Thrift Treasure: Action Dragon
We’ve had pretty good luck with games from Canada in the past, so when we came across Action Dragon at a thrift store in Chicago, we took a chance at it. We should have noticed the full title on the box is actually, “Action Dragon: Sentence Construction”. So it’s an educational game…but a game nevertheless. We gave it a shot.
Action Dragon is a simple game that requires you to build sentences using cards marked with a variety of subjects, verbs, adjectives and compliments. Each part of the sentence is color-coded and to move your piece, you must create a sentence that includes the correct ‘formula’ of colors and number of cards.
The instructions claim the game is for ages 7+, and because of the need to understand the different parts of sentence structure, I would agree. However the artwork on the cards looks like it was designed to appeal to a much younger audience. In fact, we found one website claiming the game was suited for Pre-K to 3rd grade.
My 11-yr old found the game much too easy. She was knocking out seven and eight word sentences right from the start. There really wasn’t much of a challenge for this age group.
But…if you have a younger child in the 5-6 age range, with adult supervision they would probably not only enjoy the graphics of the game, but be challenged in their sentence building and part recognition. I guess we shouldn’t be so hard on it, it is billed as an educational game in the first place.
If you think you would find some great value in this type of learning game, you can find them from teacher supply stores as well as used copies on Amazon. Patrix Games does have other offerings on their website, maybe one just right for you!
This would be perfect if I had my hands on it today for a 5 year old birthday party. Too easy or difficult, playing games as a family is time you will all remember.
I would have loved playing this with my son – as we did sit down and play games which grew into Uno and Monopoly – what fun this it!
Thanks for the honest review! My son is still far away from playing this type of board game as he’s only 2. I wonder how popular will board games be a decade or two from now as every game seems to have moved to a mobile device or your computer.
I think video games have reached a saturation point and you’re going to see a resurgence in board games. There are new companies popping up all the time thanks to manufacturers that cater to smaller runs (and sites like Kickstarter that help them find funding). One of the largest gaming conventions was just this weekend (GenCon in Indy) and drew over 50,000 people from around the world!
Oh that looks like a lot of fun! Will have to check it out.
I never heard of this game before, but it looks like fun
Hay Scott. That was a great insight and review. Thank you very much. I already have the game on order, so was already excited and now even more so.
This looks like a fun game!
This would actually be a great game for my younger child who struggles with sentence structure.
you really find some of the coolest games
You make some great finds at thrift stores! I think this would be a good fit for my middle child based on your review.
This looks like such a cool game, so much fun! There are so many neat games out there, just have to look for them.
That looks like such a fun game! We need others to add to our collection, so I’ll check this one out!
This would be so great for my 2nd grader! She is even a huge dragon fan right now – so totally up her alley!