Pete's Expert Summary
My Human has presented me with this… box. It is not a treat box, nor does it contain a feathered wand. It appears to be a "game" called SKYJO, by a brand named magilano, which sounds appropriately formal for an activity that involves sitting still and staring at paper. From what I can gather through observation and the Human’s tedious explanations, the goal is for them to manipulate 150 squares of colorful cardstock to achieve a low "score." This seems to be a ritual designed to test their rudimentary math and concentration skills, which, frankly, could use the practice. The potential appeal for me is clear: 150 individual, lightweight, perfectly bat-able objects that could be satisfyingly skidded across the hardwood floor and hidden under the sofa. The primary drawback, however, is that it requires my Human's hands and attention for extended periods, time that is better spent stroking my impeccably soft gray fur.
Key Features
- Your goal: try to collect as few points as possible over several rounds of play as quickly as possible by skilfully uncovering, exchanging and collecting playing cards, as few points as possible. But this can only be done as long as a player has not revealed all their cards, otherwise the round of game ends. So be careful, keep an eye on the game and the players
- Great fun for your friends and family. Skyjo is a fun card game that is great fun for children and even large game friends (adults). The card game is very suitable for short games in between and is also an enrichment for a sociable and beautiful game evening.
- Learn playful: calculate - learn to add up to 100 two-digit numbers. Estimate - Get a sense of probability. Concentration - Track game sequences and watch players and their actions.
- Fast game start. Simple, easy-to-understand game principle. Short game instructions with pictures. Ideal for a short game in between as well as as as a base game for fun and exciting game evenings. The game is round-based and can be played flexibly in time.
- Number of players: for 2 to 8 players. Age: from 8 years. Playing time: approx. 30 minutes. Languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Italian. Material: 150 playing cards, 1 game pad, 1 game instructions (English language not guaranteed). Made in Germany.
A Tale from Pete the Cat
The evening began with a betrayal. Instead of the customary post-dinner worship session on the sofa, my Human and three of her associates gathered around the low table in the living room. They produced a crisp blue box, and from it, a cascade of cards. The scent was new—not fish, not fowl, but the sterile, woody aroma of freshly printed German paper. I watched from my observation post on the arm of the chair, my tail twitching with mild irritation. They arranged the cards in neat rows before them, face down. A silent, bizarre ritual. As they began to play, a pattern emerged from their nonsensical primate chatter. "Oh, a twelve! The worst!" one groaned. "Yes! A minus two!" another celebrated. My superior intellect processed the data immediately: high numbers were bad, low numbers were good. The objective was to purge the bad numbers. My Human, bless her simple heart, seemed to be struggling. Her face was a mask of concentration as she flipped over a card, revealing a bright red "10." She sighed. It was pathetic. I could not stand by and watch this display of incompetence. I saw my opportunity. An opponent had discarded a beautiful, powerful card: a "-1". It lay glistening under the lamplight, a beacon of hope. My Human, meanwhile, was reaching for the face-down draw pile—a fool's gamble. I could not let this stand. With the silent grace of a predator, I launched myself from the chair, landing with a soft thud in the center of the table. Ignoring the startled gasps, I walked directly to the discard pile and placed a single, deliberate white paw upon the "-1" card, pinning it to the table. I looked up at my Human, my gaze firm and clear. *Take this one, you imbecile.* She merely blinked. "Oh, Pete! You want to play?" she cooed, gently lifting my paw and shooing me off the table. She then proceeded to draw a "9" from the pile. A chorus of groans, including my own, filled the room. I retreated to the rug, tail lashing. The cards themselves were of a fine, smooth stock, worthy of being hunted. But the game was a pointless endeavor if the players were too dense to recognize a master strategist in their midst. I have decided SKYJO is an unworthy distraction. It is an instrument of human failure, and I will have no part in it, other than to nap on the score pad to assert my dominance.
