Bugs in the Kitchen

 

The bug in Bugs in the Kitchen is a HEXBUG Nano. It moves randomly on twelve, rubbery, battery-powered legs – randomly enough to turn (maybe left, maybe right) when it meets an obstacle.

There are two dozen plastic utensils – knives, forks and spoons. They each have a post in the center which fits snugly (and pretty much permanently) into the sturdy cardboard playing board. Once installed, they form something that looks very much like a maze. And, since they pivot so beautifully on their pegs, they form a maze whose paths can be continuously changed. Which, as you might surmise, is what the game is basically about.

There are two, large, pocket-like receptacles on each side of the board. Each player claims one of these receptacles as her own (there are cardboard walls you can install to block off one or two of these receptacles should you be playing with 2 or 3 players).

There’s a die involved. Three of its sides are question marks. The other three depict different utensils.

You turn the utensils so they form one of the four suggested starting mazes. Then one player turns the HEXBUG on and puts it in the middle of the game board. The next player throws the die, determining which utensil can be turned. The posts are designed so that they tend to turn 9o-degrees – which is exactly how they should be turned. The goal is to get the HEXBUG into your trap. Of course, you can’t touch the bug itself. It’s all in how you configure the maze.

There are cardboard “bug tokens.” As soon as the HEXBUG is trapped, the round ends, the winning player receives one bug token, and the maze is reset.  The goal is to be the first to collect five tokens.

Or you can make it the rule that if the HEXBUG falls into your trap, you lose. Or you can see what happens if you play without the die. Or you can play by yourself, trying out different mazes and seeing if you can guess which trap the HEXBUG will fall into.

Bugs in the Kitchen was designed by Peter-Paul Joopen. And I just have to say, Mr. Peter-Paul Joopen, you are a genius. Your game is fascinating, engaging, worthy of many hours of joyful contemplation, and makes a toy that already has proven play value, even more fun. Major fun, that is. And you, too, Ravensburger. It’s a game that is made to withstand many hours of intense delight. The HEXBUG comes with a battery already installed. And a spare, even.

Bugs in the Kitchen (a.k.a. Kakerlakak) can be played by 2-4 early elementary school-age children, though it seems to be most fun with just two players, and parents will probably insist on getting to play as well. With art by Janos Jantner and Maximilian Jasionowski, Bugs in the Kitchen is ©2013 Ravensburger Spieleverlag GmbH and widely available at toy stores near you.

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