Our review of a Horse Academy, a single player board game created by Smart Games.
Click to read also: Single player board games for all ages
Even though my four children have built in lifelong friends, sometimes they want a little alone time, or sometimes the three other kids all want a little alone time.
Single player games are great to have on hand for times like this, and we love most Smart Games. So when Timberdoodle offered me a review copy of Horse Academy I was happy to say yes.
Horse Academy Single Player Smart Games Review
What You'll Find on This Page
Horse Academy is a spatial reasoning game created for children aged 7 and up. The game also develops planning and problem solving skills. The horse has to jump an obstacle more than once in some of the challenges.
This game is part of Timberdoodle’s third grade curriculum kit, but my rising 5th and 9th graders both love it, so don’t limit yourself to only younger children. The challenges get harder as you move through the book, and older children may want to start midway through rather than at the beginning.
How Do You Play?
In this game you work through a series of increasingly difficult paths. Your house has to jump over obstacles in a particular order in order to reach the finish line. The challenge booklet tells you which order the horse needs to use to jump the obstacles.
What Did We Like About This Game?
My kids found this game very engaging. My 14-year-old and my 9-year-old wound up collaborating on several of the more challenging puzzles, turning this single player game into a two player game. I loved watching them problem solve together.
This board game is a little larger than most of the Smart Games that we have tried. We loved that! It was still fun to play alone, but it actually made it possible for a couple of my kids to collaborate to solve the puzzles. While technically possible with a smaller board, it would have been harder. I think the larger pieces also helped bring the storytelling aspect of the game to life.
What Did We Dislike About Horse Academy?
Honestly, we really loved this game. The only thing we would change would be for the horse figurine to look like it’s in motion instead of standing still.
Click to read also: Family Board Games for All Ages and Abilities
Have you ever played Horse Academy? What did you think of this game?
Find more toy recommendations and play ideas on my Facebook page and in my Instagram feed.