Game Review: Cheeky Monkey

By W. Eric Martin
October 14, 2007

Publisher: Face 2 Face Games
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Players: 2-6
Playing Time: 30 minutes
Release Date: October 2007

Game Played: Various prototypes
Number of Plays: Approximately ten times, with the entire range of players

Reiner Knizia already created one great push-your-luck game in Circus Flohcati, and Cheeky Monkey might be that game’s equal in terms of simplicity, enjoyment and style. The game comes with 52 animal tokens (ten monkeys, nine of another animal, and so on down to three of the rarest animal) and ten animal tiles, which are used only for the endgame scoring.

On a player’s turn, he draws an animal token from the bag and lays it on the table in front of him. He can stop and add this token to the top or bottom of his stack (which starts empty), or he can draw another token. If he draws a different animal, he can once again stop (stacking the tokens as he wishes and placing them on the top of his stack) or he can keep drawing. If he draws an animal that he’s already drawn earlier in the turn, everything he’s gained that turn goes back in the bag and the next player goes.

There are two other twists to add to these simple rules:

1. If you draw an animal token that matches the animal on top of someone else’s stack, you can take their token and add it to your holdings for that turn. If the next animal matches, you can take that one as well. If you bust, any stolen token(s) go back in the bag with all the others.
2. If you draw a monkey, you can do some monkey-snatching as described in the first item or you can swap the monkey for an animal on top of someone else’s stack. Since monkeys are the most common animal, you can swap and hope to steal it back later that turn. (If you’re like me, though, you’ll push your luck too far and bust, throwing rare animals back in the bag.)

Overall, Cheeky Monkey is a ton of fun with players’ stacks rising and falling throughout the game. Aside from your topmost animal, your tokens are hidden, which means players generally have an idea of who is leading in which types, but with so much token movement, the lead usually changes quickly and repeatedly. Playing with five and six players can be hard if (a) players are slow—the choices aren’t that hard, people, so keep it moving!—or (b) you’re playing on a large table since you might not be able to see the top animal on everyone’s stack—and if you don’t ask for an animal, you don’t get it. Those issues aside, Cheeky Monkey is a great filler and a perfect gift for those gaming neophyte friends of yours.

Pictures - Click the picture for a larger version
	One of eight animal tiles
	A sampling of animal tokens

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