See Spot It Run! Run Spot It Run!

FIRE!!!

Argh!! A Spider!!

Skull & Crossbones!!

STOP!!

OK

After stumbling across this game via watching one of The Dice Tower's video reviews. I knew I had to have this game, but boy was this a hard game to track down in Japan! I searched for months to no avail. Who knew, that for a game about being the fastest to spot something, it would take so long for me to Spot...It...(get it ) (Now it's available in Japan under the name of Dobble)

After 3 months, I finally found it at the import board game store. I passed it up the first time because of the price (around $20) to see if I could find it cheaper elsewhere. But a couple of weeks later, I went back and threw down my Yen (aka moola), and the game was on it's way to my shoebox-gaming-apartment.

This is one of the many interesting & clever games published by Blue Orange Games. They have a range of games in interestingly shaped/packaged boxes/tins. Their games are easy to learn, colourful, well packaged which makes them stand out.

So was this game worth my $20? Umm...Spoilers!

A brief...brief...(a short some-airy):
This fantastic little game in a tin is one that I'm so glad that it's now a part of my collection. I can bring this game out anywhere, and it is my most played game I own. I even got to play it again today during recess at my school. Not only because it plays in 5 minutes, but it's because it's a game that can cross boundaries, can be played with the young and old, can be played across languages, and it's fun. It can even be used as an educational tool.

There's not only 1 game in the tin, it actually comes with 4 games using the same cards I love the names of the games. Spot It takes from 2-8 players, but I've been able to play it with more by splitting the deck & splitting the number of players into 2 groups. The round cards are quite durable, and can be riffle shuffled, and the study tin is quite eye-catching.

It's such a cleverly designed game, of where there's always a matching object on every single card. It still amazes me when I think about it. There are 55 cards, and there's a matching object...how did they...? (cue jaw drop) Even thought everyone knows that there has to be a match on the card, the way they've designed the cards, makes it almost like an optical illusion half the time.

Game Play in a Nutshell:
Game 1: The Tower
Deal out 1 face-down card to everyone (which is their own personal pile), and the rest of the cards are placed face up in the center. Players simultaneously flips over their card, and race to find and call out the object which matches their card. The fastest player gets that card, and puts it on top of their pile. Continue until all the cards run out. The person with the most cards is the winner!

Game 2: The Well
Place 1 card face-up in the center of the table, and deal out the rest of the cards face-down, evenly to each player to form draw piles. Players simultaneously flips over their "draw piles" and try to match their card with the center card. Once they find a match they place their card on top of the center card/pile. The person to get rid of all their cards the fastest wins.

Game 3: Hot Potato
This game is played over many rounds. You may wish to decide how many rounds. Players hold out 1 hand, and the dealer deals 1 card face down into the palms of each player. Players simultaneously turn over their card. Players try to match an object from their own card to another person's card and once a match is found, they give that card to the other person. If you have more than one card and you find a match, you give the other person all of the cards. The round ends when 1 player ends up with all the cards. After all the rounds, the player with the least amount of cards is the winner.

Game 4: The Poisoned Gift
Deal out 1 face-down card to everyone, and place the rest of the cards in the center pile, face-up. Players simultaneously flip over the card and try to find matches with the card in the center and ANOTHER person's card/pile. Once they find a match, they give the center card to that person. Continue until all the cards in the center have been given out. The player with the least amount of cards is the winner.

Perfect match:
Those looking for a quick filler game that can be played with anyone will score highly on Perfect Match. This game can also take up to 8 players. For those that love pattern recognition games, this is a must. I'm no good at pattern recognition games, but I really enjoy this one. Great for those with kids, great for teachers, great for students with special needs and great for those that don't speak the same language as you (we sometimes play by touching the object on the card in the center if the kids have no idea what it is in English/Japanese).

Things that make you go Umm...(Cons)
I always second guess myself about whether to bring this game out with younger kids/at schools because someone inevitably shouts out "bomb!!!" since it's one of the objects they're searching for. So unless you're training to be part of a bomb squad or you're Bruce Willis on Die Hard, don't play this at the airport or on the plane!!
(Sometimes the Candle gets mistaken for TNT)

Things that make you go Oooh! (Pros)
This is such a great little gem in a tin. It's portable, and the 4 games give it a lot of re-playability. After playing it 50 times, it still hasn't gotten old, and some of my friends have been asking where to get a copy of it. This is also great for those that teach another language, or play games with friends from other countries. My students love it, my Japanese friends who don't speak much English love it.
It's a loud, lively game of Shout It/Snatch It/Give It Away/...

All by myself...(sing it with me)
No one to play with? You can play this solo. I have and it still works. You can race against the clock, or try to beat your fastest record. When I play solo, it feels like I'm playing an app on my iPod Touch. I also play it Solo to practice my Japanese vocab. Where else can I get the opportunity to shout out "Exclamation Mark!" (bikuri mark) or "Maple Leaf!" (momiji) in Japanese.

Gateway to Gaming Heaven (can this be played as a gateway game): Yes! This is the gateway to gaming. Such an easy game to teach, and you'll probably play it a few times in one sitting.

Adding fuel to the fire (adding to the addiction):
This can start a fire with new gamers. My new-to-gaming friends have asked me where can they buy a copy.

Gamer vs Non Gamer:
There is no advantage of being a Gamer, and no advantage to being an adult either! The cards are cleverly enough designed that they can even confound the most experienced gamers. Some of my students are amazingly fast! I've played this game plenty of times and even first timers can beat me, and I'm no snail either.

Add to your collection:
Yes! I recommend it. It's such a small, inexpensive gem, that's great for a filler/for a mixed group/for new players/for gamers...For teachers/parents/those living/working in another country I would highly recommended this game for your collection. For me, 1 copy wasn't enough, I now have 2 copies sitting on my table at the moment.

Warning: This game may contain traces of clowns!