Rummikub Classic The Board Game Review

It’s the summer holidays, and as expected it’s raining, again. Luckily, we have a good stack of board games in our office however when you have been in doors a while a new board game makes all the difference. I was more than happy to review Rummikub.

Playing for the first time with three children was a little stressful at first. (editor’s note – this is the reviewer’s opinion) The rules took a few reads to fully understand but that might be just me. It took a few more reads to try and explain to the children. At first glance, looking at the box and the rules it looks complicated. Too complicated to be for some however don’t go on first impressions. It is a game worth learning to play! Just like a good card game, but with tiles, timeless and a game anyone can play.  I believe in learning the rules and gameplay as you go, by experience, so after a few rounds we were getting the hang of it and no longer needed to check the rule booklet.

The game consists of 4 racks for the tiles, 106 tiles in 4 different colours. The numbers go from 1-13. The game can be played with just 2 players, or up to 4. It is recommended for age 7+ but my 6 year old had no trouble after he knew what he was doing. He did need a little help with some of the adding up on the first round but otherwise was fine. He picked up how to add and move tiles around quickly and was playing on his own in just a couple of games.

Game play starts quickly. All the tiles are placed in the middle in a pool and facing down. You choose 14 random tiles to start with. On your first turn, you must make a group of numbers which add up to at least 30, these can be a group of like numbers or a run of numbers in the same colour. As you play, you add to these tiles on the table or if you can’t, take a tile from the pool. The idea of the game is to rid your rack of tiles, the game ending when someone has no tiles left on their rack. They then yell Rummikub! Who’s kids don’t like loudly announcing that they have won. If in the event the pool is empty and no one can play any more moves, the winner is the one who has the most points. The total of the tiles on the table, minus the total of tiles left on your rack will give you your score, be careful though! If you have a joker left on the rack at the end it holds a high penalty so get it on the table quick.

If you get the chance to purchase, have children 6 or above and are torn between the junior and the original version. I’d go for the original because not only will it last longer, but it’s actually easier for the whole family to play the same game if you have children of different age ranges. It would make a perfect gift! One that can be enjoyed by the whole family not just the children, for adults too.

The game is very well made. Even though I remembered playing it when younger, I didn’t realise it was over 50 years old! It is fantastic for using as an educational tool, teaching math, strategy and quick thinking. This game has won awards worldwide and is loved by many. I had no idea it had such a huge following. Surely that is a testament to how fun it is. They even have merchandise on their website, T-shirts and phone cases for example! Looks like it has a huge following. When looking through their informative and easy to navigate website for some company background, I discovered that they have World Rummikub Championships.

I give this game 5/5. It is fun to play although a little complicated at first. The company are eco friendly and making moves to become more sustainable. I love how from just a pack of tiles we got so much enjoyment.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £24.99

You can find the game and stockists by following this link here. It retails for £24.99 although can often be found at a lower price across the stores for example Smyths where it is currently on offer (editor’s note – at the time of writing the review) for only £16.99.