Ricochet Robots is an excellent abstract game that was first released in 1999, but its value is timeless. Its duration is relatively short (about 30 minutes) and the rules are simple. Your goal is to move each robot to its corresponding point on the board with the fewest possible moves. The robot and the point are determined by chance each time. Each symbol on the board has a corresponding mark. All of these are shuffled, and one is revealed in each round. Each blue mark corresponds to a move of the blue robot to the corresponding symbol, each green mark for the green robot, and so on. As soon as the target is revealed, all players start searching for the shortest path. Each robot moves straight (in any direction) until it encounters an obstacle. At that point, it is allowed to change direction, hence the name Ricochet. Obstacles include the walls of the game, the center of the board, and the other robots. Players are allowed to move any robot (as long as the movement rule is followed) in order to find the shortest possible path. Once someone finds a viable path, they announce to everyone how many moves it took and immediately turn the hourglass. The other players, including the one who made the announcement, continue trying to find a path with fewer moves. If such a path is found before time runs out, the player announces the moves required. At the end of the time, the player who announced the path with the fewest moves is called to demonstrate it to the other players. If the prediction is correct and the movement rules are followed, the player receives the mark. If not, the player who announced the next highest number of moves is called to demonstrate the path and receive the mark. If no one finds a different path or if the moves are more than those announced by the player, the mark is returned along with the others. Players continue by drawing a new mark and are once again called to find the path with the fewest moves. The fact that you can move any robot creates some incredible combinations where the fewest moves are ultimately achieved by moving one, two, or even all of the robots. The possible moves range from 2 to 20+. In one game, after a lot of searching, we found a path with 30 moves where all the robots had to be moved. The box states that the game can be played by 1 to infinite players, which is partly true. The only obstacle is the visibility of the board. It comfortably accommodates 2 to 15 players, depending on the location where the game is played. The maximum number of players we have played with is 15. The truth is that with more than 5-6 players, the issue of "Who said it first?" usually arises, so it is probably not ideal. The replayability of the game is virtually infinite, as the box contains 8 double-sided boards that simply change by swapping the top left with the bottom left or the top right with the bottom right, resulting in completely different paths. There are over 100 possible arrangements from the boards alone. Furthermore, if we take into account the marks that move the robots - each time in a random order - to different points on the board, the count is lost. Finally, players can choose any initial points for each robot. There are countless possible combinations. As for the solo part and how one plays alone, you simply turn one of the markers and the hourglass and try to find a path before time runs out. If you want to make it easier, you can turn it twice. If you manage to find a solution, you keep the marker, otherwise you lose it. In the end, if you have taken more than you have lost, then you win. I don't know if it sounds fun or not, but if you like the main idea of the game, then you will like this too.

As for the quality of construction, unfortunately the least I can describe it as is poor. The main problem with the previous version was that the board would tear at the junction of the 4 pieces. The piece that connected them was a plastic square with 4 holes, and the boards had 4 holes to connect with the piece. The problem would have been solved if a reinforced plastic had been inserted at the junction. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons (probably economic), not only did they not reinforce the junction points, but they also removed the plastic piece and replaced it with a cardboard one. I consider it unlikely to last for many years. Also, if you open the box, you will see many white pieces. These have come off the boards without even being played. The only real quality piece is the robots, which are made of hard plastic, they are nice and have weight, although I think there have also been quality cuts here and the ones from the previous version were much better.

In summary, Ricochet Robots is a very nice game, which plays quite quickly, supports the participation of many people, and can be played by anyone regardless of gender and age. One of my favorite games and also of my group. However, the fact that players do not have a pen and paper to draw the paths but are called to do it in their minds creates problems for people with poor spatial perception, and it is also possible to become annoyed by some players either when they are very close to finding the path and someone else always beats them to it, or when they have found a path and just before announcing it, someone else finds a solution that requires half the moves. It is not a game for everyone, but with the right group, it shines.