Angry Birds, like my kids, are on thin ice.
Angry Birds on Thin Ice is a board game made by Mattel. It is the second in an Angry Birds game series, with this title published in 2011. This game is very similar to the Angry Birds game application for smartphones that has been popular for some time.
Unlike the smartphone version, players in this game use physical materials supplied with the game (the bits) to build projects. Then, the other player uses several angry birds to destroy the project and knock over the pigs. It’s basically a chance for kids like mine to get to something that would otherwise get them in time-out–knock down someone else’s creation. As in the game on the smartphones, the goal is to knock over the pigs rather than just the structures.
Play Instructions
To begin play, player one draws a card from the card deck. The card has a structure on it, along with the number of birds that can be used to destroy the structure. The other player then builds the structure, complete with pigs placed into the design.
Once built, the first player has a sling shot and uses it with the designated birds to try to destroy the structure. Points are awarded for every pig that is brought down by the slingshot. The game continues until one player reaches 1,000 points. Points are awarded based on a scale supplied by the game with a score of zero points being possible on a turn. A quick way to remember your points is to keep that cards by your side that you win points with. Otherwise, take the cards and put them in a used car pile.
Play Levels
The game comes with four levels of play. During the turn, a player chooses from one level. Most players start the game from level one and continue to level three. The fourth pile of cards is the hardest level in that the play does not build a design from the card. Rather, he or she has to pick pieces from the game and build a castle of their own design.
Game Equipment
The slingshot is used to shoot the structure in the order of the birds listed on the cards. The game only comes with two birds, so the birds have to be shared. The slingshot is actually not easy to use and will only shoot over a small distance.
The card deck includes bonus cards. These cards allow a player to use bonus playing items including extra building parts, TNT boxes, and extra shots. In this game, a yellow bird is used to replace the red bird usually seen in the smart phone game.
Special Hints
All games in Mattel’s Angry Bird series may be combined to play one large game. Thus, the more games in the series one owns, the longer and more varied the gameplay. Mattel does not supply replacement parts for these games, so keep track of the game pieces.
