Quoridor Game Review
THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER'S OWN.
Reviewed by Lisa
As a couple with young children, an evening in playing board games is one of our favourite ways to hang out together and have some fun. However, it also means that we get familiar with games very easily and are always on the lookout for something different to keep us entertained.
Quoridor is very quick and easy to set up as all you need is the board, 20 fence pieces (which slot very easily into the grooves each side of the board) and 1 pawn per player. The rules are just as quick to read (3 sides of a small booklet, half of which are diagram illustrations) and understand, so we were playing within no time at all. Our initial thoughts were that the game was quite easy to play, with our 5 year old probably being fine with it, and that we were going to get bored of it rather quickly. However, we persisted in playing a few more games (so that my husband could actually win a game!) and found that we both started reading the game in a more detailed way that required better tactics and planning of our moves. It went from being a straight forward game to a mental challenge in no time at all. With each turn you have to decide whether to advance with your pawn, block the other player, or try to make your route easier to get to the opposite side first and win the game. We have only played with two players so far and that even though the four player rules are pretty much identical, I know that it will be a whole other game requiring some careful change of strategy to continue my winning streak.
The quality of the physical game is excellent, with no cheap plastic in sight. The board is a single piece of wood with the slots uniformly engraved into it to form the grid and the starting positions for the fences. It is smartly painted with a couple of neat engravings for the name of the game and the website. The fence pieces and pawns are also all wooden, either varnished or stained, but nice and light to lift. The box was wrapped in a cellophane wrapper, so not completely plastic free, but I guess this is their way of ensuring everything arrives and in the right condition. The box is a touch wider than the board which means that while it is not a snug fit, at least the sides of the box don’t get bent when sticking your fingers in to get the board out. The other pieces come in a small linen bag which sits underneath the board. The box could arguably be half as deep and would then fit much better into a gap in the games cupboard.
Overall I would recommend this game. It is a little on the pricey side, but uses good quality materials and I think it is a game that hasn’t been done before and can be played on many levels. For younger players, a more simple game, but more of a strategic challenge game for adults that becomes quite addictive!
Rating: 4/5
RRP: £35.00
Available to buy from Amazon here