Game profile: Pentago

November 10, 5:55 AMPittsburgh Board Game ExaminerRobert Moyer

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Product image from the Mindtwister USA website.

Ever since Tic-Tac-Toe, there have been a plethora of games where you try to lineup three, four, or even five pawns in a row. Connect Four took the game vertical. Cover-Up made the game three dimensional. And now Pentago from Mindtwister USA puts its own spin on the genre.

The object of Pentago is to get five of your marbles in a row. Sounds simple enough, but the game board offers a twist. Four twists to be exact.

The game board contains four squares arranged in a two by two grid. Each square contains nine spots on which you can place your marbles. What sets Pentago apart is that each square can also rotate in place.

On your turn, you may place one marble and rotate one square 90 degrees. Unfortunately for you, your opponent can do the same. Thus, you’re never 100% sure how the game board is going to look from turn to turn. This twist also forces you to strategize for not only how the board is, but how it might be.

Pentago will make your noodle work, but it is also a lot of fun. And with game play clocking in at about 5 minutes, if you don’t win your first game, it’s fast and easy to try, try again.

Pentago has been the recipient of multiple awards including Mensa Select, The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, and the Creative Child Magazine 2007 Game of the Year award.

For more info: Read the Quick Start Guide on the Mindtwister USA website.