Dr. Eureka: Mixing and mastering mayhem (game review)

When seeking indoor summer fun to ride out storms or scorching temps, it would be tough to find a super quick yet super challenging game more fast and fun — and challenging in more ways than one — than Dr. Eureka from Blue Orange.

 

Dr. Eureka — for 1 to 4 players, ages 8 and up — carries the tagline, "Mix The Molecules, Master The Formula." Games take about 15 minutes, and go something like this:

I received Dr. Eureka for review just in time to entertain Bud and Brianna during Bud's first week of summer vacation. The weather was a wee bit blustery one afternoon, so the three of us settled in for a quick session as we waited for the sun to shine.

I read the directions, explained to Bud and Brianna that the goal of Dr. Eureka is to successfully move molecules from tube to tube (without touching them!) to match the "formula" on the cards. First to win five formula cards wins.

 

And I stressed to Bud in my most competitive tone that he'd need to be super quick moving his molecules from tube to tube to beat Brianna and me. Which he found a tad intimidating. (Sheesh... what kind of grandma am I, challenging a child like that?!)

 

His trepidation turned out to be well founded. Though the recommended age for Dr. Eureka is age 8 and older, eight-year-old Bud had quite a bit of trouble manipulating the colorful molecules from tube to tube without using his fingers to move the balls.

Competing against grownups three and four times his age was, admittedly, not the most fair of odds. I suggest when it comes to players on the lower range of the recommended age that the players be relatively close in age and motor skill ability. Or, give the younger players a head start, as we ended up doing with Bud.

Once Bud got a better handle on manipulating the molecules (and Brianna and I looked the other way a time or two when they tumbled from the tube and table), he did manage to be successful in completing the formula a few times. Which made the struggle worth it!

After the overall winner of five challenges was named — that being former lab worker Brianna — we all discussed other ways Dr. Eureka could be played, some of which are outlined in the directions as more challenging options. We also all agreed that solo play, going through the cards and creating the correct formulas on one's own, is a super way for youngsters to work on motor skills and oldsters like myself to work on brain skills.

Overall, Dr. Eureka was fast, fun, and challenging. And a game we all agreed we'd play again... and often.

Dr. Eureka retails for $19.99 and can be purchased at at blueorangegames.com.

Disclosure: I received this product free for review; opinions are my own and my partners in play.