Curli Kuller -- Reviewing my Daughter's Favorite Games (No. 7)

[Gerald]

Curli Kuller is a dexterity game published by Selecta Spiel in 2008.  It was designed by Marco Teubner and can handle two to four players.  A game lasts roughly around fifteen to twenty minutes.  The box states its for ages five and up, but my daughter has been playing this since she was three (so feel free to ignore the label if you child's hand-eye coordination is already well developed).

I'll be doing something slightly different in this series of reviews, as instead of writing on how it compares to similar games in its genre, I'll replace that section with my five year-old daughter's thoughts on why she likes a certain game (paraphrased of course).  It'll be written in a short Q & A style.

COMPONENTS:
The game comes with a lot of wooden "seed" tokens (in four different colors), four "snail" tokens (in four different colors), four ramps, eight fences, a sturdy cardboard scarecrow and a multilingual rulebook. 

Picture Submitted By: Raiko Puust || Taken From the BGG Database

As is the norm for Selecta Spiel products, the components are spectacular.  The wooden ramps, seeds and snails are all very well crafted and undoubtedly sturdy.  The cardboard fences and scarecrow are very thick and hefty as well (and they assemble/disassemble very easily).  The cardboard pieces also have wonderful artwork (pictured below).

Picture Submitted By: Raiko Puust || Taken From the BGG Database

The rulebook is easy to read and comprehend, and you should have no trouble playing and understanding the game after just one read.

All in all, a very well-produced game and well worth the cash you shell out for it.  Selecta Spiel has yet to disappoint (components wise at least). 

GAMEPLAY:
Setting up the game is easy (pictured above).  You lay out the four corner fences in a big square (we usually prefer to play this on a smooth wooden floor), then put the scarecrow in the middle of the "field".  You then randomly place the wooden "seeds" all over the field (standing up).  Give each player a wooden "snail" and a ramp, and you're ready.  The hardest part of setup is finding a spacious enough area to set things up on (hence our preference of the floor).

Picture Submitted By: Christopher DeFrisco || Taken From the BGG Database

On a player's turn, the player roll his/her snail down a ramp (pictured above) and aim to knock over as many "seeds" of their color with the rolling snail. They must stay outside the borders of the fence while doing so.  If they tip over plants of their own color, they retrieve them and place them in front of themselves. If they knocked over plants of another player’s color, they MUST give that "seed" to the corresponding player. If their "snail" knocks over the scarecrow, they may not take any "seeds".  The first person to get eight "seeds" of their own color wins the game.

That's it... easy-peasy.  It took longer to type all of these down than it did to explain the game to my daughter.

Q & A W/ MY DAUGHTER:
Q: Why do you like this game Kashieu (pronounced cashew)?
A: I like rolling the "snail" down the ramp and bowling the "seeds" over.

Q: What do you think of the components?
A: You know I love colorful things daddy! *giggles*

Q: Did you find it hard to understand how to play the game?
A: No, it was super easy.

Q (From Kashieu): Wait... daddy, why're the "seeds" shaped like fishes? *laughs*
A (From Daddy): Hmmm... well, they just made it like that so they'd stand up I guess...

Q (From Kashieu): And why're the "snails" circles?  That's so silly daddy! *laughs some more*
A (From Daddy): Well... Hmmm... they had to make something that'd roll... let's focus!  I'm the one asking the questions.

Q: Do you find it difficult to hit the right colored "seeds"?
A: Sometimes.  But its okay daddy... I still beat you most of the time! *laughs even more*

Daddy walks away in mock surrender as Kashieu continues to laugh.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Curli Kuller is a game that's fun to look at and even more fun to play.  The game is relatively easy to set-up, and very easy to explain.  The colorful and toylike components appeal to children of all ages, and I've yet to encounter a child who didn't like this game (Kashieu often brings it with her during her playdates).  The game can also appeal to adults looking for something very light and silly to play.

Overall, this game has been a hit with my daughter (and her friends) and I'm glad to have it as part of our collection.  If you're looking for a game to play with your child, I'd heartily recommend Curli Kuller... I guarantee it won't disappoint.