I bought this game thinking it would have to have at least some redeeming qualities, but I was wrong. I am a big fan of chess and thought that at the very least I would have that. I found it absolutely ridiculous how difficult the AI was for chess. On the easiest level it took me ten games before I finally beat the computer. The game is good for the kids, as it incorporates classic games like "Connect Four", "Battleship", and "Checkers", and if you want to play against other human players, the set-up is good, but the AI on this game is ridiculous. I wouldn't suggest this game to anyone who isn't looking for a frustrating time.

The games are what I expected, but I am disappointed in the overall quality. It appears to be a poorly translated game. So some of the terms used don't necessarily mean what you expect them to. It's a lot of guessing...

And some games just aren't right unless you have a big screen, which I don't. There is a boggle-like game, where you select words from a table of letters on the screen. on my 32 inch TV, the letters are so small, my eyes go buggy after awhile.

I read many bad reviews on gamefly & IGN as well. The music has three songs a jazzy/techno beat (the beat was a decent attempt at being hip) & another jazz like elevator music song & I forget the third. they just bleed together.
The graphics have been around since the original NES - Playstation 1 times probably. There are about 6 different 3D backgrounds, but they still don't add to it.
The menu system could be better, the game doesn't explain it's scoring method or & real quick on instructions on how to use the remote (no nunchuck option). The tutorial for how to play a game can only be accessed after you START a game & decide options which it never explains some of the options that aren't obvious. It does have easy, medium & hard settings. I was hoping/EXPECTING a training option for games, especially chess (I've never played), but beyond a 31 page 1 paragraph text & simple flash graphic example, it does not.
Now, board games are about strategy, right? Well, on ALL games, it highlights ALL possible moves it designates, EVEN on the HARD option.
CLASSIC GAMES
Chess - self-explanatory, simple boring graphics, anything you'd find on a multi game PC title eve up to 10 years ago.
Checkers - I kicked butt on Medium though been too many years since I played. On hard, it kicked my butt. I started remember the strategies... then realized I wanted to make a perfectly fine safe legal move away from other opponents, but it would NOT let me. It wanted me to jump my opponent which would result in my piece getting jumped as well which I didn't want to lose. WHAT KIND OF GAME DOESN"T LET YOU CHOOSE YOUR OWN MOVES? Sure it helped to let me know I could do a move I didn't realize, but why limit you to the computer's CHOSEN moves which resulted me in always losing?
Reversi - I can kick butt on this game every time usually because of ONE easy strategy. the boarder titles are KEY & ESPECIALLY corner pieces. it's easy to figure out. But even on HARD the computer couldn't figure that out. Again, it highlights all choices though I don't think there was a limit like checkers. Another issue I think once I hit A (selected) a piece, I could not unselect it so I was stuck.
Backgammon - I forget how to play & the instructions still left me confused, so I did not play.
FAMILY GAMES
Jigsaw Puzzle - very hard pictures like a far away shot of an oil tanker in a cloudless sky in calm water. A dark shadowy sailboat at twilight so it was all in different colors of blue only. A panda surrounded only by bamboo leaves. The pieces move along the bottom like a stock market ticker & you pick it up as it passes. You have to guage where the peice would fit almost perfectly even in the middle even if it's the first piece. OH! & the best part? The indicator in ALL the games is a small hand.. so when you have a piece in your hand, it COVERS it as you rotate it & decide where it fits.
Backgammon - I nver played it, the instructions made it seem like a very boring, with less strategy involved then even checkers. All possible moves were of course highlighted.
Wordcubes/Boggle - make words by selecting letters that touch each other. When play alone, it doesn't even give you a computer opponent like the other games.
Naval Battle/Battleship - graphics circa 1985. Getting bombs to hit took several attempts, it would make the square turn blue if missed & red outline of a square if hit w/sound of explosion. woo hoo. If found the full ship, it would show an outline for a second & then only the outlined red squares again. A faster but more mindless version of the game.
STRATEGY GAMES
Mahjong - I have an old CRT 27" (I use s-video cable for the wii) & sitting close I had no problem reading characters. I like the game overall, but I find Vista's much more engaging. Any tiles you cannot select because they are blocked are shadowed in grey instead of beige.
Connect Four - just like the board game except they look like red/yellow bulging tires or donuts with graphics from the 1990s.
Sudoku - did not play
Gomoku/Pente - never heard of it before, but played it & loved the style of game.

Some game boards are shown in easy, boring, top down view, some like Gomoku were on an angle to give it a 3D look.
This is another shovelware. The developers like most bad third parties think the secret to casual games is just slap an easy game w/o any attention to details, unique style, etc & consumers will still love it. They don't care, use limited budget, use their first timers or worst employees for these projects & give them little time & it will still sell. This game needed a human voice, profile options, explanation of scoring & better graphics.

I bought this game because I thought it would be fun to have board games on the Wii -- something I've wished that gaming companies would do for a long time. (I love PC games like Mah-Jong, etc. and really wanted that in the Wii format.)


I found this to be slow and, even on a 41-inch HDTV display, it's hard to see.


Not the first game I would recommend.

Guess I expected more being a Wii game. But it is a board game. Played some but not enough excitement in it.