Hive is a very clever tile placing and moving game for those looking for a quicker chess like game. In Hive you will be placing out and moving your bug tiles with the goal of surrounding your opponents queen bee. All the different insects move differently so you must keep an eye on your opponents placement and movement at the same time as trying to position your own bugs for the win. On your turn you will place a tile next to one of your own pieces or move one of your existing piece. The spiders creep around the corners, the grasshopper leap to the opposite side of the board, the ants can move anywhere on the perimeter, dung beetles jump up on tiles locking them in place, ladybirds will go up and over a set number of spaces and mosquitoes copy the ability of tiles they are touching. And the queen only moves one space at a time so placement and moving her is key to staying ahead of your opponent. There is no board so the hive will spread out organically as you and your opponent take your turns. You cannot move a piece that would split the hive into two so there is the chance of locking key pieces if you are not careful. First to player to have their queen surrounded loses. Hive Pocket is an even more portable version of the already very portable game of Hive but this version comes with the additional ladybird pieces giving you even more variability in your games. I haven’t played a better on the go game for new comers and veterans in a long time and this is a great edition to any collection!

NB: This is a re-post of my Hive review, but it absolutely applies to Hive Pocket - plus there's a little addendum underneath! What a wonderful little game! The stones are so beautifully designed and tactile, it's great for those of us who can't help liking the prettier things in life. But, looks aside, it's a really absorbing game and it's really hard to stop after just one round! The aim is quite simple - to surround the opposing player's Queen Bee before they surround yours. The other creepy crawlies have their own abilities: grasshoppers can jump along rows, spiders move three places, ants as many places as you like, beetles can move one place at once but can climb on top of the hive - and the Queen Bee, much like the King in chess, can only move one place at a time. It's super easy to pick up, but can actually become quite tactical once you've been playing for a while, and I would definitely challenge anyone to try a speed run if they're up for some hilarious chaos! Fabulous two-player fun with seemingly endless game-play possibilities. HIVE POCKET: Just as gorgeous and fun as the full sized version, but now in a perfectly dinky travel size, a few quid cheaper, and with not one but two expansions! Our new creepy crawlies are the mosquito, which can take on the abilities of whichever insect it is next to, and the ladybug, which can climb on top of the hive for two moves, but must descend when completing its turn. So a couple more things to think about, but I still think that it's just as easy to pick up, and just as compelling to play. I have a feeling that Hive Pocket will be coming on many adventures with me!