Unless you’re identical twins like the brothers Sedin, it’s hard to play games with your siblings. We suffered enough pummelings in our day to know that an older, stronger, cagier sibling will almost always make mincemeat of a kid brother or sister in intrafamily competition—where all the word “mercy” means is that you get to start over with a new game at 20-0.

It’s the same story whether you’re shooting hoops, racing to the raft, playing Stratego, arm wrestling, or enjoying a few rounds of a game we used to call “Kill the Guy With the Ball.” (It was pretty much what it sounds like.) The only game we ever saw a kid brother win was a contest supposedly designed to see who could hit the lightest—and it was a Pyrrhic victory.

But all’s not lost for the nation’s younger siblings. Family Tetris lets every player choose his or her difficulty level, putting kid sisters (and moms and dads) on even ground against their Tetris-obsessed older bros.

And maybe, after this handicapped competition has improved everyone’s self-esteem sufficiently, the whole clan can play in one of Family Tetris’s cooperative modes, together as one team!

Sure, maybe. More likely, older siblings will attribute any losses to their unfair disadvantage, and then it’s back outside for another hour of punishing KTGWTB.

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