RoboRally

Maybe it's just me, but the idea of sending a bunch of robots careering round a maze-like factory floor, firing off lasers, colliding with each other and being crushed by heavy machinery is a pretty cool concept. Due to Health and Safety laws, fewer and fewer of us are able to do this for real, so RoboRally provides an excellent substitute.

In essence, you race your robots round the square grid to reach flags, by simultaneously playing simple movement cards: move forward two squares, rotate 90 degrees to the left and so forth. However, not only do you have to programme a full turn's worth of five cards in advance, but you also have to contend with conveyor belts and gears which spin or rotate your robot as he moves, and the possibility (and opportunity) of collisions between robots.

This makes the game pretty demanding mentally, as all the players sit there scratching their heads and doing "The RoboRally Shuffle" - elbows in, lower arms extended forwards with palms facing in, rotating from side to side as you try and work out which direction their robots will be facing after the fourth card. The beauty of this game is that it combines simple elements in a complex way so the game is readily understandable and above all fun.

Because all the players are thinking and planning at the same time, the game doesn't slow down too much with several players – although around four is the best number.


We have played this game many, many times over the years, and it is one of the few games that I consider a must buy.