Aquaretto

Fill your water zoo with animals from shared trucks, but never let different species touch.

Designer: Michael Schacht
Published by: ABACUSSPIELE
Editions by: Rio Grande Games, Gém Klub Kft., Playgo Ltd (Hong Kong)

In Aquaretto you run a water-themed zoo and try to fill it with the right animals in the right places. Each turn you either pull another animal from the bag and add it to one of the transport trucks, or you grab a truck and put everything on it into your park. The catch is that animals want their space: different species may not sit next to each other, so you need gaps and borders. That makes loading the trucks a quiet little duel, because a truck you fill badly will be a gift to whoever has to take it. Points come from many species, big herds and a well-laid park. A 2008 puzzle for two to five, about forty-five minutes.

Animals loaded onto shared transport trucksSpecies must be separated in your parkPoints from variety, numbers and layout

Who it's for

You like spatial puzzles with a light bit of tension and an animal theme, and you want a game that plays in under an hour.

Not for you if…

You want a lot of direct conflict or a heavy strategy game. This one is a gentle tile puzzle.

Vibe's take

Calm, puzzly and sneakily mean. You are mostly arranging tiles, but each truck you load is a small trap for the next player.