Bugs in the Kitchen

My wife didn’t see the attraction when I suggested to buy this game as a Christmas gift for our children aged 6 and 9. I should say that she has a mortal fear of any create with more than 4 legs. Despite her aversion I pushed through and as a gift it was a tremendous success not only with the children, but even with my wife and the in-laws. Playing the game causes a huge amount of excitement, at least in our family with hyper-energetic children, comparable to a less animal-friendly beetle race. In fact the enthusiasm and loud shouts of bug-encouragement and excitement gets a bit too much in our small space household in particular given that the game is very frequently played for the moment. I must say I quite like the game play as its combines fast paced action and thinking, after all the bug moves at a reasonable pace and the person whose turn it is will have to act quickly. At the same time I’ve notice that the children start to develop some forward thinking strategies after having played it a few times, where they try to create paths before unleashing the bug from its starting position. So there is a little educational value to it as well. There are many variants and clones of this game already. But we decided to go with the trusted German Ravensburger brand from which we already have a series of board games that have sustained decades of kid’s play. This Bugs in the Kitchen game is no different; it’s very attractively presented in a sturdy, colourful cardboard box. The cardboard of the box and the parts is robust and resilient printed with deep colours. You will pay up for this ‘official’ version, but I must say I’m glad we did given the very frequent play sessions. Next to the cardboard tokens, trap doors and die, also included are 24 plastic cutlery parts that act as moveable maze panels. these need to be but in place, which consumes a little bit of time. The main part however is the Hexbug, that comes in a 'laboratory' container. I must admit that I was a bit underwhelmed by the bug. I expected a piece of highly sophisticated micro technology that would move around, driven by some level of AI. Well, it’s just a vibrating piece of plastic that after turning it on randomly moves around through its vibrations – if it moves at all, sometimes it just finds itself stuck in a corner for a long while. Anyway, this doesn’t really restrict the joy of playing the game. And the children certainly don’t complain. The set up and understanding of the game is pretty straightforward. It will take you less than 2 minutes to read the instructions and to get ready to play. Children will just have to watch or participate once to understand. The rounds of the game can be fairly quick so it quite suitable as well for the youngest players with a limited attention span. The age advice is from 6-years. But I’ve seen much younger cousins playing this with quite some skill. An official game, where one player collects 5 bug tokens can take from 15 to 30 minutes. But you can also just play a single round or agree that the one winning 3 tokens wins. Conclusion; if you are looking for an attractive game that can be played in a limited amount of time; buy this. I would recommend it highly. Perhaps some ear plugs should be advised as well for those not playing.

I bought this as a family game after my daughter played this at a friend’s house for hours! It takes a while (about 15 minutes) to set up for the first time as it is quite fiddly. I would recommend help from an adult. Pegs need to be located, pushed and then clipped in place in quite a precise way. Each peg is a piece of cutlery, which acts as a wall. The die dictates which cutlery type you twist (knife, fork, spoon or any). The instructions provide a choice of patterns to arrange the cutlery/walls. Each starting pattern has a trap in the middle where you place the bug. The Nano-bug comes in a test tube shaped container. It moves remarkably like a roach! No batteries are required. Slide the bug’s “on” switch and away you go. This is a game for 2-4 players. The really good thing about it is that is is very easy to play. The instructions are simple and you don’t need to keep checking the rules. The aim is to turn the cutlery/walls to direct the bug into your corner. You are rewarded with a token. The winner has the largest collection of tokens. This is a fast paced game. Once constructed from new it can be opened and played quickly, without setting up time. The rules are so simple and it doesn’t really require any skill as there is quite a lot of luck involved. This is a great game for all ages to play. Unsupervised, I would recommend this for ages 6+, but much younger children would be able to play this with family. The only down side is the noise - a loud rattle! Fantastic, manic fun! I would recommend this game.

A great family game, which is ideal if you haven't got time to play a longer lasting board game like Monopoly, Cluedo, Scrabble, game of life etc. We purchased this game as we enjoy playing family board games, but wanted something a little different and can be played quickly if short on time. We saw it advertised on TV and my daughters put it on their Santa lists & I must admit it did look like a bit of fun. When you first receive the game you will need to assemble it, by pushing the knives, forks & spoons into the slots on the board, not sure how important it is to follow the plan provided of where to put each one, but we did all the same. It is a easy game for 2-4 players and can be very fast and frantic and my daughters aged 7 & 11 love playing it together or with other friends & family members and I must admit to secretly enjoying it and its competitiveness. The idea of the game is to get the Hexbug caught in your trap to earn a token, and first to get 5 tokens wins. To do this you roll the included dice, which will land on either a knife, fork, spoon or question mark (your own choice) and turn the corresponding piece through 90 degrees to either make a route to your trap or prevent it heading towards another players trap. Although the game is listed as 6+ I think younger players if supervised (as to not to eat the HexBug) would be able to enjoy and easily play this game as there is as much luck as skill involved in playing this game.

Such a fun and interactive game to get kids and adults involved. The game is sturdy and well made . Well worth the money. The hexabug can get stuck when the battery (one LR44) is low so have some extras on hand. Also need to play this on a flat surface and not on the carpet as an uneven surface affects the movement of the hexabug. Love this game!

Es un juego divertido hasta ahorita todo bien su calidad es buena espero que dure pasas un rato entretenido con amigos y familia

思った以上に早く届けてくださってありがとうございました！ 子どもが大喜びでした！

Fantastic game, we are playing every evening. Lots of fun trying to catch a bug.

Schönes Spiel. Coole Kakerlake. Die Kids haben ihren Spaß daran. Bugs in the Kitchen (UK Version) anstatt Kakerlakak bestellt, ist ein paar Euro günstiger. Kann das Spiel nur empfehlen. MfG