The people behind the gorgeous wooden tile game Sproutword are back with another equally beautiful eco-friendly wooden game. Hedgeways is for 2 players, although we've also played a light-hearted game with 4, and recommended for anyone aged around 3-99+ (best for anyone aged 6+ in my opinion).
The first thing you'll notice is the box. Hedgeways is packaged in an incredibly clever all wooden box, and it instantly calls out to be wrapped in colourful tissue paper and given to someone you really like as a gift.
The box is all-in-one, and you just flip the lid to open it. The front, back and hinge are created from a single piece of wood, carefully cut and shaped, and it's really very clever, and quite special.
Inside the box nothing is wasted and the entire thing is plastic-free. The instructions are very simple and printed on recycled card, and there is a cloth drawstring bag holding all of the wooden tiles.
The tiles are small, light and lovely to play with. They fit into little hands, but are plenty big and clear enough for grandparents with eyesight that's getting a bit worn out. The colours are really calming and pretty, and inspired by the West Country - Western Sunset Pink, Salcombe Sand Yellow, Chalk Meadow Green and Dorset Sky Blue. They are also very to distinguish if you are colourblind - which 3 of my boys are.
Gameplay is really simple. You are a farmer, and each turn you can lay 1,2 or 3 hedges from a hand of 4. If you complete a field by enclosing it completely, you win points equal to the number of 'acres' of land you enclosed.
Fields can be any shape or size, and whenever you place a hedge, the touching colours have to match up. Diagonals don't count. Get more tiles out of the bag whenever you place any, so that you always have a hand of 4.
It's an excellent tool for teaching younger players to think fast with multiplying and adding small numbers (ignore the printed squares on the table, they don't match!). You'll need a way of keeping score, so a scrap of paper and pencil is handy.
Hedgeways can be a very quick game, but with more strategy and thought put into it, sometimes you can score big - and sometimes it's fluke! Sometimes the other player uses the spot you were hoping to use.
As a 2-player game Hedgeways is better and quicker, and more competitive, but it's actually possible to play a short game with 3 or 4, and that could be helpful for younger family members while they pick up tactics....
Hedgeways is a really great game. It's very quick and easy to play, and it's gorgeous. Entirely plastic-free, made from sustainable European wood with ink that isn't solvent based, and suitable for anyone. If you can play dominoes, you can play and enjoy Hedgeways.
We were sent our copy of Hedgeways for review by Sprout & Gherkin.
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