Designed by: Thierry Denoual
Gobblet Gobblers – also available as the more cerebrally-presented Gobblet – is a spin on noughts and crosses that, despite its light-hearted appearance, is actually a rather tactical challenge.
The game comes with two sets of ‘Gobblers’ (blue and orange) and a set of plastic pieces that fit together form a 3×3 grid. As with noughts and crosses, your objective is to form a line of three: in this case three “Gobblers”. The difference here is twofold: first, you can choose to either add an unplayed Gobbler, or move one that’s already been played – Gobblers can move to any neighbouring space, including diagonally. The other difference is that bigger Gobblers can jump on top of smaller ones, ‘eating’ them: this can occur from either placing or movement, and is what gives the game a bit of depth.
For if you choose to move a Gobbler that has already been played to the ‘board’, once you have lifted it you must move it; the reason this rule is important is that you may have forgotten that there is a smaller opponent’s Gobbler underneath one of your own… it’s possible to inadvertently give someone a victory by making such a move, so there’s an element of memory-challenge to the game as well, especially if you play several games in succession.
A game of simple rules that really does offer a tactical challenge.
The whole game is a battle for supremacy, so you need to be able to take defeat on the chin.
Exceedingly low. The game isn't drowning in options.
Low.... but not quite as low as the packaging suggests.
It doesn't have a great deal of variety in gameplay, but the choices before you make the game considerably deeper that noughts and crosses.
2-2
Players
6+
Years
5-15
Mins
Sam says
A camping holiday saw the debut of Gobblet Gobblers in our family... and it got played again and again and again. A lovely first step into gaming for younger kids, but by no means a pointless pursuit for adults either.