Z is for Zenith: Stacking Survival Game

Zenith is a logical thinking strategy game intended for children ages 8 and up. Please don't let the age range keep you from reading the rest of this post. I firmly believe that younger children can be taught how to play this game. We have been playing this game for almost two years with Alyssa. She just turned five in November. We were patient and taught her the rules slowly. She is a quick learner especially if we model the rules and game plays.

Two to four players can participate in this game. If two individuals play the game, then each person gets 58 wooden game pieces. If three or four individuals participate, then each player takes 29 pieces. The object or purpose of the game is to be the LAST person to play a game piece as you stack your way to the top where eventually no plays will be possible. You do not have to play the highest piece on the board - you just need to have the last play. Once a players can't think of or find a move, then they are out of the game for good. The eliminated person is not allowed back in the game after another player moves.

My pile of game pieces

Box Contents
116 Double-Sided Triangular Game Pieces in Four Colors: Orange, Green, Blue, and Purple 
Directions in Three Languages: English, French, and Spanish.
2 Double-Sided Colorful Game Boards Each Representing a Different Mountain Around the World

Blue on one side
Orange on the other side

Main Rules

• You must play your game piece on a white space or on three supporting pieces.
• One of the supporting pieces must be your color.
• The pieces must form a triangular shape as seen in the bottom photo. 

NO! Incorrect Way to Play.

YES! That is Correct.

How To Play

1. Choose a Game Board
2. Players Choose Colors
3. First Player Will Play on Any White Space
4. Follow the Rules Mentioned Above and Have Fun!
5. Don't Forget to Read the Facts Around the Game Board

This is one of the facts you can read around the edge of the game board. 

Here are a few shots of Alyssa and I playing the game. We played our first game on the Krakatoa board. She chose purple as her color (no surprise) and I decided to use the blue pieces since I am not a fan of the color orange.

You can see all the white spaces that haven't been played

She can get a little crazy when we play.

The game isn't over yet but mama won this time!

I realized that I was using blue game pieces on a game board with a blue background so we played another round just for you. Well, not exactly . . . we actually LOVE playing this game and it has been sitting in the closet untouched for several months so we decided it would be fun to play another round before bedtime.

Don't ask 'cause I am not sure what she's doing

Check out the thickness of the game pieces

Game Over! Alyssa Won! That's my girl!
I don't give her any leeway.  

I was impressed with the durability of the game pieces, the colorful game boards, and the simplicity of the rules. I loved the fact that each game board is played with the exact same rules. The games differ each time you play and become more complex as you add more players (at least that's what we thought). You have to focus more when additional players join. We think that both children and adults will enjoy playing this game.

I hope that I shared something new and interesting with you today. I haven't heard a lot about this game on the Internet. Have you? I might have posted photographs on my blog of us playing it in the past. I highly recommend this game for family game night. If you purchase this game and use it with your children, please come back and tell me about your experiences. You can purchase Zenith through MindWare or on Amazon. I am not an affiliate for either company. For some reason, this game was on extreme clearance when I purchased it, so I was able to pick it up for A LOT less than what you will be paying. I won't even tell you because it was that low.

What are your favorite logical thinking or strategy games?

Please leave us a comment below. We would love to read your suggestions!

I have several more that I would like to share with you this year. 

Disclaimer: I purchased this game on my own and wanted to share this information with my readers. This is not a review nor was this game given to me. 

I will link this post to Blogging Through the Alphabet, Montessori Monday, Math Monday Blog Hop, Homeschooling on the Cheap (3 Boys and a Dog), Teach Beside Me (Share it Saturday), and I Can Teach My Child (Show-and-Share Saturday). Click on the links to join this week. Thank you for visiting!

 

God bless, 

Tracey