Manuel Correia

If I saw this game at a shop I’d probably ignore it. It seems to be aimed at children, the art is very cartoony and the theme is chicken on a worm barbecue. Boy, am I glad a friend invited me to play!

Beneath its childish appearance lies a dice game with player interaction and interesting choices. Finally a dice game where you don’t just pick up the highest numbers and re-roll the rest.

If you’re playing with competitive people it can be really intense and fun! I play this regularly during the lunch break.

Hive is a really elegant abstract strategy game, and that is reflected mainly in the rules and the components.

The rules are simple. On a turn you either place a new bug or you move an existing one. Once a player’s queen bee is completely surrounded, he loses. The thing is, you can’t break the hive. This means, moving a piece which would divide the board in two or more parts.

This is the rule that makes the game. As the pieces move around the board will take a different shape and some will be trapped. This is where you realize you have attack and defend at the same time.

The components are made of bakelite, which makes them very sturdy and pleasing to handle and make a cool sound when they bang together. Players are instantly engaged with these.

There is a portable version, Hive Pocket, which I always carry with me because it’s easy to teach, games don’t drag on and there’s always a surface nearby.