Review of Wise Alec Civilize This! by Griddly Games

We've had the pleasure of playing and reviewing Wise Alec Civilize This! Travel Game and Expansion Set by Griddly Games.



The original Wise Alec Family Trivia game is a board game with over 1,000 questions covering topics in History, Science, and Spelling.  Wise Alec Civilize This! is one of three new expansion/travel sets from Griddly Games which add 300 questions in new topics for expanded play in the original game.  All of the expansion sets can also be played on their own and work for travel, too.  Since we didn't have the original Wise Alec, we played Civilize This! as a stand alone game.  It's designed for 2-6 players, ages 8 and up.  I enlisted the help of my 12, 10, and 8 yr olds and as you can see, we enjoyed it.

Civilize This! contains a 6-colored die and 50 question cards each in the categories of Ancient cultures, Medieval cultures, Modern cultures, and 50 Wise Alec questions.  The culture question cards have two questions per card, one easier worth 3 points, and one more difficult question worth 7 points.  Game play is super easy and took us about 2 minutes to figure out how to play.  (Don't you just hate wading through instructions?!)  We decided that since I'm so old smart, I had to answer the 7 point questions, while they got to choose either the 3 pt or 7 pt questions.  (Actually, I missed a couple of questions, leaving me feeling not-so-smart.  Seriously though, is it common knowledge that the jaguar is the feline depicted by the Mayans as guardian of the Underworld?  I don't think so.  But, now I can say I learned a bit of trivia from the game, too.)

The three point questions seemed really easy to me, but my 8 yr old, above, didn't earn any points until she rolled purple (Wise Alec question) and got to sing a Happy Birthday song for 3 points!  It was the confidence booster she needed to continue playing with excitement.  Speaking of excitement, things got a little out of control when Twinkle Toes guessed that the "explosive invention of China" was the nuclear bomb instead of gun powder and everyone laughed at her.  She wouldn't let me take her picture and thankfully recovered her composure as soon as her brother was asked to do the cobra yoga pose (another Wise Alec question).

Overall, we enjoyed the game and I bet you can't guess who won.  Me, of course!  It wasn't all fun and games for me, though.  When Measle (8) answered that the prophet who started Islam was Paul, we all screamed "Nooooooo!!!" at her at the top of our lungs.  Then when she guessed Martin Luther, I began to question our decision to homeschool.  Oh well, at least my 10 and 12 yr olds knew how absurd her answers were.  Seriously, as a homeschooling mom, I love it when we can have fun and learn at the same time.  Measle's crazy answers gave us the opportunity to gently remind her of set her straight on the differences between Christianity and Islam!  (She really has heard this several hundred times before.)

 
If you're looking for a fun, compact, quick to play, educational game, then Wise Alec Civilize This! may be just what you're looking for!  Other Wise Alec expansion/travel games include Nature Nuts and Sports Buffs.  I believe this game retails for $17.99, well worth it in my opinion. 

Please check out other TOS reviews of Wise Alec Civilize This! and Nature Nuts by Griddly Games.

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of Wise Alec Civilize This! and no other compensation to write this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.