I have long been a fan of the SET card game, and, recently, I finally had the pleasure of playing Set Cubed. In a roomful of Set enthusiasts, this version is no less engrossing than the original. As usual, players from other tables tend to wander over between turns and help out (though I think this is more out of compulsion than compassion!).

The similarities to Scrabble are many: players draw SET dice from a bag and play onto any existing set on the board, and there are also bonus squares and wild dice. I worried that the omission of the shading variable in this version would make the game too simple, but the strategy required for piece placement more than makes up for this. Deciding on an order of placement for your pieces can have a profound effect on other players’ ability to build further sets from those same pieces.

SET is fast-paced and quick-thinking, while Set Cubed is careful and contemplated. Because of the strategy involved, Set Cubed is recommended for 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, and both games are equally thrilling for both kids and adults.