Blink

Today's Major FUN Award goes to:



Blink is a card game for two, maybe three players. Since I especially games that tend to make people laugh, Blink is exactly the kind of game the Bernie Award is meant for.

The fun of it is similar to that of the double-solitaire game poetically referred to as "Spit." It's a game of speed and matching. But it's a special deck. And therein lies its, um, specialness.

There are three attributes to each card: color, number and shape. This is one more attribute than a standard deck of cards.

The deck is divided evenly between two players. Each player has a hand of three cards. Two starting cards are turned up. And the game begins. Players simultaneously place a matching card on either of the two starting cards and pick up a replacement from their deck. There's no turn-taking. So, while you're engaged in solemn deliberation as to which of your cards you should place on the card with three red triangles, I blithely slap down my one red star card.

The first player to have played all her cards wins.

The three different attributes are just enough to make potentially excessive demands on your mental powers. The simultaneous play is exactly what is needed to make the game engaging and o so delightfully tense. Which is why you so frequently find yourself laughing helplessly. Since any play can make it easier or more difficult for the other player, there's nothing to take personally. Except the fun.