Thinkfun came out with Roller Coaster Challenge last year and it really is a "Thrill Ride Building Game!"
This game comes with a ton of parts. It is a bit daunting when you open the box. Honestly, it's a bit of a challenge getting everything back into the box when you're done too!
It comes with a rule book which goes over the different pieces in detail. It's a good idea to have this page open when you are getting started. For the straight track pieces, there are two bits of information that you need to keep in mind. First, you need to know how long the track is, that is, how far across the game board it will stretch. There are dots on each piece that indicate the length, so two dots on a piece means it will stretch across two spaces. Secondly, you have to take into account how far down the tracks are meant to drop. The color of each track will indicate this, which is why you really need to keep the book open to the above page! At least until you get used to it.
You will also find some curved track pieces. These attach to the post pieces and then to the straight pieces. You can see how the parts connect in the picture above. You also get a start track and an end track.
Other things that you will find in the box include challenge cards, the game board, a little coaster car, the post pieces, and two tunnels. But let's not forget the exciting Loop-the-Loop yellow track! It does make for some fancy roller coasters!
Once you are familiar with the pieces, you pick a challenge card, build the setup pieces, and get to work finishing the track. When you're done, you send your little coaster car on a fun ride!
Ginny and I completed all the challenges. We found that while one or two were tricky, they weren't really very hard at all. The part that took time was building the needed parts for each challenge.
It didn't matter that the challenges weren't that difficult, because we had an absolute blast building all these wonderful coasters! Jack joined us for some custom building time too.
Even our cat thought this was a pretty cool toy!
I think this was one of Jack's creations. We built so many, I don't really remember!
We even had fun trying to catch the coaster car in action! Here it is approaching a tunnel.
And do you see that red smear? That's the coaster going through the Loop-the-Loop!
I have two tips for building these coasters. First, build all the required pieces for the challenge before you begin. Second, begin building at the start track, always working from the tallest tower to the shortest.
Here are some tips if you are experiencing any problems with your tracks. Some of these tips apply more to custom tracks then to the challenge cards, but it is good to keep them in mind.
1) Check your connections. Sometimes they seem secure, but they can come loose as you manipulate other parts of the track into place.
2) Watch the track heights! They are critical.
3) Sometimes the car will hit the top of the tunnel. That doesn't usually cause problems, but sometimes it flips the car or jams it. Try some minor adjustments of the tunnel height.
4) Sometimes the car will jump the track. It may be that it has too much momentum. If you create a track with very steep sections close together, this can give it a lot of speed and make it jump off!
5) Watch the magenta pieces. They are flat-ish. If there isn't a steep enough track before the magenta bits, your car may not have enough momentum to make it past them.
Ginny and I give Thinkfun's Roller Coaster Challenge two thumbs up! It is not overly challenging, but it is loads of fun!
We are wondering if a second set would allow us to make even awesomer tracks. Hmmm... :-)
