#1 Amazon Fan 2008-10-22

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

After all the rave reviews, I was looking forward to getting the game. It arrived today and we opened it immediately in hopes of finding it as fun as everyone says. The game is made entirely out of wood and the top cover slides in/out of grooves in the main box. We couldn't get the lid to slide off easily and when it was about halfway, it made a horrific screeching sound that pierced our ears. Seriously, it was so loud I thought my ears might start bleeding! Same thing happened when putting the lid back into place. The lid also does not fit all the way back on due to misaligment without trying to lift the inside part up some.

Upon examining the game closer, it is obvious that the box and lid are not squared well, causing the fit to be slightly off. This causes the lid to rub tightly against the inside, resulting in the loud screeching and difficulty in removing it.

The playing pieces also are made of wood, and the paint job on them left a lot to be desired. Yes, the game is playable but for 30 bucks, I expect higher quality and something that doesn't look like a 5 year old painted it. No, I don't expect perfection but I certainly do expect decent quality. Adding to these issues is a strong lacquer smell which is altogether unpleasant. Perhaps it would have dissipated with time, but we didn't keep the game long enough to find out.

I'm sure the game is fun so I gave it 4 stars for that along with the educational value (for strategy), but the quality of the game we received was poor and unacceptable for the price.

A. Roth 2008-06-24

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

This is a great game for the money! It's tic-tac-toe on a whole new level. This game takes quick thinking and lots of strategy...great for all ages....I'm 40 and I LOVE it!! It's a game the whole family can share. I recommend it for everyone!

mom of two 2008-04-23

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

I brought this as a gift for one of my son's friends (age 9). When I asked him how he liked the game, he lit up with excitement. He explained that he has played against both his parents, and even beat his mom. I think this is a great game to bring people together.

John Hobby 2008-04-05

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Gobblet is a simple looking game that is part tic-tac-toe and part connect four, but has three dimensions. The game board is a 4x4 grid, and each player has twelve black or white playing pieces. Each player plays one piece at a time to try to get four in a row. Easy huh? Oh, did I mention that your twelve pieces come in four different sizes? And that bigger pieces can "gobble" up the smaller pieces on the game board? This is no hungry-hungry hippos though, it is a tricky game of strategy.

Our little boy is 4 1/2 and even though we need to throw a few games his way now and then to keep him interested, he gets it. He is starting to understand that you need to balance your own objective of getting four in a row with stopping your opponent who has a similar objective. Looking ahead more than one play is a critical thinking skill that we look forward to him mastering.

The real fun happens after the kids go to bed and my wife and I get the game back out. Like Triominos, it is one of the few games that we play with and without the kids around. The playing board sits atop a carrying box, all made of wood (like the playing pieces) and is felt lined. This game was built to last for awhile, which is a good thing, because we plan on playing it a lot.

John (Pop from Cole's Toy Blog)

Alyss 2008-03-16

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Why Gobblet is great:
Instructions and rules can be explained in under 5min to a child or adult
but the game is not one that is easily mastered, unlike tic tac toe, which is the principle on which the game operates.

It can be played by adults but its concept is simple enough to be understood by a child, and it is the kind of game an adult can play with a child and enjoy- unlike most child's games which are only really enjoyable in themselves for the child.

It encourages logical thinking, strategy and spacial thinking.

I would compare it to RISK in that the basic principles are uncomplicated (position your pieces to attack and conquor those of your opponents and thus rule the world)but unlike RISK there isnt a whole book of rules, and a game of Gobblet can be completed in under ten minutes. Also like RISK there is much room for individual strategy, in fact that is what the game depends on, not luck or chance.

How you play Gobblet is a lot like tic-tac-toe. Only insted of 3 in a line, you need four and it is colors, not Xs & Os. The primary difference is what makes it so great- in tic-tac-toe, once you've mastered the game, nobody wins anymore. This is not possible with Gobblet. The pieces nest inside one another like stacking cups, the smallest being solid. You may "gobble" an opponents piece by putting your larger upside down cup over their smaller one. If they have a larger cup and they wish to gobble your piece on top of theirs, they may do so. The biggest cups cannot be gobbled, but each side only gets three of those, not enough to win. One strategy is to utilize your smallest pieces first, making your opponent waste their bigger pieces gobbling yours. You can gobble a tiny piece with one of the biggest ones if you wish, making your opponent unable to gobble it.

I have had experience with other Blue Orange games as well, and I do not wish to be unkind, but I wouldn't advise you to think they're all this good. Gobblet and Gobblet JR are, thus far their best and only really good creations. Some of their others are mediocre, others are downright poor.