I think that games should look fun to play.  It’s much easier to convince a newbie to play a game if looks fun – granted it should also be fun, but I think that almost goes without saying.

Today’s game review is on Gobblet Gobblers.  It’s the colorful, cute version of the abstract strategy game Gobblet which has been a success for Blue Orange games for a couple of years now.  Invented by Blue Orange’s founder Thierry Denoual, the game is easy to play and learn but takes a bit of time to master. The wooden game consists of 6 (2 small, 2 medium and 2 large) blue Gobblers, 6 orange Gobblers and a playing grid.  On each turn a player can place a Gobbler in a space or move a Gobbler to another space and larger Gobblers can cover up either player’s smaller Gobblers.  A player wins when they get three in a row; it’s simple enough!

Gobblet Gobblers is really like an addictive and more complex game of tic-tac-toe.  You need to think about moves ahead but also remember what’s hiding underneath each of the Gobblers.  At the beginning you will make some stupid moves but the learning curve is very quick so you won’t have that “wow am I dumb” feeling for more than a game or two.  And trust me, that feeling just makes you want to have an immediate rematch, and since the games only take about 2-5 minutes each it’s easy to demand one – or six.

Because it is an offshoot of the schoolroom classic tic-tac-toe, it’s great for kids and parents to play together.  The manufacturer says it’s for ages 5 and up and while I didn’t test it with a kid that young, I’m pretty certain that a 5 year old would enjoy it – especially with the cute faces and funny felt hair that makes Gobblet Gobblers so much cuter than it’s parent game Gobblet.

Gobblet Gobblers Stats:
~$19 at Target, Borders, Amazon.com, local Mom & Pop stores
2 Players
2-5 Minutes
Ages 5 and up