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In boardgamegeek slang, my "dimes" are the games that I have logged at least 10 games played. I thought it would be interesting to review all my "dimes". You can look up "Five & Dimes" for a user under the "Stats" tab in their user profile.
Courtesy jwedel
Introduction
Hisss is on my list of recommended first games for children. More group activity than actual game, Hisss is easy enough that children under 3 can grasp the rules, and even teach other children.
My History with Hisss!
Acquired Hisss to give as a birthday gift. However, my wife had already purchased a gift for said party, so I shelved Hisss in anticipation of playing it with my son one day. Just after my son turned 3, I took out Hisss to give it a try. It was an instant hit with him!
What is there to like about "Hisss"?
Other than playing quickly, the reasons that I have seen that children like Hisss are the colorful tiles, the easy rules, and the randomness. There are also some elements that I appreciate as a parent.
Colorful
Hisss comes with thick colorful cardboard tiles. Children like the bright colors and how the snakes look as they are built.
Colorful tiles - Courtesy jwedel
Easy Rules
The rules in Hisss are simple. Take a card at random and connect it to a card of the same color. Once a snake has a head, body tile(s), and tail it is complete and the player completing the snake takes the cards for their score.
Long snake - Courtesy whatdasnell
Randomness
The mechanic of drawing cards at random from a pile is one that kids enjoy. There is a sense of excitement about what card they will draw.
Parental Likes
Besides the short playing time, there are some skills that are developed in a game of Hisss. First is learning colors. Second is basic counting as players can count the length of snakes and their pile of score cards at the end. I'm not sure what the technical term is for it, but a third skill that is developed is seeing multiple relationships between sets of cards. For example when a blue/purple card that connects two seperate snake bodies in the play area, it is a skill to be able to identify that connection.
What I don't like about Hisss
While the rules are simple, they are almost too simple. Like I said previously the "game" is really more of an activity as there are very few choices to make once a card is revealed. This lack of depth, even in a children's game, means that the game has a limited shelf life. Even my son who is almost 4 years old now, will choose other games over Hisss.
Final Thoughts
Hisss is an ideal game for young children (4 and under) whose modest price tag means you can afford having children outgrow the game. Perfect for an introductory game!
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Posted Tue Jun 23, 2009 9:15 pm