Games - TictacCats

This two-player game of strategy is a great way to introduce children to the concept of space. Players take it in turn to fit cards together to make a row of four animals of their colour. A unique take on the classic tic tac toe!

Contents: 16 double-sided cards and 24 counters. Object: To make rows of four or five of your animal heads.

Preparing to play: each card has three raised ‘heads’ (cats or dogs) and three holes on each side. Both players choose an animal: one plays cats, the other dogs.
Then, deal eight cards randomly to each of the players, who turn them over so that their respective animal is face up (birds/mice for the player who chose cats and bones for the player who chose dogs).
NB1: The players may not turn their cards back over at any point during the game.

How to play: the youngest player starts by laying down the card of his choice in the middle of the table. Then, the other player chooses a card to lay down in the middle of the table. At least one head must fit into a hole. The players continue like this until they have played all of their cards.

If a player manages to make a row of 4 animal heads, he wins one counter. If a player makes a row of 5 (or more) animal heads, he wins two counters.
Players can make rows horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
NB2: If a player makes a row of four (or more) of his opponent's animal heads, then his opponent wins one or two counters.

Winning: when all of the cards have been laid down, the player with the most counters wins the game.