Jishaku Magnetic Action Game Review & Giveaway (CLOSED)

Jen's 2010 Holiday Gift Guide presents...


Jishaku is a great and a fun game for all ages not just for kids. It is a simple strategy game that can be learned quickly. The game made me jump and laugh every time the magnets jump out of place. It's entertaining and unpredictable.

Jishaku is a patent pending, portable strategy game like chess or checkers that can be played anywhere in the kitchen or in the beach. Unlike chess, there is an element of surprise when the magnets jump out of position, without warning. There is a surprise, then laughs, follow as two or more players try to beat force fields with strategic thinking plus careful and precise handling of the game’s magnetic stones. The unpredictability of Jishaku turns any get together into a party. While alternating turns with your opponents, the goal of the game is to place magnets onto the game base without letting any magnets connect. If any magnets connect on your turn, you must collect those magnets and add them to your pile. The first person to run out of magnets wins, but there is a twist. All magnets have north and south poles. Jishaku magnets do too. They just aren't marked. So as you carefully place your magnet in a hole you can feel the tug of magnets all around the board. Skilled players learn to use magnetic force in their favor repelling the magnets closest to them without forcing them into other magnets. At least that's the goal but the results can be quite surprising.

How the game was invented:

Steve Velte was playing with his two daughters one afternoon with some finely polished hematite magnetic stones. His oldest was putting the magnets onto a variety of surfaces and he began to notice how, depending on the surface, the magnets would interact.

Inspired, Steve came up with a simple game that afternoon where he and his daughters would
take turns putting magnets onto a surface and try to accomplish certain tasks with the magnets on that surface. Eventually, it became clear that trying to avoid having the magnets connect was challenging and the most fun. As the game progressed, some of the magnets flew together, and an “ah ha” moment occurred when Steve’s startled eight-year-old squealed in surprise. It happened again and again. Steve thought he had something, and after some major fine-tuning of the rustic beginnings, it became apparent that he did.

Jishaku, the game, was born. A unique game of skill and intrigue, Jishaku, the Japanese word for magnet, holds surprises at every turn. Unlike traditional board games where moving a piece is only risky if a player happens to land on a dangerous square of the board, Jishaku players can never be certain if their next move will secure them a win or cost them the game when their move causes pieces to jump across the board and connect. The game is fast paced and a new player can learn the basics of game play in thirty seconds though individual strategies emerge as a player becomes more skilled. When the magnets connect, and as few as two to a dozen can and will, the reactions can be hilarious.



See the Jishaku game in action:


BUY IT
Jishaku retails for $19.95US and can be purchased at over 1000 specialty retailers, Barnes & Noble stores, or online at www.playjishaku.com.

 WIN IT
Jishaku Magnetic Action Game Giveaway

One (1) lucky reader will have a chance to win a copy of the Jishaku Magnetic Action Game. Chosen winner will be selected via Random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to claim their prize.

This is a mandatory entry:
1) Simply tell me in the comment below who you would win this game for.

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Enter to win a copy of Jishaku Magnetic game and challenge your friends. Review & Giveaway @jennieyuen - http://bit.ly/dxgCs5
 

Contest is open to US and Canadian residents. Contest closes December 17, 2010 11:59pm (PST).


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Disclosure: I received a copy of the game at no charge in exchange for a review of my opinion. Thanks to Asylum PR and Jishaku. The opinions expressed are my own personal and honest thoughts. No other compensation was given.