This month we have joined the Blogger Board Game Club run by Playtime PR. Each month 50 bloggers are sent a new (or new-ish, or at least new to them) board game to play and put to the test. We were asked some questions about how old we all were and what our favourite and least favourite games were, then we waited for our first specially picked board game. We got Hey that’s my fish!
I have seen Hey that’s my fish! before in the shops, but hadn’t really looked at it too closely as my son is 6 years old and it’s advertised as suitable for ages 8+. We had planned to meet my brother, his wife and my seven year old nephew for lunch, so I threw Hey that’s my fish! in my bag to keep the boys entertained.
The game is really quite simple to set up and play. Put the fish cards in eight rows. The fish cards have one, two or three fish printed on them, and you need to mix them right up so they’re fairly well distributed across the board. Hey that’s my Fish! is suitable for 2 to 4 players. Each player takes two of the coloured penguins (choose from red, blue, yellow or green) and you place them randomly on the board. When laid out the “board” of fish cards isn’t huge, maybe around A4 size, which means it’s good for playing on small tables in restaurants or even on trains.
Starting with the youngest player first, you can move one penguin in a straight line in any direction, landing on a fish card and collecting it. You can’t move over any penguins which might be in your way, nor can your penguin paddle through the gaps in the ice where other players have collected their cards.
The aim of the game is to collect the most fish, so strategically it makes sense to try to land on and collect as many of the two and three fish cards as you can, then the one fish cards, but it’s not always that simple. Once all the cards have gone, or a penguin impasse has been reached, then you count your fish. The player with the most fish wins.
The verdict on Hey that’s my Fish!
Hey that’s my Fish! is a good introduction to strategy games. The key to success is thinking two or three moves ahead and trying to block your rival penguins in if you can. The boys, aged six and seven got the hang of the rules really quickly and enjoyed the game. It’s fairly quick to play and was a perfect for playing while we waited for our meals to arrive.
It entertained the adults and children equally well, and it’s the kind of game you can really get seriously strategic about if you want. We kept things light and fun for the boys and it’s something I know they will want to play again and again.
It’s a small game in a small box, so it’s the kind of thing we would take on holiday or keep in our activity bag which I have ready for when we go out with the boy.
Hey that’s my Fish! costs around £10 and is suitable for ages 8+ (though my six year old had no trouble at all with it). It’s available from a wide range of retailers and online.
We were sent the Hey that’s my Fish! board game for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own. This blog post contains affiliate links.