Tangoes (1980)

About this game

Tangoes is competitive tangrams. Each player has a tangram set (a square, a parallelogram, two small triangles, one medium triangle, and two large triangles). The basic puzzle is to assemble them into a square. However, Tangoes comes with cards showing various shapes that can be made. The two player game is to race to be first to form the shape, but just trying to solve the puzzles is an absorbing solitaire game. Tangoes' package is patented and is partly what sets it apart from other tangram-related games. It is a travel-compatible case which holds a pack of puzzle cards and two sets of tans. There are also at least eleven additional packs of cards available from this manufacturer, and virtually unlimited puzzles from other sources.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 1 to 2. It has a designed solo mode.
• Rules load. At 1.5/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 5 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.