First you start off by spinning the spinner and finding the state number that it landed on. To continue with your turn, you must correctly name the capital of that state. If you can't, your turn ends. If you do get the capital correct you then roll the dice and move the appropriate spaces. If you land on a space where you must draw a card, you must name the state by the hint left on the card. Most of the time it is land marks or tourist spots.

I definitely think that every parents should buy this game. It does not matter if your child attends public school, private school or home school. This game will make learning the states fun for your child and the whole family.

83 of 85 found the following review helpful:

Play this game and learn about the U.S. at the same time!  Sep 05, 1999

Too many citizens of the U.S. can't tell the difference between Colorado and Wyoming. Play this fun game and learn about the 50 states. My husband and I play this with our children to help them learn. To make it more challenging, the adults have to name the capital cities as well the the states. Sometimes the spinner seems to land on the same numbers, so we've altered the game so that a new number must be spun each turn.

77 of 88 found the following review helpful:

Should be fun, and yet...  Jul 29, 2003

We just bought this game for our five year old son. He loves maps and could name some of the more recognizable states already, so we figured he would love it. However...

The gameplay is nonexistent. There really is no game. It's rote learning of the states and their capitals cloaked in "an exciting geography game". But it's NOT exciting. After your child learns the states (which might take a week or so, game or no game) then even that element of enjoyment is gone from this game.

The factoid postcards are not that interesting, restricting themselves to well-known landmarks and not delving into many historic or demographic details. The cards themselves are printed on cheap paper stock rather than glossy card stock, so they get bent very easily.

The spinner is on a flimsy cardboard insert that isn't flat, so the spinner doesn't spin all that consistently.

We've had this one for a week, and it's already on the shelf. The game says it's for kids Grade 3 and up...I can't imagine how older kids would enjoy this game if it can't hold a five year old's attention.

46 of 51 found the following review helpful:

The best educational game that is fun and easy for all ages.  Jul 21, 1999

This game is so much fun, your children won't think they are learning and they'll want to play it all the time. Because it's repetitive and easy, children learn fast. I would recomend this game to all parents

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

Not as good as Name That Country  Nov 27, 2008
By Dr. Gayle Nicoll
We got Name That Country first, as our daughter really loves geography. That game is awesome, so we expected as much if not more from Name That State. Boy, were we disappointed! Not half as much time or thought went into the production of this game. The board itself is much shorter, so that you can actually get around the entire board by successfully identifying only 3 states; this makes the game play short, unchallenging, and unsatisfying. And then the layout of the path stinks, too. For example, on one space, it says, "go ahead 2 spaces," and 2 spaces later, there's a draw a bonus postcard, which makes you go ahead another 2 spaces. Or another example: one space says go ahead 2 spaces, and when you get there, that space says go back 3 spaces. Very poor layout! It also doesn't have the flexibility of the Name that country game: with that one, I could challenge my daughter by putting new numbers on the board so she could ID new countries. No such luck with name that state. Overall, a massive disappointment from Educational Insights, which usually delivers quality stuff.

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