The Game of Life Twists & Turns

This game is sadly out of production. I had trouble finding it at a reasonable price--and then missed the seller's description that one of the "debit" cards was missing! I have only played the game once, using a borrowed set. I loved it and wanted it for my board game collection. Since the set I have only has three cards, I have yet to play it again (as usually our game night consists of my husband and I and another couple). I will be looking for another card on eBay.I am a fan of the classic Life game. If you are not a fan, I do not know that this game will change your mind. There are different parts of the game for different parts of "Life" (Live It, Love It, etc.), which is a change from the original game. The best part of Life Twists and Turns is the LIFEPod debit card machine that keeps track of your money, careers, houses, family--everything. Now you don't have to spend half of the game time counting and handing out money and little pink and blue colored pegs (that ALWAYS fall out).If you love Life, I recommend this game. Hope you can find one!

This is an updated version of the Game of Life. Everyone gets a credit card at the beginning of the game (only 4 players or teams). A turn starts with the player inserting his credit card in the computer to receive his year's salary. Each turn represents a year of life and you pay your mortgage, car payment, expenses, and interest on loans before you move on the board. It's very realistic with promotions, college, children, houses, cars and vacations. The board is divided into four sections and it's up to you which section you enter: education, business, love, or adventure, unlike the original version of Life where you go through the whole board with little choice. For example, if you want to make money, you don't ever have to go to any other section than business. I was disappointed the first time I played it as there are only 4 credit cards and we had 6 people but two of us took partners and it worked out well. It seems to work well with mixed age groups - we played a 19 year old, three people in their mid-twenties, and older adults in their 60's at the same time. It was an interesting learning experience for the younger ones. It has now become our favorite game.

We bought this for my son this Christmas and have played it quite a bit so far. It takes a couple games to get used to it, but once you figure it out, the game is not difficult. The gizmo tracks everything for you so all you need to do is follow the instructions.You have 4 Life Paths the basically break out to Education, Work, Family, and Travel/Play. You go through them however you want as many times as you want. The object is to not only earn money, but also "Life" points by doing things that give you life experiences or are maybe good deeds. A dollar is worth a dollar, but a Life Point is worth about $100. In other words, if you earn 200 life points for helping your grandmother clean her attic, at the end it equates to about $20k as far as the game scoring is concerned. Being married and having kids, getting degrees -- all earn you Life points. You can choose to get an education, then get promotions, then marry, etc... whatever path you want.A good part of the game is that it does teach kids that there is more to life than money. My 11 yr old son just wants to earn to cash, but the first time we played my wife won despite not going to college or making much money. HOWEVER, that game was only 10 years long. Up it to 20 or 30 and money starts playing a huge role. Go to 40, and unless you are earning big, you won't win regardless of Life points.In other words, you should only play 20 to 30 years. Under 20, its pretty random. Over 30, it is basically whoever has the best job will win. We did a 40 yr game last night and my son didn't get married or have kids until his last few turns and he destroyed us by piling up cash. The length you play will have a determination on how fun the game is. Also, over 30 years gets boring and somewhat monotonous.My biggest gripes are the salaries and expenses. I realize this is a game and it isn't meant to be real, but both are skewed. If you don't own a home or a car or get married and have kids, you have no expenses. If you get a PhD -- which is achievable quickly -- you can be earning massive money quickly. Even without degrees, it is too easy to earn huge salaries ($500k to $2 mil). I feel the salaries should be toned down a bit, or at least made harder to grab, and that the expenses should be harsher. Just play long enough, and everyone is a multi-millionaire.Overall, that is a minor gripe. The proper lessons exist and they do ring through if you play the proper amount of years. I highly recommend this game. It is truly great family fun.

My kids ages 12&13 LOVE this game. It’s usually the first pick for family game night. Love that it is electronic and it makes it harder for people to cheat. You have to come up with more strategy to win.

I love this game, but was sad when this copy arrivrd. The Life pod display doesn't work and the game arrived with a fair amount of water damage. For being listed as collectable and like new, it was in no shape to be called either.

Why is this no longer made?! What a great game. Got this for my 28-year old son and his 7-year old daughter LOVES playing this with us. Very easy to play and enjoyed. Keeps all involed with the game and it is paced well. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who can find it at a reasonable price. I paid $100 based on my son's recommendation and although I thought it was way too much at the time, I honestly think in the 1 day we have had it, that it was money so well spent. Game says for 9+; however, we play board games all of the time and my granddaughter has not had any problems understanding or playing after the first 4 or 5 turns. It is also great to have her reading the Life Cards aloud!

The game is operational but the screen on the control/puck is broken partially so you have to read through the damage to see the numbers. Control/puck came with batteries inside that were completely destroyed inside the battery slot. Red card doesn’t work sometimes. Yellow player is missing a car. Disappointing purchase. Would not recommend. Item is being returned currently.