Game Review: Sorry! Sliders

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Creative new game that all ages can enjoy.

Cons: No real connection to Sorry!  Takes a lot of room

The Bottom Line:

Slide down your alley

Score all the points that you can

Not Sorry!; still fun

Sorry! Sliders - Shuffleboard for Your Kitchen Table

I must admit I don't pay too much attention to games in stores these days, so I hadn't heard of Sorry! Sliders before I got it at a gift exchange last Christmas.  I started looking at the back of the box and became excited because it sounded like fun.  I've only played it a couple of times, but I've enjoyed it.

Those looking for a huge connection to the classic game sorry will be disappointed.  The tokens look similar and you can wind up back at start, but that's about it.

You have two sets of tokens for this game.  One set has a flat bottom and is used to keep score on your score card.  The other has a small roller on the bottom and is used on the main board.

The main board consists of a target and one to four ramps (depending on the number of players) attached to it.  Everyone takes turns sliding their token with rollers down their ramp to the middle.  The closer you get to the middle, the higher your score is.  Of course, the other pieces can bump your piece out of their spot and into another scoring zone.  After the round is over, you move your pieces on the scoring board closer to the finish line.  But watch out, if your slider goes off the board or into the corners, Sorry! your piece furthest along on the scoring board goes all the way back to the beginning.

The game is officially designed for ages six and up, and I think that's a pretty good target age.  All you really need to be able to do is slide the pieces and count.  Even then, someone can help with the counting.  One rule designed to help with a younger group is that if a piece is on a line between two scoring zones, you always get the higher score.  That's a very nice touch to avoid arguments.  I've only played it with adults, but we got quite addicted to it.

The game offers four different scoring targets.  Some offer areas that automatically send a piece to the finish line, others offer spots that automatically send yours back to the start.  These variations also help extend the interest in the game.  Yes, you might be sliding a token down the ramp, but it's not quite the same when you are trying to aim differently.  And some of the variations make the game downright hard.

Speaking of hard, one suggestion they have is to put all four ramps together.  My roommate tried that one time with a friend.  Their simple game lasted over an hour because they had a hard time getting to the scoring zone.

The game does take up more room than a standard board game.  By the time you add the ramps to the scoring square, you need a decent sized kitchen table or plenty of floor space to make it work.

I'm glad I came home with Sorry! Sliders.  It's a different game that is highly entertaining.  This is one I'll be playing for some time to come.