Halloween Memory

Among the memory boards we carry, this one holds an advantage unrelated to the holiday: its symbols have strongly different outlines. A pumpkin is round, a cat has pointed ears, a ghost is a teardrop, a bat spreads sideways. When a card flips, you separate it from the others before you have consciously examined it, which is not true of a set where every picture is drawn inside the same circle.

That property means the grid can grow larger before the game becomes punishing. If you have played memory games and concluded that you simply cannot hold more than a few cards in your head, try this one, because part of the problem may have been artwork that refused to separate rather than your recall.

The dark-and-orange palette is comfortable in a dim room and suits evening play better than daylight. On the thinking shelf at My Urban Eatery we offer it to people who like the seasonal look but have no interest in a game designed to make them jump.