After a tough judging process, Boardgames Australia is very proud to announce the winner of Best Australian Game for 2009.

Best Australian Game for 2009

Sorts for Kids

published by Crown & Andrews

designed by Craig Browne

Sorts for Kids is the younger sibling of Sorts! but the new game is not only simplified for younger players but also even more fun with great zany questions, easy to use paddles to lock in your answer, and a new fun category of questions - the line up! We reckon that Sorts for Kids makes a perfect present for families with children in the 9-15 age range.

Here's what the judges said:

"I've laughed out loud with Sorts for Kids, and it will always get at least a giggle out of me. But it is still also a  challenging game which can get you thinking."It is also great at promoting social interaction along the lines of ''...but I've never even read any Harry Potter books!' "

"Sorts for Kids is a great take on trivia. The game always takes about 20 minutes to play, so it's easy to slip in a game (or two)  before bed-time.  Parents sometimes have not a clue about some of the questions, which is good and a great part of the fun for the kids. I laughed a lot playing Sorts with the silly questions, and 'why do *you* know *that*?', and of course 'Doh!'"

"Good rulebook, good price, good components, kids like it. I like this more than mainstream trivia games like Trivial Pursuit and Wits & Wagers: as a trivia game system it is strong."

"Where Sorts for Kids scores is by allowing everyone to play at once, so that everyone is always engaged and the game cracks along to a conclusion. The basic structure of comparison generates inherently interesting questions: 'are there more peanuts used to make a jar of peanut butter or teeth on an alligator' compared with "name 3 countries that border Bhutan". Certainly one of the best trivia games I have played. The box looks good and is full of stuff, and is good value for money. It is easy to learn and play, while the fun questions promote good discussion and generate a 'let's play again factor'. "

Sorts for Kids can be played by 2-6 players, with the more the merrier. We've even played with more by working in teams. It is available from major retailers as well as from specialist game shops (see our list of retailers).

You can read the back of the box here at the Crown & Andrews site.

There were so many good games this year that the judges had a very difficult time deciding. The full shortlist is here, and especially commended are KogWorks and Make'n'Break Compact.