HABA The Key: Sabotage at Lucky Llama Land Simultaneous Deduction Game for Ages 8+

This has been a hit with our family, in particular our 8 and 10 year-olds. Even my significant other, who often sits out board game rounds, has happily played this again.The goal of the game is to convict three saboteurs -- which day did they commit their acts, what tools did they use, and what did they sabotage. There are nine different combinations / solutions, represented by nine colored keys. For each game round you choose one and then pick matching clue cards from a large pile. Younger players will pick randomly, older ones can strategize a bit as to which kind of clue is most useful next. There are different kinds of clues, some of which are a little puzzle in themselves -- ours kids really get a kick out of those. By combining different clues and ruling certain constellations in or out ("Olivia did not sabotage the roller coaster", "The pliers were used before the knife") players eventually arrive at a supposed solution which they check against the included reference (by sticking the colored key into a piece of card board with numbered holes, nifty). The rules say the winner is whoever used the least clue points (different clues have different point values), but it's easy to house rule that. Or just play together and enjoy the puzzle. :)As mentioned, there are nine different keys/combinations, but I think the game can be replayable beyond that by picking the same key again and trying for a better score (not that I'd remember the particular combination associated with each key).The game is well produced, rules are clear with examples.

My family loves this game. We homeschool and I wanted to get a game that helps to practice critical thinking skills. This who done it game fit the bill perfectly. It is a fast game, easy to play once you get the hang of it and lots of fun. The game cards and pieces are all of high quality. My 11 year old asks to play this game often.

I love mystery games. Games with a bit of ambiguity where you have to decode or decipher something. Games where you must think creatively to solve riddles or look at things through a different lens. I think this game does all that really well, but for a younger audience. I think if you want to eventually introduce your kids to something like an Unlock or Exit game, this game would be a perfect way to get them thinking outside of the box and allow them to solve things at their own pace. The Key is essentially a game of "whodunit", where you must figure out which person sabotaged which ride on which day, using which tool. Sounds similar to Clue, right? Well the way it's played is drastically different than Clue, and it's far more interesting, in my opinion. With Clue, you spend 80% of your turns just wandering around the board, trying to get to another room so you can make another guess But with The Key, you just grab clue cards from the center of the table to learn something new. But the more clues you grab, the more points you gain. And you don't want points. At the end of the game, the player who solved the mystery correctly with the fewest points wins. My only complaint with this game is the suggested age of 8 and up. Although an 8 year old may be able to understand the rules of the game, as the rules are quite simple, I'm not convinced most 8 year old's would have an easy time understanding that they must think outside the box and learn to interpret ambiguous clues. Some clues that you find early on may not help you until you learn something else first. I think that's part of what could potentially trip up an 8 year old. I played The Key with a friend of mine. We're both adults in our 30's. We were able to figure out the ambiguous clues fairly well, and each game only took us about 10 minutes. But then when playing with my kids, I had solved the mystery within 10 minutes, and I proceeded to help my kids find the answers themselves. I tried to lead them to the answers without just telling them. I explained how each type of clue card worked and the game still went on for about an hour. This was with an 8 and 10 year old. So although we made it through the game, I'm fairly confident a 12+ age recommendation would be better suited for a game like this. Fantastic game, though. I really enjoyed it. But if you're thinking of grabbing a copy for your kids, it might be best if they're a bit older.

We enjoyed this game. The principles are simple, and it’s easy to play. The graphics are bright and engaging. My daughter pointed out that it is not TRULY cooperative, as you are completing with one another. We really love board games though, so that was not a dealbreaker for us.

This game is fun, even though I've lost every time. You need to pay very close attention to details in the pictures to make sure you are correctly interpretting the information. Also, be careful to not pick up clues that are not relevant to the case you're playing.The instructions don't mention what the mirror is for; it is for looking at the shoeprints. those are opposite between the case file and the clues. the clues, at a glance, look like all three people are there, but there are differences in the prints that are easier to see when you look at one of them in the mirror.

A neat take on a detective game. I agree with their recommended age of 8+. There is reading and deducing. Great skill building with the use of clues, a map, mirror images, color coding, and icons. Everything is printed in English and French. I did not win the first game, but I would play it again. They cleverly built the game to have multiple crimes, so you can play this game again and again.