First Impression: Sneaks

By W. Eric Martin
November 29, 2008

Publisher: SimplyFun
Designer: Alvin Madden
Players: 2-8
Ages: 6+
Playing Time: 20-30 minutes
Rules Language: English
Links:

Version played: Production copy
Times played: Twice, both with three players

Playing Sneaks is like working on an assembly line minus the fun. You put down a widget, pick up another one, put down a widget, pick up another one, repeat until lunch break. Working at Burger King provided me with more enjoyment as I could subvert The Man by doling out more French fries than I was supposed to. Take that, you pretender to the throne!

Your goal in Sneaks is to collect a four-of-a-kind (or a triplet and a wild card) in your hand of four cards, and each turn consists only of discarding a card to your left-hand neighbor and picking up a card from the right. The only exception to this drudgery is the dealer, who gets to pick up a fresh card from the deck, giving her first shot at the two precious wild cards and an influx of newness.

Once a player has collected her four-of-a-kind, she takes one of the plastic sneakers in the center of the table. Players then (supposedly) race to grab a sneaker as the player who ends up shoeless earns a letter, one measly letter in a forced march toward S-N-E-A-K-S and blessed elimination.

Sneaks is a customized version of the public domain game Spoons, and while my young co-players (ages 8 and 6) were moderately engaged by the card passing and sneaker grabbing, they fled after a few rounds to cover themselves with blankets and pretend that they were cats. If only every unpleasant game could be abandoned so easily…

Want to try Sneaks for yourself? Perhaps not after that less-than-glowing review, but if you do, head to BGN’s Games for the Animals page!

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