Family Game Night

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

CONTACTS:
Donetta Allen
Hunter PR?(212) 679-6600, ext. 229
dallen@hunterpr.com

Pat Riso
Hasbro Games
(413) 526-2307
priso@hasbro.com   

EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS. (February 13, 2009) – Hasbro remains on the forefront of family fun with more than sixty well-known game brands in their portfolio, ranging from MONOPOLY to CRANIUM and from SCRABBLE to CHUTES & LADDERS. As families continue to look for cost-saving activities in 2009, Hasbro offers one simple solution – Family Game Night. During this recommended weekly occasion, Hasbro encourages families to gather together and enjoy a family-favorite board game. Whether families choose CLUE, THE GAME OF LIFE, SORRY! or MONOPOLY, Family Game Night provides an opportunity for families of all types, shapes and sizes to experience an inexpensive night of laughter and fun every week.

“A Family Game Night spent playing board games at home costs much less than other entertainment options such as going to the movies or eating out,” said Matt Collins, Vice President of U.S. Marketing for Hasbro Games. “A night out at the movies can cost more than $50 for a family of 4, and most Hasbro games are less than $25 and can be enjoyed week after week. Plus, games provide hours of enjoyment and offer parents opportunities to teach their younger children valuable life skills such as counting, sharing and negotiating.”

In 2009, Hasbro introduces a new selection of games to bring home even more fun for Family Game Night. With two updates to the classic CONNECT 4 game that add more competitive play to the game, players can experience the game of four-in-a-row like never before. Families that lean toward tactical and intrigue-based games will be drawn to the new BATTLESHIP game and CLUE: Secrets & Spies Edition, where players become special agents and get tips through real-time text messages. And families that enjoy fast paced, keep you guessing games will love the excitement of BOP IT, BULLS EYE BASKETBALL, PICTUREKA! FLIPPER, or GUESSTURES.

Highlights of new Hasbro family games in 2009 include:

CONNECT 4 Game
(Approximate Retail Price: $14.99; Recommended Age: 6 & up; Available: Spring 2009; Players: 2)
CONNECT 4, the original game of four-in-a-row, has gotten a makeover with new red and yellow checkers and three ways to play in 2009. This update to the classic game gives players more competition and more fun with the option to play the traditional game, as well as “PopOut” and “Pop 10” which involve popping checkers out of the grid instead of dropping them into the top of the game board. The new CONNECT 4 grid locks into place to store the checkers after games are finished and the game base doubles as a carrying case for portability. This edition replaces the classic game on store shelves.

CONNECT 4x4 Game
(Approximate Retail Price: $19.99; Recommended Age: 8 & up; Available: Fall 2009; Players: 2 to 4)
CONNECT 4x4 enhances the classic four-in-a-row game with more competition and strategy in the first-ever four player edition. A clear double-decker checker grid replaces the standard grid, allowing players to win by playing four-in-a-row in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line on either side of the grid or by weaving through one side of the grid to the other. Look closely to find ways to connect the ringed checkers that may be unseen by your opponents. Or, act defensively and play the new block checker to prevent an opponent from scoring what might be a winning move.

CRANIUM
(Approximate Retail Price: $24.99; Recommended Age: Adults & Teens; Available: Now; Players: 4 or more)
CRANIUM started it all by getting aspiring artists, actors, data hounds and wordsmiths to hum, sketch, sculpt, act, puzzle and even spell backwards to win. From celebrities and politicians, to your best friend’s family and the neighbors down the street, CRANIUM still gets normally shy boyfriends acting out female celebrities, new acquaintances sculpting “lips” out of CRANIUM Clay and players around the world celebrating the amazing things their friends can do.

CLUE: Secrets & Spies Edition
(Approximate Retail Price: $ 24.99; Recommended Age: 9 & up; Available: Fall 2009; Players: 2 to 5)
Clue Secrets & Spies is the strategic and suspenseful, international spy game that will have the whole family smirking with suspicion, deception and secrets – as all players race to become the ultimate spy. As one of the world’s top six international secret agents (Scarlet, Mustard, Plum, Peacock, White or Green) your mission is to intercept agent Black and put an end to his evil plot for world-wide disaster to become the world’s ultimate spy. Working undercover, travel the world to compete against, conspire with and outwit the world's other top agents. Using your secret decoder, reveal the secret missions you’ll need to complete. And always be aware of your mobile phone - you never know when headquarters will send you actual, game-changing intelligence directly to your personal, mobile phone. (Hasbro is committed to maintaining text messaging support through 12/31/11.)

