Customer Reviews

Rat-A-Tat Cat Collectible Tin

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My nine year old loves this game and I enjoy it, too. However, this version has "super peek" which allows you to look at the back of the cards in play with a red plastic film and learn what they all are if you draw the "super peek". We have found that manufacturer did not do a good enough job in disguising the hidden identities on the card backs. Thus, even without the super peek decoder, it is possible to determine the identities of the cards. This makes it hard not to cheat.

I would recommend the original version which does not include the super peek. My advice to the manufacturer would be to come up with a better obscuring technique if you wish to keep the super peek.

We gave Rat-a-Tat Cat to my daughter for her 6th birthday. It only took a couple of hands for her to have the basics figured out, and since then it is the only game she wants play and we've been playing about 12 hands every day. It practices counting, memory and also reasoning, as you have to decide when to switch cards and when you think you have the lowest score and want to end the hand. Each player has 4 cards, and we're playing the easier version with two showing and two hidden. Add power cards, like Swap, Peek and Super Peek (which elicits a high-pitched squeal every time!) and you add irresistible elements of fun. We taught it to her 6-yr-old friend and she announced that she loves this game, too! Because it combines luck of the draw and calculated guessing with some skill, it should level out the playing field somewhat for families with both younger and older children, and it's fun for adults, too. It's small enough to pack for travel -- not for use in the car, but at the hotel, etc.

Albeit quite a simple game, this game is more fun than one might possibly imagine.

Very simple concept, four cards face down to each player. No one looks at the cards, player cannot even look at their own cards. The object is simple, you want a low sum when adding your four cards when all is said and done. The game simplies even this concept a bit by using cats and rats. RATS - high numbered cards, CATS - low numbered cards. Designed to work on memory and adding skills, the game is ingenous.

For younger children, there is even a set of rules for playing with two cards face up and two cards face down in the hands, a little less to remember this way. Nevertheless, the game still has all the components including some memory, math and even some strategy (don't "knock" too soon!!)

FIVE STARS on fun - this one is a winner. As other reviewers have stated, I think it's good for young minds as well as older minds. Of note, I bought only the card game and not the collector tin and I'm kind of sorry; the collector tin would be good for storing - my children have a habit of just throwing cards back into the drawers and are getting a LITTLE better about rubber banding them.

Just one caveat - be GENTLE with the cards!! Little hands like to bend them - we have a few that are a little too obviously bent and we know without even looking what their face values are because of the bends.

ENJOY and have fun. Great for family fun nights.

Shown this game at a family reunion, loved it and had to get one. Unfortunately manufacturer has added "Super Peek" feature with card values imprinted on card face, these values are easily read without use of red glases and someone can "cheat" by knowing value of cards.
Recommend manufacturer eliminate this and go back to original format, otherwise you will have to block face printing to eliminate clue to values.
Fun game to play for all ages!!! To bad on the distraction

05/15/2009 follow up - manufacturer sending replacement deck without super peek, very positive customer support!

Tom Lupfer

Rat-a-Tat Cat in the deluxe tin is a high-quality card game enjoyable by children and adults. The rules are deceptively simple so that groups of all ages can enjoy the fun. Gamewright even includes rules for kids under the minimum suggested age of six.

THE COMPONENTS

The deck comes with 45 numbered cards 0-9. The Deluxe game includes 20 Power Cards with four special functions: Draw 2 (a player gets two chances to draw), Swap (a player swaps a card without peeking with another player), Peek (a player looks at one of his own cards), and Super Peek (a player uses a special red-filmed scanner piece to read the values of all player cards from their encoded backs).

GAME PLAY

Each player is dealt four cards face down in a row. When play begins, a player can only peek at the outside two cards to check their values. The middle two cards remain unknown--unless revealed by choosing a Peek or Super Peek card. By drawing from the rest of the deck and swapping cards with others, players must manipulate their cards to achieve the lowest sum value of all four cards held. When a player believes his cards are low enough to win the hand, he yells, "Rat-a-Tat Cat" and raps the table. All other players then get one more draw to fix their hand. The hands are scored and another hand played for a series of hands.(We typically play five hands, then tally the score of those hands to determine a match winner. You can play as many hands as you wish, though.)

