Subbuteo

Flick miniature footballers across a cloth pitch and play a whole match with your fingertips.

Designer: Peter Adolph
Published by: Subbuteo Sports Games, LTD
Editions by: Hasbro, Milton Bradley, (Unknown), Jumbo, Waddingtons, Borras Plana S.A., University Games, Paul Lamond Games Ltd, Mega Bleu, Giochi Preziosi, Eleven Force, John Lewis, Es-Es-Es, FT Champs, Jokari, Replay HW, Top Spin

Football played with your fingertips. Subbuteo, first made in 1947, puts miniature players on smooth round bases onto a large cloth pitch, and you flick the base so the figure slides into the ball and kicks it. Two players each take a team, and the rules follow real football closely: possession, passing, throw-ins, goal kicks, corners, and a whole section on fouls. It is far bigger in Europe than in the United States, and collectors can buy teams for dozens of clubs and nations. A match is quick, around twenty minutes, and the skill is all in your fingers: aim, control and nerve. The best sort of game for two football fans who want to settle an argument.

Flick round-based players to strike the ballThrow-ins, corners, goal kicks and foulsTeams for dozens of clubs and national sides

Who it's for

You are a football fan with a steady finger and a rival who wants a proper table-top match.

Not for you if…

You do not like dexterity games, or you want more than two players at the pitch.

Vibe's take

Physical, tense and a bit ridiculous. You line up the shot with your finger, hold your breath, and flick.