Winning Moves Top Trumps - Star Wars Clone Wars

~ A BRIEF HISTORY OF TOP TRUMPS ~

The very first deck of TOP TRUMPS cards were released in 1977 by DUBREQ (the toy company that made the Stylophone). In 1982 the company was taken over by WADDINGTONS who continued to produce TOP TRUMPS until the early 1990s.

Many people assumed that Top Trumps (like the Stylophone) had become a thing of the past ... something you could maybe pick up at a car boot sale and show your kids what you used to play with when you were younger. Infact, some of the early sets have become so collectable that they sell for crazy prices on auction sites such as eBay !!!

In 1999, however, a whole new generation were introduced to TOP TRUMPS when they were re-launched. Toy Company WINNING MOVES had bought the rights to the game itself and to date they have produced some of the most stunning decks of TOP TRUMPS cards ever released. The key to their success was simple ... they kept the gameplay the same as it always had been but chose some of the most popular themes form the world of entertainment and media to base their decks on.

To date, WINNING MOVES have produced TOP TRUMPS cards based on ...

Comic Books (including DC, Marvel and the Beano)
TV Shows (including The Simpsons, Doctor Who, 24, Top Gear and Bratz)
Premier League Football (including Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea)
Entertainment (including The X-Factor, Movie Stars, WWE Wrestling and Smash Hits)
Movies (including Lord Of The Rings, Transfomers, Narnia and High Schol Musical)

TOP TRUMPS are now more popular than ever and as well as standard decks the company is now producing a number of TOP TRUMPS SPECIALS with rarer collectable SUPER TOP TRUMP CARDS. The company has also widened it's audience by producing TOP TRUMPS JUNIOR CARDS for younger players (such as their Disney Pixar Set) as well as TOP TRUMPS LIMITED EDITIONS for adults (such as the recent FHM Cover Girls Collection). With many more themed decks planned for the future, the success of WINNING MOVES looks set to continue !!!

~ TOP TRUMPS GAMEPLAY EXPLAINED ~

TOP TRUMPS is a game that anyone can play and because all you need are the cards themselves it can be played anywhere. As a game, it is also simple to understand and extremely addictive. Each card features a list of numerical data and the simple aim of the game is compare the numbers to "trump" and therefore win the other players cards !!!

• There must be at least 2 players.
• All the cards are dealt out between all of the players.
• One player is picked to start the game.
• The starting player chooses a category from their top card and reads out the numerical value.
• The other players then read out their values.
• The player with the highest value wins the cards belonging to the other players.
• The player who wins these cards must then start the next round by choosing the next category.
• If at any time the numbers read out are of equal value all cards are placed in the middle.
• The player who has just read out the information must now choose a new category from their next top card.
• The player with the highest number this time round also wins the cards in the middle.
• Players are out of the game when they lose their last card.
• The winner is the player who wins the entire deck back at the end of the game.

~ STAR WARS CLONE WARS TOP TRUMP SPECIALS ~

The CLONE WARS Top Trump Specials feature the characters that appeared in Cartoon Network's ANIMATED CLONE WARS SERIES. The artwork on each card is stunning and the deck itself has many unique features which makes this set one of the most collectable and sought after Top Trumps decks on the market ...

On each card there is a image of a specific character from the Clone Wars Animated TV Series. Each card features a detailed character biography as well as the usual statistics and data that enables Top Trumps gameplay. The 6 sets of statistics that the Clone Wars set uses are as follows - Jedi Powers, Sith Skill, Agility, Age, Authority and Firepower.

In addition to this, the deck also has the following features;

• A GLOW IN THE DARK CASE.
• A REVERSIBLE FRONT CARD (you can choose to display the Jedi or the Sith cover).
• GLOW IN THE DARK CHARACTER PICTURES.
• GLOW IN THE DARK CHARACTER NAMES & STATISTICS.
• A HUGE CLONE WARS JIGSAW (made from smaller images printed on the reverse of 24 of the cards).
• CLONE WARS FACT FILES (printed on the reverse of 6 of the cards).

THE COMPLETE CLONE WARS CARD LIST

Aayla Secura
Anakin Skywalker
ARC Troopers
Asajj Ventress
Barriss Offee
Battle Droid
Bodyguard Droids
C-3PO
Clone Troopers
Commander Cody
Count Dooku
Darth Sidious
Durge
General Grievous
IG Lancer Droid
Ki-Adi Mundi
Kit Fisto
Luminara Unduli
Mace Windu
Obi Wan Kenobi
Padme Amidala
R2-D2
Roron Carabb
Saesee Tiin
San Hill
SCUBA Troopers
Senator Tikkes
Shaak Ti
Super Battle Droid
Yoda

~ THE CLONE WARS SUPER TOP TRUMP CARD ~

In addition to the 30 standard cards produced for this set there is also a CHANCELLOR PALPATINE SUPER TOP TRUMP CARD that was a Limited Edition Card that was only available form the Winning Moves Promotional Stand at Star Wars Celebration Europe (in 2007). The card features one of the Star Wars Saga's greatest villains and is also one of the decks most powerful cards in terms of statistics !!! Despite being a Limited Edition Card, There were hundreds of these STT Cards given out at the event and if you wanted one to add to your Clone Wars deck they can be picked up very easily (and for quite a low price) on eBay.

~ THE COLLECTABLE FACTOR ~

At the start of this review I mentioned that many of the vintage decks of Top Trumps that were released in the Seventies and the Eighties have now become rare and much sought after collectables. I also beleive that many of the more recent TOP TRUMPS decks will also be become extrememly sought after in a few years time. This is because many of the newer sets were either 'Limited Editions' or 'Exclusives' that were only sold for a brief period of time. In addition to this, owning a deck which contains a SUPER TOP TRUMP CARD (cards usually available at events or as cards available through special offers) will also add not only to the fun of the game itself but to the value of the deck to collectors !!!

~ THE EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS ~

A great deal of research has been carried out on the educational benefits of collectable card games such as TOP TRUMPS and one thing is clear ... whilst the game is fun it also provides many opportunities for what educationalists describe as 'camouflaged learning'.

Reading the detailed character biographies is a great way of encouraging the development of Literacy skills whilst selecting, presenting and comparing the numercal data and statistics clearly relies Numeracy skills. The game also involves a great deal of interaction and communication ... encouraging positive social skills whilst learning through play.

~ FINAL THOUGHTS ~

TOP TRUMPS are simply fantastic. It's a classic card game with simple gameplay that anyone can enjoy. Themed decks also make TOP TRUMPS appealing to a vast audience. The Star Wars Clone Wars Top Trumps Specials are a fantastic addition to the range. Stunning artwork and special features such as the glow in the dark case and cards will also make these an ideal gift for any Star Wars fan ...

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!