PICTUREKA! FLIPPER Game
(Approximate Retail Price: $24.99; Recommended Age: 6 & up; Available: Fall 2009; Players: 2 or more; Requires: 3 AA batteries, which are not included)
Pictureka! Flipper is the instantly accessible, Penguin enabled, picture-hunting game, that pulls the whole family together with constantly engaging, edge-of-your-seat, frenetic fun.  PICTUREKA! FLIPPER incorporates the same find it fast, find it first fun of PICTUREKA! Standing tall in the center of the table, the 3-D penguin frantically flips small game tiles from its rotating base in a circular pattern onto the game table. Players then race to try and find the wacky drawings on the tiles that match the “mission cards” before the penguin “quacks” and places more tiles on the table. Easy to learn and easy to play, PICTUREKA! FLIPPER offers zany fun for the entire family.

BATTLESHIP Game
(Approximate Retail Price: $ 19.99 Recommended Age: 7 & up; Available: Spring 2009; Players: 2)
BATTLESHIP, the classic tactical combat game, has been redesigned in 2009 to add more adventure and excitement to the ship-sinking game. Naval warriors plot their coordinates and mark hits and misses on a double-sided grid as they try to defeat their enemy’s fleet and rescue their crew. Players are also charged with saving a crewmember deserted on an island in this updated edition. Think you sunk the opponent’s battleship? Lift up the coordinate partition to uncover any successful hits and ultimately declare victory – or defeat. This edition replaces the classic game on store shelves.

BULLS-EYE BASKETBALL
(Approximate Retail Price: $24.99; Recommended Age: 7 & up; Available: Fall 2009; Players: 1 or more; Requires: 3 AA batteries, which are not included)
Building on the kid-favorite BULLS-EYE BALL line of games, Hasbro will introduce BULLS-EYE BASKETBALL in 2009, which will bring the sounds and excitement of the court inside. Players bounce balls off the trampoline into the basketball-themed backboard to score points. BULLS-EYE BASKETBALL includes four games: 2 Point, 3 Point, 4 Quarter and Head-to-Head. The detachable base and moving basket offer aspiring hotshots a challenge, especially if they try trick shots! Players can try to beat their best score or face off against a friend in a one-on-one game. The game features lights, sounds and an electronic scoreboard. 

BOP-IT!
(Approximate Retail Price: $19.99; Recommended Age: 8 & up; Available: Fall 2009; Players: 1 or more; Batteries are included. Requires 3 AA)
Everyone’s favorite “think fast” game is back and better than ever. BOP-IT, which was first introduced in 1996, returns in 2009 with an updated look and new playing challenges. The game calls the shots, inviting players to shout, twist, pull or bop their way to victory. The game now features three tricky new levels and can be played by one or more players. Plus, in party mode, the game will challenge players to use different body parts, such as an elbow or head, to “bop” their way to the next round.

THE GAME OF LIFE: Extreme Reality Edition
(Approximate Retail Price: $19.99; Recommended Age: 9 & up; Available: Fall 2009; Players: 2 or more)
THE GAME OF LIFE: Extreme Reality Edition is an outrageous and adventurous way to play THE GAME OF LIFE. As players travel through “life” they encounter radical “real-life” scenarios – from getting married while skydiving to having sextuplets. Players can also own extreme homes, such as a castle, and assume extreme careers, such as a stunt car driver. Add even more reality to the game by going to THE GAME OF LIFE: Extreme Reality website to create and print cards that feature your own life experiences.

GUESSTURES Game
(Approximate Retail Price: $24.99; Recommended Age: 8 & up; Available: Fall 2009; Players: 4 to 6)
This game of hilarious, high-speed charades will have families up and out of their seats for laugh-out-loud performances. With five silly words to act out on every turn, teams have to speed up their acting and guesses, or the card-munching timer will take away the card, and the point. Teams can choose between easy and hard questions, allowing players of all ages to compete in the silly fun of GUESSTURES. At the end of the game, the team with the most points wins the trophy included in the game.

Hasbro, Inc. is a worldwide leader in children’s and family leisure time products and services with a rich portfolio of brands and entertainment properties that provides some of the highest quality and most recognizable play and recreational experiences in the world. As a brand-driven, consumer-focused global company, Hasbro brings to market a range of toys, games and licensed products, from traditional to high-tech and digital, under such powerful brand names as TRANSFORMERS, PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, CRANIUM and WIZARDS OF THE COAST. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com. SCRABBLE is a trademark of Hasbro in the United States and Canada.  © 2009 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.