Cat Blues (1998)

About this game

Cat Blues, first released as Katzenjammer Blues, is an unusual hybrid of rummy and auction rules, with a couple of strange ideas thrown in about the game ending once 20 points total have been scored, with a 5-point penalty for most jokers. It's a quick, cutthroat card game, colorfully decorated with cartoony blues-band cats and mice.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 6.
• Rules load. At 1.4/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 10 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.