How it plays
Each person has 40 cards of their own: 1 to 10 in four colors. A row of three to five cards and the Ligretto pile of ten cards are laid out face up; players turn over the rest from their hand in threes. Everyone plays at the same time: ones start piles in the middle of the table, followed by 2 to 10 in the same color. Whoever empties their Ligretto pile calls out “Ligretto, stop!” Each of a player’s own cards in the middle scores plus one, and each card left in their Ligretto pile scores minus two. Whoever has the most points wins.
What it can help develop
Divided attention is at the heart of it: players continually compare their own face-up cards with all the piles in the middle, which are constantly changing. This calls for visual search at high speed: where is a yellow 6 for my yellow 7? If someone was faster, the hand has to stop mid-movement: hand-eye coordination together with impulse control. On top of this, players must not forget the real goal amid the commotion: emptying their Ligretto pile.
Especially suitable for
- Children from age 8 with quick reactions, and families
- Children who find it hard to wait for their turn
- Parties: three boxes in different colors are enough for twelve
Less suitable for
- Children who freeze under time pressure
- Fans of tactics: speed counts for more than planning
Our verdict
Ligretto is a worthwhile choice for children from age 8 with quick reactions and for families looking for a simple game with no downtime. Everyone plays at the same time, and several generations can keep up. Its limitations are the emphasis on speed over planning, the hectic pace, which makes some children freeze, and the thin cards, which bend quickly.
Getting started
- When explaining, show straight away that a space that becomes free in the row may be refilled from the Ligretto pile immediately.
- Amid the commotion, the real goal is easily forgotten: before you start, point out that the Ligretto pile has to be emptied.
In detail
Variants and player count
According to the rules, the length of the face-up row depends on the number of players: with four people, three cards are laid out, with three people four and with two people five. Each box contains four sets of 40 cards. The red, blue and green editions are each intended for four people; together they are enough for twelve. In the variant for real Ligretto experts, the row serves as a second reserve: cards are placed there in descending order, and consecutive cards must be different colors. Ligretto was first published in 1988 as “Legretto” by Rosengarten Spiele.
What reviewers say
Spieletest.at calls Ligretto an astonishingly simple, gripping game. In the readers’ comments there, people appreciate that nobody waits long for their turn, that it is quick to explain and that parents and younger siblings join in. Cards that bend in the rush and little tactical depth are also criticized there. Hall9000 describes a frantic game that is very simple in principle and challenges hand-eye coordination. This review also complains about thin cards that often bend. In the readers’ comments on Hall9000, children and grandma join in, while others are bothered by the chaos and the lack of strategy.
How it compares
Jungle Speed (from age 7, 2 to 10 people, about 15 minutes) shares perception and speed with Ligretto (from age 8, 2 to 4 people, about 10 minutes). Instead of fine motor skills, Jungle Speed has impulse control. Blink (from age 7, 2 people, 3 to 5 minutes), like Ligretto, calls for processing speed and divided attention and suits children who find it hard to wait for their turn. Blink suits nimble younger children and short duels, including parent against child, but is essentially a game for two; for groups of three or four and big parties, Ligretto remains the obvious choice.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What age is Ligretto suitable for?
Ligretto is recommended from age 8. A child is ready when they can keep an eye on several piles at once and can bear others being faster; children who freeze under time pressure usually get little enjoyment from it.
How long does a game take and how many people can play?
A game takes about 10 minutes. The game is for 2 to 4 people, who play against each other at the same time, with no downtime; with several boxes, up to twelve people can play.
What skills can Ligretto help develop?
It can help develop perception and speed as well as fine motor skills. For example, players continually compare their own face-up cards with the piles in the middle, and hold their hand back if someone else was faster.
Can adults and grandparents join in?
Yes, reviews and readers’ comments describe games with parents, younger siblings and grandma. Because everyone plays at the same time, nobody has to wait for their turn, which suits children who find waiting difficult.
