I’ve played a ton of board games with my kid, but Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters really stands out as a challenging, cooperative game with great production value that always delights. The goal is simple: grab all the treasure from a haunted house and get out before the place gets overrun with ghosts. It feels a lot like Pandemic with some simplification. The production value is great, the ghosts are all cute minis, and the player pieces are detailed enough to be fun.
In Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters (paid link) you and your team will running around the house grabbing treasure while fighting off the ghosts that pop up in random rooms. If too many ghosts fill up the rooms they turn into tougher-to-defeat red ghosts called haunts, and things can get desperate quick. The whole game quickly presents the dilemma of, “do we fight ghosts or grab more treasure?” Fight too long, and the dice may not go your way causing the ghosts to pile up… Focus on the treasure and you may not make it out before the ghost build up causes you to lose the game.
The mechanics are pretty easy to grasp. Roll a dice to move, flip a card and place a ghost on the map where indicated, move your character, pick up treasure and or roll to fight a ghost. Try to carry all of the treasure pieces out of the house before the place fills with ghosts. Repeat!
What makes this game great is the teamwork. You’re not just playing against each other — you’re working together to stop the house from getting overrun while trying to sneak off with the loot. When you have two characters in the same room as a ghost and you fight, you get to roll an extra dice. Splitting up may be the way to go, or you might opt to mostly stick together. The situations will spark conversation about strategy, you’ll weigh the pros and cons together, and you’ll win or lose together. Sometimes despite your best efforts the dice won’t go your way and you’ll lose. Lucky dice rolls will have your kids cheering. It’s a great ride.
There is an expansion to this game called the Creepy Cellar that adds a basement and some complexity. To be honest, my family’s win rate at this game is so low (maybe 40%) that I have not felt the need for a greater challenge so haven’t tried the expansion.
This game is a great package for adults to play with kids. Fun presentation, easy to understand concept, and solid game mechanics. Give Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters a try if you’re looking for a game to play with your kids. There is also an Anniversary Edition (paid link) that I have not tried. It looks good, but I also see complaints in the reviews that some people have unexpectedly received a German language version, look into that before you order. The original game is such that, as long as you can get a copy of the rules, there is no in-game text that would trip you up. So, if you have another way to learn the game maybe the language won’t be a problem.
Try it! Might be fun!
