The appeal of Walk the Dogs, a simple set-building game, lies largely in the cuteness of the components – 63 rubbery dog figurines. Ironically, this is also the weakness of the game.

Let me explain.

The dogs are cute, yes, but they don’t fit in the box compartment meant for them. They also don’t quite fit into the black draw-bag that comes with the game. Worse, one particular dog type has its four legs virtually in a line, meaning it tends to fall over. It’s hard enough for an adult to get this figurine to stand, for kids it’s a real problem.

Setting up so many figurines takes up a fair amount of time, compared to the time it takes to play the game. The difficulties with set-up is a hindrance to play, often making me and my ten-year-old daughter opt for backgammon, Mr Jack or a card game instead.

That’s the downside.

The game itself is sweet enough. You get two cards that allow you to take dogs from the front, back or both ends of the row of dogs on the table. You set your collection of dogs up in front of you, always only adding to the front or back of your line, trying to get sets of the same dog type. There are a few other cards to add spice to the game, but this is the fundamental mechanic.

The rules say each player is dealt two cards, redrawing after play. We’ve made a house rule to vary the sequence, letting you draw the second card immediately before play. This gets rid of the annoying occurrence that a player finishes his turn and then draws a special card that interrupts the game when another player has already started his turn. (There isn’t a lot of thinking, so player turns go very quickly.)

As an ignoramus when it comes to dog breeds, I wish the producers included a list to identify the featured breeds.

With all this said, a parent of young kids may well want to look at Walk the Dogs. The game components will appeal to even very young kids and the mechanics are simple enough that a five-year-old should have no trouble; maybe even younger kids can join in. At the same time, it’s not mind numbing for adults. There is a teensy bit of tactics as you consider what dogs may be coming up for grabbing by the time your next turn rolls around.

Walk the Dogs is a good bonding game that beats the hell out of many other options for young kids.