Crocodile Hop

Description

Hop your frogs across the pond with out being eaten by the crocodiles.

Image courtesy of Ray Davies

Rules

• https://ludism.org/piecepack/org/rules/CrocHop.pdf (local copy)
• https://web.archive.org/web/2016/http://www.piecepack.org/rules/CrocHop.pdf (original copy)
• CrocodileHopTextVersion

Reviews & Comments

Entry in the SolitaryConfinement contest.

One of the most replayable and entertaining solitaire games for the Piecepack, Crocodile Hop involves four pawns fittingly hopping along on a 6x4 grid covered with coins: in each turn a tile is chosen from one of two available piles and the corresponding coin is removed from the grid; the pawn on top of the coin must then move as many fields in any direction as the coin's value, always landing on another free coin to stay in the game. Following this simple mechanic, all four pawns must ideally stay on the grid until there are only five coins left.

Crocodile Hop is a game of both considerable luck and considerable skill: there is a more than decent amount of choices at the beginning of the game (which tile to use, in which direction to move) but they narrow down dramatically as the coins disappear and maybe one of the piles runs out. The way the used tiles can be tracked using the coins left on the grid (they indicate suit, their position indicates value) is a particularly nifty touch in the design that allows a bit of planning without turning the game into a monstrous memory workout. The only tricky bit in the game comes at the end: achieving the ultimate goal of the game might come down to having the right tiles in the pile and not building the board. Even if this turns the game resolution into a bit of a gamble, reaching this stage certainly isn't - the player can enjoy some thrilling head-scratching every time, instead of having to interrupt the (in this case quick and easy) setup and start again because it is already clear that the game is impossible to complete.

Antonio Recuenco Muñoz

CategoryGame SolitaireThemedGamesCategory