Smart Zone Games Hive Pocket

Super fun game for those long winter nights.

Really fun pocket game. Lots of strategy, so you get better and better the more you play. The rules could have been a little clearer in a couple of places, but we figured it out. It’s a relatively quick play with a lot of concentration.

I was unsure whether to buy the full size or the pocket size, and decided to get the pocket size based on comments from a reviewer. The pocket pieces are plenty big (1 inch in diameter) and are of great quality and beautifully decorated. The game is fun to play too. The pocket edition has the ladybug and mosquito expansions included, which is great, because purchasing the expansions separately is expensive. My husband and I have played the game a few times without the ladybugs and mosquitos as recommended, and I can’t wait to start using the expansions.

My son (almost 9) and I like to play games. This is one that gets a lot of play. Its strategic enough to be suspenseful, its different every time, and its helped lay the ground work for a deeper understanding of chess for the kid.

Hive is a super fun game to play with friends! Its relatively easy to learn and I really recommend the pocket edition. Its not too small and it comes with two of the expansions. Now when I play with the traditional Hive pieces they feel unnecessarily large by comparison.

First, Ill discuss the game of Hive, and then Ill talk about this set, both in terms of itself and as compared to other Hive editions (i.e. the standard set and Carbon). So far, Ive played several editions of Hive: my pocket edition (being reviewed), the standard edition, and the digital version on Steam. Ive played several dozen games, now, so Im evaluating the game from a novice perspective. That alone should tell you something; Hive is a deep enough game that you dont come close to mastering it in a few dozen plays. And yet, the rules are even simpler than those of chess, something I can explain to anyone in five minutes. Another thing you can tell from my playing history is that I really enjoy this game. These several dozen games have taken place over the course of three weeks, so Id call myself an enthusiastic novice. I used to be a fairly committed chess player for a short period of time, and Hive evokes very similar feelings. Its a two player game in which the players take turns, moving their pieces in distinctive ways in order to capture the opponents royalty (here a queen bee instead of a king). In both cases, theres no luck, and the position on the board is very dynamic and complex. Im not qualified to say whether or not Hive is as deep as chess, but unless youre a pretty serious player of either, youll be able to get enough strategic depth out of either one. There are a few things that I actually enjoy more about Hive. First of all, I like the theme and aesthetics of the cute hexagonal bug tiles, although this is highly subjective. One undeniable advantages that Hive enjoys, however, is that it is even more portable that chess, requiring no board. A relatively flat surface will do; a highlight of my recent cruise to Bermuda was playing with my stepdaughter on their beautiful beaches. This leads us to the qualities of this particular set. The pocket edition, like all the current Hive editions, consists of nice sturdy hexagonal tiles made of bakelite. All sets use the same art for the etched insect icons. The standard and pocket editions have black and ivory pieces with different colors for the etching of each type of insect, while the Carbon set etchings are colored the opposite of the black and white tiles. The tiles for the pocket edition are about an inch across, while the standard and Carbon tiles are about twice that. So the aesthetics of each set are very similar. The Carbon set is very distinctive, but Ive heard people say they like the cue of the insect colors. I dont think the pocket tiles suffer from being smaller than the other tiles; on the contrary, it makes them more portable. Like everyone says, the bakelite material is very pleasing, like mahjong tiles. I like the insect iconography, but I understand a minority of players are just turned off by the bug theme. Its abstract enough that I feel safe saying that wont be a problem for most people. One thing that I think sets the pocket edition apart is the price; the full retail price is currently $25, but its selling as of now for $18 and change on Amazon. Since I view the size of the pocket edition to be an asset on the balance, the reduced price tag makes it only more attractive as compared to the other editions. I dont feel that anything is sacrificed by the smaller tiles, and ones preference for the standard/pocket style versus the Carbon edition might go either way. I dont really have anything negative to say about this game, at all. Ive been able to get several other people to enjoy this game enough to buy their own set. Its engaging like chess, without the centuries of strategic baggage that requires months of study before you can even call yourself an amateur. This is currently my favorite two-player game and my favorite abstract strategic game.

Fabulous game. Easy to learn and difficult to master. I would buy it again in a flash.

Birthday gift for 13 year old. They played for hours with it. Nice size to take a long in the car.

HELP! It might be a wonderful game but we cant tell! A recent reviewer had the same issue. Someone needs to fix this!

This game was recommended to my family, but we had a hard time buying it because the original was so big and we were looking for things that we could easily travel with and store in a small space. We bought this one and are really happy with it. First, the pieces are plenty big for comfortable play. Second, you get TWO expansion sets with it. And third, its a great strategy game that anyone can learn, but that takes a bit of brain power to play, so its really great for many ages to play. I would say 6-7 wouldnt be too young if the kiddo was interested in games. Overall, I would recommend the pocket version over the larger version with less pieces.