Genius Games Ion: A Compound Building (2nd Edition) - A Chemistry Card Drafting about Cations, Anion, Noble - Science Accurate Board for High School Students, Teachers and Adults

We have played the first version for a few years and always recommend it for people looking for a Chemistry game. I'm excited for this update. Some of our favorite things about Ion are: It doesn't take forever. You can play a round in 15-20 minutes which makes it a lot more interesting for my younger daughter who doesn't have the attention span for the longer Chemistry games. (Everyone in our house 8+ loves the longer ones too, but this one is fun for all.) It has accurate science. It's an easy way to introduce ionic charges, balancing charges, and naming of compounds. It's easy to learn. I played it with a group of 8 year olds after making slime because we needed a chemistry filler game and they all caught on after one round with no chemistry background. It comes in a small box which makes it easy to store or pack if we're going on a trip. Overall, it's such a good game. I highly recommend it.

Fun little filler card game. However, what makes this game different is the very accurate science and chemistry theme. This is a fun game that actually teaches the real chemistry concept of balancing equations. This company has a whole series of great games that teach science while you game. To me this game is the best of both worlds, really fun and competitive and at the same time really educational. They have some heavier games that are more worker placement if you want something that is not a quick filler. But instead of science fiction, here is a filler game that is actual science. Great little game.

I’ve really enjoyed integrating this game into our homeschool, and have already purchased a second game to gift! The gameplay is simple: the goal is to score the most points by balancing ions, and creating compounds, and by collecting sets of noble gases since they do not bond. (The advanced version of the game, recommended for 4+ players also includes playing with radioactive elements.) Even a student or younger sibling who hasn’t learned any chemistry can play along and learn something. I like that it increases my kids’ familiarity with the elements, some basic chemistry principles, and well-known compounds, without being too heavy or time consuming. There is also a booklet included to learn more of the science behind the game.

It's periodic table stuff, but not boring.. A fun way to get used to some of the elements.

We have been doing more learning games lately so my wife was really excited when we found this one. I'm big on packaging, and little touches like a matte box with shiny electron paths makes me like it even more for some reason. Maybe it feels like they put extra thought and care into the design and production. It's also a solid enough box that I feel good storing the game in it, instead of wondering how soon the corners are going to tear or collapse. The instructions do a good job of differentiating the cards, various game play, etc., and there is even another little booklet that explains the science behind the game! But the wording in the instructions can also be hard to follow. If you just walk through them the first time you play and consider it a "getting to know the game" game instead of a "win at all costs" game, you'll pick it up quicker. Once you get what's happening it's easy to explain it to others. I am generally not a fan of games where you have to punch out cardboard playing pieces, one reason being it usually means the pieces are flimsy and not going to last. This does have cardboard punch-out pieces but they are thick! A couple millimeters to be exact. That won't mean something to everyone (it didn't to me until I felt and measured them) but they are thick. The cardboard inside the box isn't strong enough that sections would last long, but there are plastic bags included to keep the thick cardboard squares together, for example. I appreciate that! Because lost game pieces is our #1 problem when it comes to games. One thing to be aware of when you're unboxing the game: Most of the two packs of cards are Element cards. One pack has the nine Compound Goal cards in the front so those are what you see first, and the 14 Radioactive Element cards are at the back of one of the decks. At first I thought one deck was all Compound Goal cards. The first paragraph in the Game Summary section of the rules is confusing. If it doesn't make sense, ignore it until you get to Step 3 and How To Play Ion on the next two pages. There are some misquoted rules in the pictures and About This Item section on the product page. The game makes more sense as you play it. For younger players there is a basic version on the last page of the manual, and there is an advanced version on the three pages before that. Our kids that love science really enjoy this game, and the kids that hate science like to play it too! So they're learning some chemistry (because the game uses actual chemistry) without having to "study" chemistry. Nice.