Homo Ludens
Canada
St. Albert
Alberta
-
 Introduction.
Giro Galoppo, a game for 2-5 people by Rio Grande Games and Selecta Spiel is one of the more popular children's games out there. Its BGG rating is a 6.83 (by 126 users), which compares very favourably with other games in this genre. Its rating on KidGameRatings.com is a whopping 8.3! Admittedly that's only based on four ratings, but the general consensus does appear to indicate that this is a racing game that's well worth owning. Check out for instance the second entry in this geeklist, which drew some rave responses, including comments like "this game is awesome. It is like Ave Caesar for kids and it only takes 1/3 of the time to play it" and "Oh you should hear the noise we make when we are playing this."
So is it that good? And what does it look like anyway? In this detailed pictorial review I hope to give you a better sense of what you're getting for your buck, and why you might like to add this to your collection.
 What you get
When you first see the game box in the store you might be surprised at its fairly steep price. Up here in Canada it sells for around 35$, whereas in the US it's a little less (somewhere in the high twenties I imagine). Is it worth it? It's just a kid's game isn't it?
Inside the box, this is roughly what you get:
Actually, the various wooden pieces initially come in a nice colourful paper bag:
Despite this protection, it can happen that pieces get broken, as happened to the blue jockey in our set:
However, that can be fixed (and Rio Grande's customer service is generally great), so you'll still end up with five jockeys:
You'll also get five horses. The rules suggest that you give your horse a name, so start thinking up your favourite names now. My horse right now is called "Christmas Present" and my four year old son's name for his horse is "Palace" - I'm not sure why, but I'm sure you can up with something better.
The last of the wooden pieces are the obstacles. There are three types, and of one (the hedges) you get three copies.
Now, if you're worried that your horse might tip over, the game also provides some cardboard bases:
Here you can see the difference between a horse with a base and one without:
What else do you get? Well, there's also a very colourful game board:
When we look a little closer we see quite a bit of detail on the board. There's the moor:
... and the Grand Stand:
And here are some spectators by a water crossing:
In addition to the game board, you get a set of 30 cards, six in each colour:
Lastly, the game also comes with a set of rules:
 The Rules
So, what are the rules? Well, they're very simple. The players all put their horses and jockeys on their matching starting places.
So, if you have a yellow jockey you start your horse on the yellow stirrup. You also grab the six yellow cards:
You now have six cards in your hand, numbered 1-6.
On your turn you decide on what card to play, and then you reveal it at the same time as the other players reveal their cards.
What happens next? Well, you determine who gets to move his or her horse first. The lowest number goes first, and if there is a tie then the horse that's furthest back moves first. If you land on another horse, that horse moves back to the previous occupied space (not counting obstacles or hazards).
What happens with obstacles or hazard spaces like the moor or the water crossings? If you land on those you are forced to stay where you are and you can't move this turn.
The cards that have been played are discarded at the end of the turn. Only when each player has used up all their cards are all six returned for further use.
Perhaps it's better to provide a sample turn:
In this example, green plays a one and switches places with yellow. Yellow's two is now useless - because it will land him on the obstacle - and he is forced to stay one spot back from his original position.
And that's by and large how the game goes. Furthest (not first!) across the finish line wins.
 Concluding Thoughts
Is this a clever mechanic? Very much so, I think. The really interesting part of the game is the double-thinking that goes on. Will green play a one? Should I play at least a three then to avoid landing on the obstacle? What if two players force me back - what number do I need then?
Or, once your cards are dwindling, and before you get all six back, you have to make tough choices about where you might end up. There's even a nasty variant you can try that will work very well with adults. If two players play the same card, only the furthest back gets to move. Surely this is a way to reign in (no pun intended) a run-away leader.
However, in all the games I've played it is very difficult to run away from the pack. It's usually not till the final quarter of the game that one player gets a bit of a lead, and even then it's not impossible to overcome.
So, will your family like it? The ratings clearly show that this game has a wide appeal, both for adults and children alike. And what's quite remarkable is that even children under 6 (the suggested age) can easily play it. My two year old daughter loves playing this game, and she is the random element when we play. She has no idea what card she tosses out, but the expression on her face is priceless. The nice wooden pieces obviously appeal to her, and one game she somehow even managed to win.
