Bugs in the Kitchen

The phrase "bugs in the kitchen" doesn't sound like any fun but if you are playing the game made by Ravensburger, you'll change your mind.  Bugs in the Kitchen is a fun and engaging game for all ages.  Let's learn how to play.

The box says that this game is for ages 6 and up and that  up to 4 people can play at a time.  Even younger kids could play (you could offer help if needed).  My 5 year old enjoyed playing this game without any help. Another great aspect of this game is that kids can play without adult help.  I had an 11 year old, 10 year old, 8 year old, and 5 year old playing recently and they were fine without me.  My kids love games (big surprise); sometimes they are frustrated when they want to play one and I am too busy.  This game solves that problem because they can play without me.  This game doesn't take very long to play (30 minutes or less) which is nice too!

Your game comes with a game board and a die.  The die's sides have 3 question marks, one fork, one spoon, and one knife.  It also has bug tokens.

The game also comes with a limited edition HEXBUG nano.

To set up the game, you will need to turn the utensils to create one of the following starting positions.  The utensils are attached to the board and turn.

The goal of the game is to get the bug to go into your trap.  You do this by turning the utensils to create a path to your trap.  There are 4 traps, one for each player.  The traps are the holes on either side of the game board.  One has a picture of cheese, another has sardines, another has a cookie, and the last a chocolate bar.  Each player chooses a specific trap for the duration of the game.  If less than four players are playing, you use one of the dividers to cover up the entrance to that trap.

The youngest player goes first.  Turn on the HEXBUG nano and the first player rolls the die.  If the player rolls a spoon, that player can then turn any utensil on the board that is a spoon.  

If the player rolls a fork, he can turn a fork and so on.  If a question mark is rolled, the player can choose any one utensil to turn. Make sure that when you turn the utensils that they end up horizontal or vertical.  They should never be diagonal.  Play continues in a clockwise direction.To be fair, do not to touch the HEXBUG while turning the utensils.  If the HEXBUG turns over, put it back on its feet.  

The HEXBUG adds an element of surprise to the game. Sometimes you make a great path for it and and it just won't travel to you trap.  This drives you crazy.  Other times, it gets so close to going in your trap and someone blocks it at the last minute!

When the HEXBUG  goes into a player's trap, that player gets a bug token.  The game board is reset to its original position and play begins again.  The first player with five bug tokens wins. 

My family really loves this fast paced game.  Both adults and kids can have fun while playing it.   Everyone was so excited when they had coerced the HEXBUG into their trap.   Give it a try--you might be surprise to learn how much fun it is to have Bugs in the Kitchen.