Page 47 - spielbox 4_24 Englisch E-Paper

Sheep Hop! / Garden Heist
Hop, Little Sheep, Hop!
By JOHANNA FRANCE
S
themed—sheep that hop across the game board. The aim is to arrive at the meadow to relax in the provided deckchairs. The children work together to get as many animals across as possible. But in between, two wolves are do- ing their rounds, eagerly waiting to grill
the sheep over their campfire (a witty
detail that may be a little drastic for
some animal-lovers).
A die determines whether a sheep or
the wolves get to move. The sheep has
a choice: it either moves one space or jumps over another piece or even over several others. However, this requires some tactical under- standing, in order to position the animals cor- rectly. And the wolves also have to be factored in. They may follow a prescribed route, but they are sometimes faster or slower according to the whims of the die.
It often takes several
rounds before the chil-
dren understand how to
position the sheep so that
they can hop more effi-
ciently. And that is essen-
tial—if they don’t, the game can drag on and the chances of winning dwindle.
Sheep Hop! is not easy to win and, with a bit of bad luck, can even go horribly wrong. But if the children figure out how to use the mechanism to their advantage, they will be rewarded with chain move- ments. Several included mini expan- sions also provide variability. Helpful sheepdogs, mischievous foxes and other additional tiles come into play, which can be used to customize the level of difficulty to suit
the group. (cs)
heep Hop! makes use of the good old Checkers mechanisms. Instead of ab-
stract pieces, it is now—appropriately
Ages 5 and up
Florian Fay: Sheep Hop! (Space Cow), Illustration: Pauline Berdal; for 1– 4 children about 5+ years; duration: about 15 minutes; price: about 19 euros
The Sneaking of the Raccoons
By JOHANNA FRANCE
behind such a hiding place, providing the gardener with a clue. This in itself is a charming feature that delights the kids.
Apart from that, Garden Heist offers exciting tasks for both sides. The garden- er can partly deduce where the raccoons are moving, while the raccoons are con-
stantly trying to trick him or her.
The components of Garden Heist, however, are less excit- ing. The massive house screen has gaps through which clev- er children learn to peek. Many find it hard to resist when cheating is made so easy. The score markers are put together like puzzle pieces, and they quickly start to fray. It’s such a shame that an exciting gameplay idea is failed by poor material. Apart from that, Gar­ den Heist is innovative and the task is great fun. But only with an additional
blindfold. (cs)
many names. Garden Heist re- “S
tatues” or “Red Light Green Light”— the classic children’s game has
volves around thieving raccoons that make their way to the garbage can. A suspicious gardener watches the ac- tion, hidden behind an impressive house screen. With the phrase “1,
2, 3—ready or not, find your spot” he gives the other children some time to move their raccoons from
one bush to the next.
As soon as the sentence has
been recited, the gardener looks out of the window and checks a hiding place. If he finds a raccoon there, it has to go back to the start. As some bushes store food (meaning points) for the ani- mals, the children have to make smack- ing noises when their raccoon is standing
Ages 6 and up
Fabrice Chazal, Anthony Perone: Garden Heist (Ravensburger), Illustration: Jiahui Eva Gao; for 2 – 4 children about 6+ years; duration: about 15 – 20 minutes; price: about 30 euros
spielbox 45