One of the most unique games I have played in many years, Ubongo is a competitive puzzle game that allows simultaneous play. The aim is to collect the most gems in a particular colour but your ability to traverse the board in search of the gems you seek is determined by how quickly you can complete each puzzle round!
Ubongo would have to be one of the most colourful games on the market featuring an eye catching red-earth coloured box. The components inside the box do not disappoint either as the combination of the puzzle boards, game pieces and wonderful looking gems are a feast for the eyes. Add to this the many motifs that the African theme demand and Ubongo is a visually stunning game that makes an owner proud of their investment.

Each player begins by placing their marker on the central gem board. This board consists of 6 rows in which a total of 72 gems (6 colours - 12 of each) are randomly placed. Each player also takes their 12 puzzle pieces and a puzzle board to start the game. The puzzle pieces are shaped like pieces from the computer game 'Tetris' and come in a range of shapes and sizes.
The game begins with any player rolling the dice which features 6 African themed symbols. As soon as the dice comes to a stop the sand timer is turned over and each player must find the corresponding symbol on their own puzzle board. Next to the symbol a number of puzzle pieces (3 or 4) are featured and these are the only pieces that can be used (from your set of 12) to completely fill the puzzle area. Each puzzle board features a unique puzzle area in terms of shape and size. With a total of 36 puzzle boards in the game, there is heaps of re-playability in Ubongo that will keep the game fresh for a long, long time.

Now it is a race against the clock and each competitor. Each puzzle differs in complexity and often your success will be determined more by your thinking style (ability to flip and rotate your pieces) than any degree of skill or experience. In the many games I play tested to write this review, I found that no one player was totally dominant. As soon as a player completes their puzzle they must call Ubongo, thus creating a finishing order.
The player who finishes first may move up to 3 spaces in any single direction on the gem board. Once they stop moving they can collect the 2 closest gems in that row. The 2nd player to finish can only move two spaces before collecting their gems and so on down to last place. Allowing all players to always collect 2 gems is a great design mechanism as it allows all of the players to stay within touch of each other, whilst still giving the sharpest players for the round a small edge. The game is played for a total of 9 rounds (meaning each player will see 9 unique puzzle boards in each game) and the player who manages to collect the most gems in a single colour is declared the winner. In the event of a tie the player's 2nd highest gem total in a single colour is used.

Ubongo is a wonderful game in every sense. It is quick to learn, fun to play and although the puzles don't offer a 'Mensa' level of difficulty, the time factor creates a tense atmosphere that is compelling. Ubongo is also versatile as it can appeal to the competitive player as well as the party game crowd who like to play a game over a beer or glass of wine. It's also great for teaching children visual\spatial skills! A real winner.