Mamma Mia

by Rio Grande Games

Product Features

• 2 to 4 players
• 30 minutes to play
• Real estate manipulation
• Card game

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 1 x 5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0006HCW6C
• Item model number: 115RGG
• Manufacturer recommended age: 10 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,381 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Argentina at the beginning of 19th century. The pastures of the pampas seem to go on forever. You have enough money to buy land and cattle to build a small hacienda. During the game, players develop their haciendas, increase their herds and land holdings, open new markets, and worry about water supplies and harvests. Also, players must watch their competitors at all times. At game end, the winner is the player with the largest and most important hacienda. The game comes with two game boards, each requiring a different strategy and approach to be successful and win. The game also offers an alternate scoring system, giving players yet other ways to play. Hazienda is a game that requires thought and planning throughout, representing a challenge for each player.

Product Description

Here a salami pizza, there a Bombastica. Hey, who stole the cheese! As Pizza makers, the players put ingredients on the table. From time to time a player may place an order on the table, thinking the needed ingredients are available. If they are, the pizza is made, if not--disappointment. Thoughtful tactics, a pinch of luck and a pound of memory can bring victory! Mamma Mia is an easy, but unusual card game, which whets the appetite! Players: 2-5 Ages: 10 and up Playing Time: 30-40 minutes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun quick unique card game, September 25, 2005

By 

Scott Caputo (Mountain View, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Mamma Mia (Toy)

This game is a definite gem. It's a small game, one that you might play in between longer games on a game night. All the players have order cards and ingredient cards (pepperoni, mushroom, olive, pineapple, and green pepper). Players take turns putting down ingredient cards on a communal stack, and then optionally put down an order card if they think there are enough ingredients in the stack to fullfill that order (an order might be a pizza with 1 mushroom and 3 pepperoni, for example). There is a definite memory element since you are not allowed to peruse the stack, and you have to remember which ingredients have already been used up. There is a definite strategy element since you have to choose which and how many ingredients to put in the communal stack. And there is a definite fun element since the theme is fun and the gameplay can be fast and furious, and wildly unpredictable (the players who play haphazardly sometimes play better than the ones who try to think everything out). The player with the most completed orders is the winner. There is a large variety in the type of pizza orders you can fulfill, like the Bombastica is simply 15+ ingredients of any type. I recommend this game for hard-core and casual gamers alike.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced and fun, November 17, 2010

By 

Hannah (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mamma Mia (Toy)

Mamma Mia is a mildly competitive, fast-paced card game that is easy to learn and enjoyable to all. Combine fresh mushrooms, olives, bell peppers, salami and pineapples to make good, wholesome Italian pizzas. Mix your own ingredients With those of other players and bake your pizzas to perfection, satisfying the cravings of your customers. Successfully fill the most customer orders to claim the victory at the end of the game! It's simple, appetizing, and fun!

It works like this: each player starts with a combination of ingredient cards and customer orders cards. The players take turns playing their ingredient cards into a common pile in the middle of the table. Then, at just the right moment, players try to claim the ingredients for their own customer orders by placing them over the stack. As the pile builds, it becomes increasingly difficult to remember what ingredients are still available! Each single ingredient card can only be used on one pizza, so everyone competes to make use of the common ingredients. Although some luck is involved, strategic timing and a good memory are worth their weight in gold.

I found Mamma Mia in a pile of old clothes while rummaging through a garage sale one chilly Saturday afternoon. Its shrink wrap was still intact, though dirty, and its colors were severely faded from years of abandonment. Nobody had ever even bothered to give it a try! For $1.50, I figured I couldn't go wrong, especially since it was put out by one of my favorite game publishers.

My initial impression was marginal: the graphics didn't impress me much, and I tend to put a fair amount of value on the overall visual appearance of the games I play. The gameplay was solid, though, and I quickly overcame my premature judgement. They say never to judge a book by its cover. I found Mamma Mia to be very enjoyable, as did the four people playing with me. They even begged to play another round! It was a great success.

Several factors make Mamma Mia unique among games, such as its playing time, appeal to the non-gamer, and compact size. Its short length, with rounds as quick as 20 minutes, makes it easy to squeeze in between longer games, livening things up a bit and allowing for a light-hearted experience. It also has great appeal to those who aren't as serious about gaming in general. Seriously, who would turn down pizza making? There's just something about the appetizing nature of this game that makes it a fun fit for all. In addition, its small size allows it to conveniently fit in a purse or pocket, which makes it very easy to play while passing time on the go, such as in an airport.

I recommend Mamma Mia as a fun alternative to its lengthy, more complex counterparts. It's perfect for sharpening up that good ol' memory, and it makes for an enjoyable time among friends. For a great pizza-making time, give Mamma Mia a shot!

For reviews on other games I recommend, please visit my blog, listed on my public Amazon profile page.