tak-tak

By Twizmo! Games
Price $16.95
Age 8+

tak-tak has elements of simplicity and complexity one often finds in a game destined to be a classic. The rules are extremely easy to learn, but that very simplicity makes possible a surprising depth of strategy. Each piece bears a color and number. Players move one space per turn (straight ahead or forward diagonal), venturing out of their respective Safe Zones into the War Zone. The goal is to move as many pieces as possible into your opponent's Safe Zone. In the War Zone, stealing a piece requires only that it match yours in color or number - just place yours on top. The resulting stack can be repeatedly stolen between players, so staying aware of the colors/numbers in each of your pieces' immediate proximity and always moving with attack/counterattack in mind will take you far. Other fine strategies, such as stacking your own chips, make tak-tak a game to be reckoned with. Once either player has no possible moves, the game is over and each player earns the total numeric value of all pieces in their opponent's Safe Zone. For two players.