Sleeping Queens

This is a delightful card game for children and adults that encourages basic mathematical skills, all wrapped in a fairy-tale setting of knights, dragons, sleeping potions and magic wands. This family-friendly game, for up to five players, involves playing king cards from the hand in order to awaken the sleeping queens. The object is to claim five queen cards [or have a total of 50 points]. However, some queens can be a little troublesome. The Cat Queen cannot abide the Dog Queen so both cannot be held together. The Rose Queen always brings another one in tow.

Like any fairy-tale, Sleeping Queens has knight in armour. These may be played to rescue any queen from another player, but the dragon will fight off the knight. This is a hand management card game. Many of the cards are simple number cards. These have no value in awakening the Queens but need to be discarded to allow perhaps more potent king cards to be drawn and played. These numerical cards can only be played if the numbers form part of a sum. For example, a player may discard a two, three and five by stating “2 + 3 = 5”, and then draw three new cards. The complexity of the mathematical equations can be varied according to the age and ability of those playing.

Other action cards allow a sleeping potion to be used. This places another player’s queen under a spell, and they fall asleep. A magic wand will avert such actions. Even the court jester makes an appearance, giving some lucky player an extra queen.

Children will adore the light-hearted images. There is a comedy and fun about the cards. The tie-dyed king is a 60s throwback with his oversized blouse and peace gesture. The cookie king has a half-eaten biscuit for a hat. This is a fun game with a strong educational and numerical slant. It is popular with parents in teaching additional mathematical skills. It is small, portable and colourful making it an obvious travel companion for any holiday or certainly a stocking filler for a Christmas gift.