I will not rest until Biblios is in the Top 100.
United States
Budd Lake
New Jersey
Well I been watchin' while you been coughin, I've been drinking life while you've been nauseous, and so I drink to health while you kill yourself and I got just one thing that I can offer... Go on and save yourself and take it out on me
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I bought my wife ZigZag for Christmas a few years ago because it was relatively inexpensive and she likes abstracts. I knew nothing about the game but reading the blurb on the back spelled it out pretty clearly for me. It turns out that this random chance encounter would provide us with a game that is both fun and nice to look at.
Rules
Each player has 4 pegs. The goal is to get those 4 pegs in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. On your turn, you place a bridge piece from one of your pegs to an empty space and then move that peg to the empty space. If there is a string of bridges with empty spaces you may move along it.
It's really that easy, as most good abstract games are.
Components
ZigZag looks great because of the great components. The board is translucent purple and is made of plastic. One player's pegs and bridges are translucent neon orange while the other player's pieces are translucent neon green. Once you get some pieces on the board it really starts to come alive. The bridges are semi-soft and bend just a bit.
Gameplay
As I said above, the rules are easy. Place a bridge and move your peg trying to get 4 in a row.
As you start to move around, the board becomes very tight and as such blocking becomes important. But you can't just block, you need to make sure the move still helps you or you are sacrificing your opportunities to advance toward the goal. This differs from some games where you can play straight defense and just wait for an opportune time to strike. ZigZag forces you to be reactive and proactive at the same time.
I really like how there are both diagonal and vertical/horizontal bridges in the game because this allows the pegs to move in many different directions and creates different areas of flow on the board. If the pegs just went vertical or horizontal you'd get locked up pretty quickly.
If a player can create a long string of bridges then they will be able to move their pegs pretty freely. This can lead to some crazy turns in which one piece can move almost completely across the board. I like that because while you need to watch for your opponent going for an easy four-in-a-row, you also need to watch for a sneak attack.
A game of ZigZag takes about 10-15 minutes or even less on occassion. We like to play 2 out of 3 matches to really feel like we get a full game experience.
Compare it to...
A GIPF game. ZigZag is not too far removed from the excellent GIPF series.
Overall
If you like abstracts, then this is a pretty nice game to add to your collection. The visually striking appearance mixed with the solid gameplay makes a great combination. While not the deepest of abstracts nor the most original, ZigZag does a good enough job to warrant a spot in my collection.
I rate ZigZag a 6.5/10. I like it well enough, but not enough to often step in front of games like DVONN, TAMSK, or TZAAR. It's a solid title, but not spectacular.
If you still have a Tuesday Morning around you, keep an eye out for this game. The price was about $7 which is excellent for what you get. I have no complaints and neither does my wife.
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dustin boggs
Canada
Victoria
BC
these are my overtexts and
now I am without geek gold :(
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any review you make should include some pictures... anything to take my eyes away from that avatar
nice review btw
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Well I been watchin' while you been coughin, I've been drinking life while you've been nauseous, and so I drink to health while you kill yourself and I got just one thing that I can offer... Go on and save yourself and take it out on me
