Unfortunately (for me) I don't own any games that begin with "J", and I couldn't think of a game that started with the letter that I'd played either. A handful I've wanted to, but yet to find the opportunity. But the Ladyfolk insisted I feature one of her all time favorite games that she owns, despite attempting to focus on more modern games.

Then again, the selection does have a modern spin to it, and so I conceded. Let's take a look at an explosive variant of a classic...

Unless you've been living under a rock, odds are pretty good you know of the game Jenga. Most likely even played it a time or five. Just in case you aren't familiar, however, I will go over the basics (and let you know that 15 minutes could save you 15% or more with Geico).

Jenga has a simple setup and overall concept. You build a tower, consisting of 54 blocks which are stacked in rows/level of 3 blocks, each at a right angle from the layer below it. Then players take turns attempting to remove a single block — from anywhere below the last completed level — using only one hand, and balancing it on top of the tower (again at a right angle from the layer below it). This continues until a player topples the tower and is essentially the only loser out of the players.

Jenga Boom shakes the standard classic up by adding a timed mechanism to the game. The tower is built upon the stand pictured above. When a player takes their turn, they click the "Play" button, removes a block and places it on top of the tower (following the same rules of the original Jenga), and then clicks the "Stop" button. Then the next player repeats the process.

After a certain amount of time the spring loaded platform activated and BOOM! Blocks all over the place. The player unfortunate enough to have this occur on their turn is the loser.

If you're a fan of the original game, you may be interested in checking out this new version for an additional challenge!

Full Review Forthcoming

Have you played Jenga Boom? If so, did you like the exploding platform mechanism? Are you a fan of the original Jenga? If so, does this variant look like something you'd want to try?