Now, someone might object that if a two-year old can win by random play then either the other players aren't very good or the game is "broken." The truth is that when you play this game you know luck can prove a definite factor, but there is still some real skill in planning ahead. And since the game only takes 15 min. or so it's no problem if you guess wrong and you end up at the back of the pack. There's always next time.
Final acknowledgments: the format for this review is borrowed from Endersgame, whose excellent pictorial reviews are worth a view if you enjoy this type of overview. Most of the pictures are my own, but of the posters who took the others I'm most indebted to user Werbaer.
-
Julie Taylor
Canada
Waterloo
ON
-
Great review! Love the pictures. My husband and I actually like this game a lot more than our daughter does. I think she finds the element of getting pushed back too emotionally devastating (she's 5 though, can't expect too much.) We find that playing this with friends late at night is just emotionally devastating enough to make you want to scream and cuss (which to us is equivalent to having fun.) It's a great little, light game.
-
Homo Ludens
Canada
St. Albert
Alberta
-
1Wif wrote: Great review! Love the pictures. My husband and I actually like this game a lot more than our daughter does. I think she finds the element of getting pushed back too emotionally devastating (she's 5 though, can't expect too much.) We find that playing this with friends late at night is just emotionally devastating enough to make you want to scream and cuss (which to us is equivalent to having fun.) It's a great little, light game.
It's interesting that many people comment that this game is almost too brutal for kids. I haven't found that at all with our three children (aged 5, 4, and 2). They don't seem to mind at all, and get a particular kick out of pushing others back.
Glad you liked the pictures. I think games like these have to be seen in action!
-
W M Shubert
United States
Portland
Oregon
KGS is the #1 web site for playing go over the internet. Visit now!
Yes, I really am that awesome.
-
Nice review. This is ready to wrap for my 6 year old for Christmas.
But...when you say "moor," I don't think that word means what you think it means. I'd call that a pond, and a moor (the place) is an open land with heather and poor soil (as in the moors in Yorkshire, England). Maybe you meant "mooring," but that needs a place to tie up a boat!
-
Larry Welborn
United States
Anderson
South Carolina
Way to go, Bubba.
-
Thanks for the review. This is a Christmas present for my children, ages 7 & 5. I'm looking forward to playing.
-
Homo Ludens
Canada
St. Albert
Alberta
-
wmshub wrote: Nice review. This is ready to wrap for my 6 year old for Christmas. But...when you say "moor," I don't think that word means what you think it means. I'd call that a pond, and a moor (the place) is an open land with heather and poor soil (as in the moors in Yorkshire, England). Maybe you meant "mooring," but that needs a place to tie up a boat!
I agree that it looks more like a pond, but the rule book calls it a "moor space." In the French rules it's "marais," in Dutch it's a "veen," in Italian it's a "palude," and in Spanish it's a "pantano" - as far as I can tell all of these roughly come down to moor or marsh.
-
Joe Grundy
Australia
Sydney
NSW
-
cvandyk wrote: Is it worth it? It's just a kid's game isn't it? My honest opinion is that it's harder to find a good kids' game than a good adults' game. So I'd probably be happy to pay a premium.
cvandyk wrote: The rules suggest that you give your horse a name, so start thinking up your favourite names now. My horse right now is called "Christmas Present" and my four year old son's name for his horse is "Palace" - I'm not sure why, but I'm sure you can up with something better. Some guys at my work pooled some funds and bought a racing dog. (A greyhound.) I suggested they call it "casserole". (They didn't.) Turned out they had enough funds for a second dog. This time I suggested "entre".
They say I won't be getting an invitation to their victory party.
-
Matt Hiske
United States
Kentwood
Michigan
-
Interesting Game! They should make a game similar for adults because I would purchase it.
-
Beate Bindrim
Germany
Stade
-
Great review - and the reason, why I just ordered the game!
Hope, it will come soon...
Greetings from germany
Boudie
-
Francis Cermak
United States
Naperville
Illinois
-
Great review; would love to have this game but it can't be found anywhere right now.
-
|
|
Posted Sat Dec 13, 2008 1:47 am
