Game Review: Rummikub

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: A fun game that the entire family will enjoy

Cons: Only four players

The Bottom Line:

Move the tiles around

To clean out tiles in your hand

Keep rearranging

Now If I Put that 5 Over There....

Growing up, my family always played games together. When we found Rummikub (pronounced "rummy cube"), it quickly became a family favorite. And now, over 20 years later, we still play it quite a bit.

On the surface level, the game seems like a tile version of the card game Rummy. There are 106 tiles in four colors, red, black, blue, and orange. The numbers run from 1 to 13 and there are two of each number for each color. Think of it as having two decks of cards mixed together. Additionally, there are two jokers which can substitute for any tile in the deck.

The game is played with 2 to 4 players (or more on teams. We've had lots of fun playing on teams as well). To start the game, each player draws 14 tiles. Then, the person selected to go first, draws again. Why? Because your initial play must consist of 30 points by adding up the face value on the tiles you play. We very rarely ever have 30 points in our hands right away, so we start by drawing until we have that amount.

So, how do you play your tiles? Just like in Rummy, it sets of three or more. They can either be runs (4,5,6 of the same color, for example), or in sets (three 12's of different colors). When you have enough points to play, you just lay your tiles down on the table in front of you.

And now's when the fun really begins. Once you have made your initial meld, you can rearrange the tiles on the table to add your own. The only rule is that once you are done, every time on the table must still get in a run or set of three or more. Need one of the 12's from that set of four? Take it? Want that 8 to create a new run? It's yours. As the game progresses and more and more titles are added to the table, the complexity of the moves becomes greater and the fun increases.

This is definitely a thinking person's game. And it's one reason why the rules have a two minute time limit. You can literally sit and think about those tiles and how to rearrange them to your advantage for forever. Sometimes that extra time helps. Normally, it doesn't, but you never know.

But watch out, if you can't play anything, it's back to the draw pile and you have to add one to your hand.

The object of the game is to get rid of all the tiles in your hand. It's never quite as easy as it sounds because you often wind up with one or two that are impossible to get rid of. But that's also the fun of the game. The rules include information on scoring, but we never do that. We just play round by round and keep track of who has won how many rounds.

The set comes with complete instructions, four stands, and the tiles. The tiles themselves are about the size of dominoes and very sturdy. This game will stand up to some abuse and repeated play for years to come. The biggest problem is the tile colors. The tiles are white with the numbers painted on them in the color they represent. Unfortunately, the black and blue and the red and orange paints can look pretty close to each other, especially if the light isn't perfect. We've found that painting the circle in the bottom half of half the tiles fixes that minor problem.

The box officially says ages 8 to adult. Since we're all grown now, I can definitely attest to the adult part. The lower end will obviously depend on how smart your child is. We used to play this with my little brother on a team with Mom or Dad when he was really little. He probably couldn't have played an entire game by himself back then, but he often saw moves that the rest of us had missed.

Obviously, the game comes down to the luck of the draw. But skill goes a long way toward making this a level playing field. Very rarely do we spot something the other one has missed after one of us wins.

This is a game that is just as entertaining and challenging no matter how old you are. If you are looking for a new family game, give Rummikub a try. You'll soon be hooked.