MANOOVER PLUS
(2-3 players)
DESIGNERS:  Kate Jones & Robert Abbott
Manoover (December 2007 GAMES) returns for two contestants on a larger hexagonal board. On the other side is a new arena for three players.

With two players, your eight numbered discs (arrows pointing north) start on your home row. Roll four octagonal dice each turn. For each die, rotate the matching disc or move it (following its arrow) to the adjacent space. After resolving all rolls, move your discs in numerical order in their arrow's direction. Push in that direction lines of one or more discs you encounter.

Your target hexagon is close to the opponent's starting row. Any disc (even the opponent's) entering your target is removed and earns you one point. Beginners are prone to hilarious miscalculations that assist the adversary. Discs exiting off board score nothing. Highest score wins when one contestant runs out of discs.

Three contestants face even greater challenges to maneuver their pieces around two enemy targets near their starting arrays. .—JJMcC (4/12) [Date refers to GAMES issue with full review.]

MANOOVER PLUS
(2-3 players)
DESIGNERS:  Kate Jones and Robert Abbott
We introduced Manoover on a board of 37 hexagonal spaces in one of our past Buyer's Guides (December 2007 GAMES). Designer Kate Jones, prompted by a request for something even more appealing to strategists, has not only created more challenges for two on a larger board, but added on the other side Bob Abbott's exacting battle for three.

Two players each begin with eight numbered pieces on their side, with arrows pointing north. Your target hexagon is near the opponent's side.

Roll four octahedral dice each turn. Each roll lets you either rotate the matching piece to point in any other direction, or shift it to the space to which its arrow points. After executing all rolls, move your pieces (following their arrows) in numerical order one space. Moving pieces push lines of one or more pieces in their paths, with the movers maintaining their directions.

Experience will help you reduce those hilarious miscalculations common among beginners. Pieces entering either target hexagon score 1 point for the target's owner, and are removed from play. Pieces exiting off board score nothing, but a leading player might aim for suicide to hasten the end. When one contestant is without pieces, the player with the highest score triumphs; last to play wins ties. You are allowed one reroll of each die matching a piece no longer in play.

We applaud Kadon Enterprises for the long-awaited three-player contest. Everyone has six pieces to somehow shift around two enemy targets near their starting array, using three regular dice. This guarantees the incomparable fun of calculated risks and shrewd maneuvering on an attractive handmade wooden board. —John J. McCallion