Constitution Quest is a fun and educational game that will help your family know the United States Constitution. The object of the game is to earn the most points within the time it takes any player to be the first to complete one full trip around the board. By playing Constitution Quest, you and your children will learn about the three branches of government, the powers granted and denied each branch, checks and balances, laws from the Articles, the Bill of Rights and other amendments, and many historical facts and dates.

Constitution Quest is an educational game that stands out for several reasons. First, the game is simply beautiful. The 20 x 20 game board has gorgeous, rich colors--red, white, blue, gold, and parchment--and is illustrated with a central image of the famous Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States by Howard Chandler Christy. There are corner images of the White House, Supreme Court, Capitol Building, and Independence Hall.

Another reason this game stands out is that it is well made and easy to play. The five laminated game decks comprise 223 cards, which include multiple choice, fill in the blank, and true/false questions, as well as a few wild cards that contain special instructions. Two to four players choose from ten Founding Fathers game pieces. A laminated directions booklet and answer key provide very clear directions and make the game extremely easy to set up and play. Scorecards are provided, as is a lovely booklet that contains the full text of both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Each piece of this game is high quality, even down to the individual zippy bags that are provided for each deck and for the playing pieces. If you are often disappointed by the unprofessional appearance of most educational games, prepare to be impressed by Constitution Quest.

Lastly, Constitution Quest stands out because it is fun and educational. The game takes about 20 minutes to play, and we have found that it is more fun with four players because more of the rule variations come into play with more people. As for educational value, I offer this anecdote. My teenaged daughter just finished studying American government last semester, and she did not enjoy it one iota. But she enjoyed the game a lot, and whenever she missed a question, I was delighted to see her pull out the Constitution to check the answer. She showed more interest in the Constitution playing this game than she had the entire semester! I think a level of competition can be very motivating to certain children.

Although the game is recommended for teenagers and older players, my younger children wanted to play too, so I let them. Because there are a variety of ways to earn points, my youngest child won our first game even though he missed many of the questions. My second youngest, who is very competitive, listened carefully to everyone's questions and answers so he would know the answers the next time the cards came up, and afterwards he said, "You learn a lot by playing it!" I agree, and what's more--it's fun!

Product review by Heather Jackowitz, Senior Product Reviewer, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, June 2011