• Bugs in the Kitchen
• Designer: Peter-Paul Joopen
• Publisher: Ravensburger
• Plays 2–4
• Ages 5+
• Playing Time: 10–15 minutes
• Initial Release: 2013
• Elevator Pitch: Rotate plastic utensils to force the robotic Hexbug into or away from your trap.
• Roar Score: 4/5

I love it when simple games are both surprisingly fun and a big hit with the kids. All too often, simple = boring. Not so with Bugs in the Kitchen. And most of that is thanks to the inclusion of a Hexbug Nano as an integral component of the game.

The concept of the game is very simple. The board is composed of rotating plastic utensils, which form the walls of a maze. The Hexbug is let loose in the middle, and then players take turn rolling a die and rotating one of the utensils in an effort to either lure the Hexbug into (or away from) your corner, collecting tokens as you go. (There are a few different ways to play.)

The first person to collect a certain number of tokens wins.

That’s all there is. The Hexbug moves by itself, and you simply need to stay ahead of it by rotating the right utensils. It’s fast and frenetic, and it’s a total blast with kids.

There’s a bit of setup required when you first crack open the box. Here’s what you’ll see inside.

The box itself is the game board. After snapping all of the plastic supports into place, you’re left with this beauty…

Place the board over top, snap in all the utensils, and you’re good to go!

Games are fast and fun, which is perfect for little kids. Best of all is that this is a game kids can easily play by themselves. Once the board is put together, there’s basically no setup required. There are various “starting positions” (the picture above shows one), but it’s conceivable that a game could begin with the board in any configuration.

Bugs in the Kitchen also introduced the first Hexbug into our household. It’s safe to say that they’re now a fixture. Ravensburger has been making incredible kids games for over 100 years. I think they know what they’re doing by now.

This one’s a keeper. If you’ve got kids anywhere from 2–12, they’re sure to love this. It’s simple to learn, quick to play, and easy to love.

(Disclosure: I received a review copy of Bugs in the Kitchen for review purposes. All opinions are my own.)