Rat-A-Tat Cat

Reviewed by Laura Davis

Quick Notes

Age: 6 years and up
Time to play: 20 minutes
Players: 2-6
Price: $7.50 - $12.00
Available from: Amazon.com, Funagain Games, Barnes and Noble, Local Hobby Stores
Published by: Gamewright

The Goals

Score the lowest number of points with lots of cats and the fewest rats.

To Play

Each player is dealt four cards, face down, then arranges them in a row, and looks only at the two outermost cards, keeping them hidden from other players. All cards remain face down.

A player draws a card and looks at it, and either replaces one in his or her set, or discards. Discarded cards are placed face up in the discard pile. The next player may either draw a new card, or claim the card cast off by the previous player. Often you must decide whether to discard one of your middle cards without knowing its value.

Special action cards Swap, Peek, and Draw 2, create lots of excitement.

Scoring

Once you think you have the lowest point total, knock on the table and say, “Rat A Tat Cat!” All other players get one more turn. Then all players turn over their cards and add up their points. This is one round. The player with the lowest total score after 6 rounds is the winner.

Comments

This wonderful game is deceptively simple. The memory skills required to keep all of the card play straight in your head is substantial. This is a great game for keeping your kids’ minds sharp!

Concerns

There are two versions of Rat-A-Tat-Cat available. The special anniversary edition has special features that I feel only detract from the game. Stick with the lower cost, original version, and you’ll enjoy hours of fun.

On the Davis Scale

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Laura Davis is a writer based in the Fort Worth, TX area. If you are interested in submitting a game for review, please contact her at happypalms@gmail.com.