This "cruise edition" of the quick-play, easy-to-learn strategy game Pentago is ideal for portability and travel. Launch date: 2007.
Awards: May 2012 TDmonthly Top Toy Award. Why it won: Not only is this game a proven best seller; it also earned a high rating from TDmonthly's panel of reviewers, as well as users on Amazon.com.
— Brooke Andrews, owner of Millers Toy Store in Mamoroneck, N.Y., told TDmonthly in late fall 2009 that her store sells about 12 Pentago games per week. Erika Evers, owner of Dancing Bear Toys in Hendersonville, N.C., estimated sales of about 8 to 12 units per month.
— As of 4/12/2012 this product had 4.8 out of 5 stars from 24 reviews on Amazon.com.

Featured in:

TDmonthly Top Toy Award Winners May 2012 (5/1/2012) Pentago Goes Multi-Player, Multi-Dimensional (2/1/2010) Did You Order the Right Toys for Christmas? (1/1/2010) Top-26 Most-Wanted Holiday Toys (12/1/2009) Puzzling Squares and Artsy Cubes (8/1/2009)

TDmonthly Review:

What Is It: Pentago CE is a two-player, portable strategy game in which the goal is to be the first player to create a row of five marbles. The twist is that after a player places a marble, he or she also rotates one of the four squares that make up the game board, 90 degrees in any direction. The game comes with black and white marbles.

What We Thought: Pentago is so intuitive players can begin a game without even reading the directions, and its sleek design and simple concept make it immediately attractive. The more one plays it or watches a game of Pentago, the more its nuances are revealed. One reviewer found it reminiscent of an extended tic-tac-toe game, and a little weak on the defensive end — not as well developed in the area of giving players opportunity to directly interrupt their opponent by, say, knocking out an opponent’s piece or issuing some kind of trump card-like counter attack. He appreciated, however, elements that other players applauded, too: the simple rules, quick play, and opportunity for extended matches. “I like Pentago specifically because it’s not too hard, so it has a wider appeal with non-geeks,” another reviewer commented. One player noted that Pentago features the long-term planning of chess but without the complexity. And, it seems the simplicity of the game gives a novice a greater chance of beating an expert than games like Othello or Tannhauser do.

Why They’ll Want It: As one reviewer noted, “This is one of the most elegant [strategy games] I’ve ever seen.” The sophisticated design, “twist” play, portability and easy-to-learn rules are all pluses for Pentago CE, as is the fact that it can be effectively covered in mid-play so opponents can return to a game later on, if need be. Also, since a game can be played in just five minutes, it maintains a rapid-fire pace that keeps players from getting too discouraged when they make mistakes. — Julie L. Jones, 5/29/09