Madcap Science: A Review of Dr. Eureka
Submitted by Naomi Laeuchli on 07/12/2017 - 09:51. Category: Reviews
Race other players to match patterns, but don’t drop any balls, in this quick little game that is perfect for both kids and adults.
Gameplay
The game components are made up of plastic test tubes and several colored balls. At the start of the game, each player takes three tubes and places two colored balls in each one. The deck of challenge cards is shuffled and one card is drawn.
Each challenge card depicts the number of balls you need in each tube, as well as which colors they must be and in what order they have to be stacked. Once a challenge card is drawn, players race to transfer the balls between their tubes, trying to be the first to complete the pattern shown on the card. You may place your tubes upside down or swap their position while trying to match them to the card. If a player touches one of the balls or drops one, he is out for the rest of the round.
Once you believe you have the balls in the right order, you shout "Eureka!", everyone checks that you have indeed completed the challenge successfully, and if so you score the card. A new round begins, another challenge card is drawn, and players race once more. The first player to score five cards wins the game.
Review
Dr. Eureka manages to be both a great kids' game and an excellent filler dexterity game for adults. Unfortunately, it only supports four players out of the box — otherwise it could make a fun party game.
The plastic tubes are exceptionally fun to play with and transferring the balls between them quickly while also following the pattern listed on the card can be surprisingly difficult. There are some fun rule variations you can choose from as well, particularly the one in which you are not allowed to set down any of your tubes until you shout "Eureka!".
The game plays extremely quickly. It doesn’t take a lot of thought, and is great for a really good laugh. If you’re looking for a game with strategy, this isn’t the game for you, but at the same time it’s not mindless. Figuring out the fastest way to get the balls in the correct order can be a challenging puzzle.
Dr. Eureka’s blend of dexterity, puzzles, and filler feels fresh and fun. Whether you’re looking for something for families or a game night with friends, it has a lot of laughs to offer. But you will have to pick up multiple copies if you want to play with a larger group.
Pros: Good for kids, adults, and families; great components
Cons: Only plays four
Disclosure: we received a complimentary review copy of this game.
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Definitelt interested in this.
for more than 4 players, would this work if say you had teams of three? (the number of players would need to be a multiple of three) each person on a team would hold onto one test tube and the team members cannot talk to one another; they can only use hand gestures. play according to the standard rules. this would work for more than 4 players as long as it is a multiple of 3.
Seems like it would work. Interesting variant!