Fun to PlaySep 21, 2010
By B. Rubin
"Librarianista"
LEGO Magikus is a quick, fun game that has multiple attractive features. First, there is the 'build your game before you play it' angle. Pure genius! Second, the game itself is changeable, depending upon the age level and the creativity of the people playing it. Finally, it is easy for younger kids to learn while still being engaging for older children. Here's how to play, in brief: You need to collect four specific pieces (spell ingredients). You have to roll the die to determine which piece you get. You can only get one of the pieces if it is available in the row you have chosen prior to your die roll. There is also a black bat LEGO piece that you can use as an additional 'must have' in order to win. My children, 6 and 9, both enjoy playing this game and are able to compete against each other on a more or less equal playing field. Part of the game is chance (your roll) and part is strategy (selecting the correct row prior to your die roll). You can add additional components of difficulty or even make up your own rules to add spice to the game. In addition, we like to use the unique LEGO pieces (bat, wands, red teeth, and skull heads) when we play with our general pile of LEGO guys. This is a good game to TEACH how to play a game. Lots of kids only know how to play video games and don't have any board game skills, which is not good for long-term critical thinking skills. An inexpensive, fun, and entertaining game. Recommended.
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