Cat Attack!

...be aware, I'm not a Cat lover, certainly not one of those people who'll go nuts over anything with a cat emblazoned all over it. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike them, but they are not what presses my buttons.

So when I start to tell you about Cat Attack, you now know I'm not biased.

Cat Attack is a new board game from Boardroom Productions, a new British Player on the Board game market, and this is their first product. ...
...The idea of cat attack is that each of the 2-6 players controls a cat with a single aim in life, to fill their larder. They need six items to do this, a bird and a mouse (Which wander freely about the board at the control of all the players) and some vitamins, cat food, fish and milk (All of which have to be retrieved from the local shops.

The board represents a top-down view of the Cat's neighbourhood, with back-garden walls and the ... more

Before we go any further in this review be aware, I'm not a Cat lover, certainly not one of those people who'll go nuts over anything with a cat emblazoned all over it. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike them, but they are not what presses my buttons.

So when I start to tell you about Cat Attack, you now know I'm not biased.

Cat Attack is a new board game from Boardroom Productions, a new British Player on the Board game market, and this is their first product. If they can keep this standard up though, they've got a great future ahead of them, but already I'm getting ahead of myself, lets get down to basics.

The idea of cat attack is that each of the 2-6 players controls a cat with a single aim in life, to fill their larder. They need six items to do this, a bird and a mouse (Which wander freely about the board at the control of all the players) and some vitamins, cat food, fish and milk (All of which have to be retrieved from the local shops.

The board represents a top-down view of the Cat's neighbourhood, with back-garden walls and the roads segmented into spaces for the Cats, birds and mice to move through. Each cat has a home space, and there are home spaces for the birds and mice as well (A Birdhouse and a shed respectively), as well as the aforementioned corner shops.

Each turn follows several stages. First, a player must play a 'Mog' card frm their hand. This has a number on it and a picture (Like traditional playing cards), and can be used to move a bird, mouse or cat the number of spaces indicated.
The player then rolls a dice, and moves their cat that many spaces.
If a cat lands on a bird or a mouse, they capture it and return it to their 'larder'. If they land on a shop space whilst the shop is open, they can likewise retrieve the appropriate piece of cat-munchies.
There are other cards in the Mog deck, that allow you to make extra dice rolls (Speedy Cat), jump directly onto shop spaces (Cat Burglar) or jump a cat, bird or mouse in your vicinity (Cat Attack).

Did I say you win by retrieving all the items from the shops? Well, that's true, but it's just as valid to start stealing these items from the other cat's larders after they have acquired them. Certainly it can save a lot of time and effort. Especially when the only route to the shops is via the road, where cats run the risk of being hit by a car!

Certain space as well have a special mark on them. when you land on one of these space the player must draw a 'curiosity' card (Much like the chance or community chest cards from monopoly), these have an immediate and direct effect on the game, which can range from throwing an extra dice or to the terrible trauma of 'Fireworks Night' (All cats lose a life and go home).

Did I say you win by retrieving all the items? Well, yes, but there's another way to win, and that's to be the last cat standing. Each Moggy starts the game with nine lives, which canbe lost to other cats, cars and various other perils which beset the life of the average house cat. Lose all nine, and it's game over pussy!

It has to be said that the game does look and sound very much like it's aimed at children, but whilst children probably will enjoy it (A Children specific version is apparently in the pipeline) It's the grown ups that will get the most out of it.
The game really does recreate every myth about the behaviour of cats perfectly. Alliances are forged and broken and greed and vindictiveness can quickly be brought to bear.
Surprisingly, there is a lot of strategy in the game, and each time you play it new facets of the gameplay come shining through. I have to admit, I've played this game more than any other so far this year, and that shows no sign of slowing down.

The presentation is excellent, from the stylised and stylish box, through the colourful board down to the marvellous plastic playing pieces, the cats, birds and mice are especially excellent.

You might not find it in the big chains yet, but they'll be fools to pass this one over. In the meantime a growing number of specialist shops carry the game (Cardiff Games, Bishop Games (Coventry) and White Knight Games (Reading) are ones I can confirm having seen it),and a list of retailers is on their web site. As For cost, well, we should be looking at between 25-30 pounds.

Quite simply, the game is a joy to play. I've played it with a number of people, who have all loved it (And we're talking 21 - 45 year olds here), and more of my friends are snapping it up all the time. If you want a game that looks nice, and has a bit of longevity the seriously, look no further.

And if you love Cats, well, you will love this. 

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