Continent Race

Continent Race by Byron’s Games is a world geography board game that features the national flags of countries throughout the world. The game is for 2+ players, ages 7 and up. It’s a race, and the first player to collect the required number of country cards from each continent wins the game. Supporting materials include Maps, Mystery Continent cards, Antarctica wild cards with special privileges, and there is an option to do a one-on-one challenge between 2 players to enhance the learning. The game is color-coded for easier access for children and allows for younger players to take part too. Continent Race is a collaborative way to learn world geography and promotes problem solving skills, goal achievement, and focused play. Continent Race is the recipient of 4 game awards.

For the basic level of play, the game is complete once a player collects the necessary number of country cards for three continents. Two cards must be collected from Australia/Oceania and four cards each from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe. For the advanced level of the game is complete once a player collects the required number of cards for five continents. At this level, Orange Mystery cards can be shuffled into the deck to increase the level of difficulty. Players must first determine which continent a Mystery card belongs to (using maps and other players as resources), then use the card as you would any other country card to complete a continent group. Also at the advanced level, Challenge play is an option, where one player invites another player to face off with cards that feature the Challenge symbol. Each challenger gets to review the Continent List or Map and then, from memory, each player must name as many countries as s/he can recall from that continent by taking turns saying the names of countries aloud, until one player gets stumped. The winner of the challenge gets to draw additional cards.

Gameplay starts with the dealer dealing 7 cards, face down, to each player. On each turn, a player draws one card and discards one card face up. Each time a player discards, s/he must announce the country name and continent of the discarded card. On each turn, a player selects one card from the draw pile and decides if they want to keep it or discard it. If a player picks a country card that matches one of his/her continents and the country card completes one of the continent groups, then the player has successfully completed a continent group and must place the continent group on the table, face up, and announce the names of the countries in the continent group. (You can review phonetic pronunciations on our site.) Next, the player must replace, from the draw pile, the number of cards s/he laid down in order to bring the player’s hand back to 7 cards. Then, it’s the next player’s turn.

The first person to collect the required number of country cards for each continent group is mere steps from winning the game! To fully complete the game, the winner MUST call out and locate on the maps the countries they’ve drawn throughout the game. Others may continue playing for 2nd, 3rd, 4th place… for an enhanced learning experience.

Continent Race was created by young Byron, just 6 years old at the time, during a month-long stay at a children’s hospital. Not only was Byron receiving treatment for an unexpected illness, he was receiving something else entirely: The inspiration to help kids like him learn and have fun through their hospital stay and beyond. Byron’s dream came to life in December 2018—with the help of a Kickstarter campaign, we sent Continent Race to over 130 children’s hospitals nationwide. NBC covered the story on Byron and his game.

—description from the publisher