Summary
Beautiful presentation, simple game.

Review
This game is gorgeous to look at. The box is smooth, sturdy wood, the game pieces are red and yellow cups and saucers, and the game board is a column of sage green and brown coasters, linked together with green grosgrain ribbon.

It's a strategy game for two players. Each starts with his cups and saucers on his own side of the board, and the object is to get them, cup on top of saucer, to the opposite side. This is done by either sliding or hopping to the first empty coaster. Cups and saucers move independently, and they can only move forward, so if a player thoughtlessly moves his saucerless cup to the last spot, he can't win.

The instructions specify ages 8 and up, but I played this several times with a six-year-old, and she had no trouble with it. The rules are straightforward and easy to learn, and it doesn't take long to play a round. It was fun, but to me, the coolest thing about this game is the presentation. The six-year-old didn't agree, of course -- she thought the cups and saucers were pretty cute, but to her, the best thing about the game was figuring out her strategy. Of course, it didn't hurt that she beat me all three times we played! (I didn't let her win, either. She was yellow, and yellow goes first. I suspect that if no mistakes are made, the first player will always win.)

Tips
This would make a dandy gift for your favorite coffee enthusiast, but young kids like it too.

Pros
Fun, unusual, and really good-looking game; some may even like displaying it.

Cons