Gobbit Family Card Game Review (age 6+)

Gobbit is a family card game which takes the mechanism of 'Snap' and moves it on in increasingly complicated steps. Suitable for 2-8 Players aged 6+, it's ridiculously simple and familiar, and quite addictive. Gameplay can be quick and a full game can be over in 15 minutes.

Unusually the packaging really is just that, and when you open the box you first find a Gobbit player certificate and a rubber wristband - you are allowed to challenge anyone wearing a wristband to a game of Gobbit. I'm not sure how often that would happen ordinarily, but there are tournaments being held in stores across the UK which you are allowed to enter...

The Gobbit cards themselves are stored in a neat little box with a drawer. Thick board and well made, it should last the lifetime of the game and is a great way to store cards, much better than a traditional cardboard box, yet still very small and portable.

The cards themselves mostly of 3 types: Snake, Chameleon and Mosquito, and the aim of the game is to be the last person holding cards. In the basic game snakes eat chameleons of the same colour as themselves, and chameleons eat mosquitos the same colour as themselves, and other interactions are harmless.

Each player takes an equal share of cards and plays a card in turn onto their own discard pile. Whenever the card played can eat or be eaten by the top card on any other player's discard pile, players must attack or defend by placing their hand over the cards. First hand there wins that stack.

My 6 and 7 year old boys understood the rules straightaway, and really loved playing. Gobbit is a really exciting game and can be really quick if everyone is ready and paying attention. There were a lot of laughs as people got confused and tried to 'eat' creatures of a different colour, or the wrong direction in the food chain.

There are lots of ways that Gobbit can be played, making it increasingly complicated and different. There are Gorilla cards (they can eat everyone) and a game booklet detailing several rule variants (e.g. chameleons can affect gameplay differently depending on colour).

There's such a huge amount of scope with Gobbit that it is a great game for any member of the family. The age suggestion of 6+ is right, but anyone older than that can have a lot of fun playing, making it as competitive and rapid-fire as you can handle. It works for mixed age groups, although adults and 8+ will have the upper hand over younger children, at least at first.

Gobbit is great for teaching turn-taking and it'll help your child learn how to accept defeat in a comfortable way, as everyone loses their stack of cards regularly. Noting the different characters and colours is great for improving speed and hand-eye coordination will really get a workout.

 Gobbit is available to buy now priced £14, from good games stores and online from Rules Of Play.