Fruit Bandits (2005)

About this game

The inhabitants of the land of Fruitopia are obsessed with one thing: jam production. The fruit growers want to produce the most they can, and if this means stealing... er, borrowing it from their neighbours, then so be it, regardless of the odd flavour it might give to their product. Fruit Bandits is a quick card game in which players use a simultaneous action selection method to choose either to harvest their own crop or try and steal from another player - but this will only work if that player chooses to harvest their own crop. Although everyone will produce exactly the same quantity of fruit during the course of the game, the production will be in a random order, so choosing when to harvest or when to try and raid is dependent not only on your own potential but that of your rivals too.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 3 to 5.
• Rules load. At 1.2/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 8 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.