PROS

Anything can happen in this game. It plays quickly, is easy to learn, and can be maddening as you try to accomplish the goal before others do, especially when they know your cards (through a Super Peek) better than you do!

The quality of the game pieces is high, with plastic-coated cards that should last if handled by players with clean hands. The scanner is set in thick cardboard. The tin is an attractive and durable means to store the game. A decent value for the money.

Both kids and adults enjoy Rat-a-Tat Cat, a difficult goal to achieve in a card game. Keeping track of the score of one's hand involves math, but does so in a fun, stealthy way that kids will enjoy. The game also forces players to use their memories, and children may actually do better at this than adults. My son routinely kills me in this game, even though I think my game play is sound.

CONS

Very few. Though math and memory skills are needed to win, the element of luck comes strongly into play. On a positive note, that luck balances out over a series of hands and keeps one clever player from dominating the game. It also contributes to the "anything can happen" nature of the fun.

This game plays better with more players, but that's true of most card games.

While the tin is sturdy, the black plastic insert that cradles the cards and holds the larger card scanner is flimsy and may not hold up over time. Again, a trivial con, but still worth mentioning, especially if kids get overly excited and break it. Then the card edges may get dinged by sliding around inside the larger tin.

CONCLUSION

A brilliantly simple yet fun game on the order of Uno, but with clever twists that enhance game play. Not being able to immediately know the value of all of one's own cards heightens the tension. When others may know your cards better than you do, it makes it all the more exciting (and frustrating--though in a good way). With cards being swapped and people guessing at card values in the early parts of the game, plenty of controlled mayhem ensues. A number of matches can be played in an hour, so everyone has a shot at winning in a short period of time.

One of the top card games for children and adults. Highly recommended.

I gave this to my 5 year old daughter last year for Christmas and it ended up being a family favorite. My 8 year old and the grandparents also enjoy playing this game. Plus you can decrease the difficulty level when playing with younger children which is a nice feature. The Collectible tin version has the Super Peek cards and the "cat vision" decoder which the kids love. Our decoder has gotten pretty beat up so a sturdier visor would be nice. The kids prefer this version over the regular version because of the visor. Also I like the tin that it comes in.

We love this game. It requires basic math. The deluxe version is more fun than the standard version because in the deluxe version, you can peek at other players cards. We played with a group ages 7 - 45. Even the teen-ager had fun.

This game is almost as fun as the original. My daughters love Rat-A-Tat Cat, so when I saw this edition, I bought it. The SuperPeek feature is exclusive to this edition, and while the girls like it, it seems a bit "gimmick-y" and I don't think it improves the game. On the other hand, that could be because I just got beaten twice in a row by them, and they drew SuperPeek cards and I didn't! All in all, lots of fun in a game that only take about 10-15 minutes to play - good for quick quality time!

My kids received this game for Christmas two years ago when they were 6 and 3. To this day it remains one of our favorite games. I love it because it requires all of us to test our memory and use logic to win. It's also quick to play -- most games take less than ten minutes. We all enjoy it, and the kids love trying to get rid of all the rats and trap everyone else with lots of points. If you're looking for a simple game that has educational components, then try this one. It's a winner!

I'm always conscious of gearing my kids towards toys and games that are not screen-based (TV, computer) and this is one toy that my kids thoroughly enjoy playing with their peers and adults.

There are 2 kinds of cards: number cards (0 to 9) and power cards (peek, superpeek, draw 2, swap). Each player is dealt 4 cards face down on the table. The remaining cards are stacked face down at the center of the table and each player takes turns drawing a card which they can exchange with one of their cards or discard. You can't look at any of your cards unless you get a "Peek" card or you decide to replace it with a card that you just drew. The object of the game is to be the player with the lowest sum of 4 number cards. For younger players, you can play with the end cards facing up.

I've noticed that the kids eagerly await the "Superpeek" card because this allows them to use a special red plastic "scanner" card that enables them to read the back of everyone's cards. It's the same material used to view 3D effects in movies.

As a parent, I like the game because it practices both memory and math skills and also lets young players practice building their strategy skills. I just wish the cards were built more durably as our set, after 3 months of use, has become a bit soft but no tears so far.

Overall, I highly recommend this game.