six grid divided into four three by three quadrants as well as 36 marbles (18
black and 18 white) nestled below its base with a slight rulebook and strategy
guide included. PENTAGO (MindtwisterUSA, 2 players, ages 6 and up, 3-30 minutes; $24.95)
Some game conventions encourage you to sit down and play games. But the New York International Toy Fair doesn't quite work like that. While there are miles of aisles of displays and no shortage of people who will tell you how a game plays and demonstrate it for you, it's an uncommon experience to actually sit down and play a game or two. But that is precisely what I did this year when Pentago caught my eye.
Pentago
is the brainchild of Tomas Floden and its small (and heavy) box holds a six by
six grid divided into four three by three quadrants as well as 36 marbles (18
black and 18 white) nestled below its base with a slight rulebook and strategy
guide included.
Players take turns placing marbles on the grid. The twist (or "mindtwist", if you prefer) to the game is that not only do you place a marble anywhere on the grid on your turn but you may also rotate ANY one of the quadrants 90 degrees. The first player to create a line of 5 of his color marbles in a row, horizontally, vertically or diagonally, wins!
The beauty of the game is that, truly, you can learn the rules in minutes. It's putting them to good use that is the challenge. Pentago relies heavily on tactics. As the board can shift on every turn, you have to try to set up a situation where TWO avenues will remain open for you to place a fifth marble no matter how a quadrant is shifted. Staying a move or two ahead of your opponent is necessary. If you get fixated on your own movements and grand plans, your opponent will place five in a row in a blink of an eye leaving you scratching your head wondering what happened. The fact that the game plays quickly is a big plus. It lets you get in another session. Like potato chips, you just want one more.
Pentago arrived in New York by way of Sweden where it won "Game of the Year" honors. The American market may be a harder nut to crack. Abstract games challenging you to get five in a row are nothing new. Pegity by Parker Brothers did this back in 1939. Moving quadrants has been done before too such as with Panic Button published by Mego in 1978. But Pentago melds the two ideas smoothly while giving players more control of quadrant movement. Here, the player chooses which quadrant to twist while Mego's game shifted them all simultaneously! And all in a very attractive package. The use of blonde woods for the board reflects the game's Scandinavian roots although the game actually is available in three different motifs, two wooden varieties and a red/black combination. The relatively small size gives the game portability but the heft correctly implies that the game itself is substantial. Currently, Pentago is only available in Norway, Sweden and Denmark but, as evidenced by its Toy Fair presence, efforts are being made to widen its audience including an English language web site (www.pentago.com). If you have even a passing interest in abstract games, keep an eye out for Pentago. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Herb Levy
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