The Mole in the Hole (Myyräpeli in Finnish) is a children’s board game that is suitably entertaining for adults too. The rules are simple to learn but when as the game progresses the tactics become more challenging. It’s an award-winning children’s game but it can be very challenging even for adults. It was awarded children’s game of the year in 1995 in Finland and Sweden. The game is a remake of the game called “Inner Circle” that was released 1981. The Mole in the Hole is a version of this game that’s aimed at children.
The moles are on a quest to dig underground in search of The Golden Shovel and there is four layers before it.
The basic idea is to get your moles in the holes and reach the next layer. The game has four layers and every team of moles is trying to reach The Golden Shovel that’s located in the final layer. 2-4 players can play the game at the same time and that which affects the number of moles in the game. For example, when there are four players, there are six moles per each player. If you can’t get any mole in the holes, you are eliminated from the game. The game is pretty long so it can be boring, if you are eliminated during the first layer. However, that’s not very likely in the first layer because there are so many holes. The game works best with 3 or 4 players, because in that case, the number of moles and holes are optimal. In addition to this, the more people are playing, the more fun it is.
There are no dice in the game as the movements are determined by numbered cards. The cards are upside-down on the table and you pick one card each turn. This increases tactics when the possible numbers are 1, 2, 2, 3, 3 and 4. When all numbers have been used, the cards are shuffled again. It’s useful to remember what numbers are left on the cards. Even children are going to learn what numbers are left and start plotting. If you can’t get to a hole with your number, you can block other moles’ ways to holes too.
The game is a modular board game which means it consists of many different parts, in this case layers. For example, a game called Catan is a very popular example of a modular game. In Catan, the game board consist of hexagonal parts. In the Mole in the Hole the layers are on top of each other which means it’s a 3D board game.
If the Mole in the Hole wasn’t your childhood, you need to try it anyway.
The Mole in the Hole is a very rare game nowadays. You can find it old schools or camp centers but it’s very hard to buy. The fun and childish exterior of the game fools you and it will surely surprise everyone with its tactical gameplay. Me and my friends call the game adults’ chess for fun. I think we aren’t very wrong.
Publisher: Ravensburger Spieleverlag GmbH and Grow Jogos e Brinquedos
Creator: V. Charves and B. Kaes
Illustrater: W. Pepperle, F. Rhomberg
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 40 min
Release Year: 1995
Genre: Children’s board game
PEGI: 8+
Pictures taken by the author.
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