Also shuffled into the deck are skip-ahead cards that send players instantly to one of the map's tasty sights along the way: Candy Hearts, Peppermint Stick Forest, Gingerbread Plum Tree, Gumdrop Mountains, Crooked Old Peanut Brittle House, Lollipop Woods and Ice Cream Floats. However, players must be careful. One bad draw will land them in the sticky Molasses Swamp or get them stuck on one of few other squares, where they have to wait until they draw the right colored card.
Candy Land is a game of good vs. evil. Landing on an evil character, such as the black-hearted Lord Licorice, results in losing a turn; therefore, setting a player back. Also, by drawing a character that the player has already passed, they must return to the previous spot, which will once again put them a step or two behind the king's castle and instead, on to the previously drawn character. Because of such setbacks, people at a young age learn the importance of independence. Each move in the game is a source of independence. One by one, kids draw their own card and move their own pawn on to the journey towards the king's castle. At school, kids learn that someone else cannot do their homework for them because come test time they will have no understanding of the material. Having full and complete reliance on someone can sometimes be a liability. At the adult level, when trying to get a promotion, one must advance their skills and rely on their own judgement because chances are one's coworker will seem like they are helping when, in fact, they finding ways to betray him or her, in order to receive the promotion themselves. The world has lying and manipulative beings. There are also beings who are genuinely helpful. It's only a matter of determining who's who. But can one be completely independent and still reach their goals?.
One must also learn to depend on others. There are two shortcuts in the game, one being the rainbow trail at the beginning of the path and the other being Jolly, the Official Gumdrop Mountain Greeter's Gumdrop pass.
