Want to truly prove that you’re whole brained? Take a gander at Mental Floss, a game that challenges players with trivia of all types geared towards the left and right sides of the brain as well as spotting the “big fat lie.”
Created by the makers of the bi-monthly magazine of the same name, this two-to-six-player contest covers everything from the phobias of Salvador Dali to the decomposition of uranium and the home state of Clark Kent. Questions such as whether Aldous Huxley devoured entire slices of cake without chewing or Voltaire drank 50-75 cups of coffee a day put players’ bullshit detectors to the test, and themed “enlightening” rounds allow the adventurous to risk one of their “piece of mind” tokens for an extra turn.
The most interesting twist of the game, however, is the collusion-causing “mental block,” allowing opponents to swipe each other’s tokens for incorrectly answering handpicked questions. The “blocks” also allow for second opportunities after wrong answers, which isn’t nearly as entertaining.
One of the few drawbacks of Mental Floss is the sheer difficulty of correctly completing many of the enlightening rounds before being able to risk a token, but the range of trivia and ability to backstab more than make up for it. If you’re a knowledge seeker that doesn’t like the length of Trivial Pursuit, pick this up.
– Scott Morrow
Mental Floss: The Trivia Game
$24.95, Mental Floss Magazine
www.mentalfloss.com
Available online and at some retail outlets