Prepare yourselves, ninjas! Who’s the fastest cat around? The ancient contest of Cobra Paw is the quickest way to find out! Meow, who’s with me?!

“Cobra Paw”
Designed by Derek Weston
Art by Laura Catasciato
Published by Bananagrams Inc.
2-6 Players
10-20 Minutes

A game of Cobra Paw is incredibly simple: roll the two dice, locate the tile with both symbols on it, and snatch it up before anyone else can. The first player to obtain five tiles wins. That’s all there is to it!

For what it is, Cobra Paw is pretty darn good. Admittedly, the speedy dexterity game market is a crowded place; and aside from the box, this title doesn’t do a whole lot to stand out. In this case, I think that’s a good thing. The absence of the additional wonky, superfluous rules and/or components that I’ve come to expect in this style of game is, well, pleasant. It just works. There are some variants in the book to alter play, and the game is simple enough that you’ll be able to tweak the rules to fit the situation if the need arises.

What the game may lack in flash, it more than makes up for with substance: the production value is phenomenal. All of the components are a nice black bakelite; priming the title for it’s target audience. The end result is a game that looks great on the table (or floor). More importantly, it’s a perfect addition for children and families, with it’s silly theme and durable pieces.

6/10

I’m not going to tell you that Cobra Paw is a must own- that wouldn’t be accurate. But this title can reliably be described as ‘more than the sum of it’s parts.’ Solid construction and comical theme make it a great title for kids; and it will definitely fill that dexterity void- something many collections are missing.