Taboo is my all-time favorite party game, but it is sadly overlooked here on the Geek. Perhaps this is due to its age (nearly 20 years old!) or perhaps some other factor, but my goal in this review is to explain why Taboo should be your "desert island" party game.

What's the Deal?
Most often played in two teams, Taboo follows the tried-and-true formula: one person talks, the rest of their team guesses, the other team keeps quiet. The twist is that each clue has a list of 5 words (in addition the the clue) that also cannot be said by the clue-giver. Someone from the opposing team polices this, while someone else from the opposing team keeps and eye on the timer. In this way, both teams stay involved, even when not guessing.


What's in the Box?
You get a sand timer, a big ol' box of clue cards, a scorepad and paper, and two other rather intriguing components:

-A Buzzer: Just like in the gameshows, when the clue-giver messes up, the buzzer buzzes. Unlike in gameshows though, YOU GET TO PUSH THE BUZZER! It makes a wonderful sound: not too loud, not too annoying; just right for inspiring that sinking feeling in the other team as you gleefully depress that big, round button!
-A Card Holder: Huh? Boring right? Not really. It's actually a fairly clever design. It consists of a plastic box for holding a stack of clue cards and an upright "easel" to hold the cards on as they are flipped up. This facilitates quick, one-handed, card drawing. Easy for the clue-giver to see, easy to hide from his/her teammates. A simple but brilliant design.



How Do You Play?
As the clue-giver, you flip a card in the card holder face up onto the easel. You give clues (sounds and words only) to your teammates who try to guess. As mentioned, each card also has a list of 5 words you cannot say. An example might be the word ZEBRA. So you have to get your team to say "zebra." But you can't say horse, black, white, stripes, or referee. Good luck. The clock is ticking. If you say any of the words on the card, your eagle-eyed opponent who is looking over your shoulder will joyously buzz you and you will be forced to move onto the next card. You can also pass. You do as many clues as you can get through before time runs out. Then you calculate your score.
Each sucessful guess gives your team a point. Each buzzed word or passed card gives the other team a point. This creates a wonderful, quick-thinking tension. Do you stay on a tougher card so as not to give the other team points? Or do you concede a point to them in the hopes that you can get through at least two other cards in the same length of time, thus negating the pass? You have to be creative, aware of your own (as well as your team's) abilities and you have to think fast. The longer you stay on a card, the more likely you are to forget your taboo words and get buzzed anyway.

Why Do I Love It?
-It rewards creativity better than almost any other game. You have to think outside the box, and you have to think quickly.
-It is very competitive for a party game. Games like Apples to Apples, where you are at the mercy of a judge, or games like Catch Phrase, where you are at the mercy of a random timer pale in comparison to this true test of speed and wit.
-It is enormously satisfying to be able to breeze through 10 cards due to clever clues you have given, while others struggle to get through 4. You can almost always catch up, and you can be just as valuable to the team as a guesser as you can a clue-giver.

The Bottom Line
The main complaints are people feel that the ways you can give clues (words only) and the extra restriction of taboo words make this not a fun game. To my mind, this couldn't be further from the truth. There are very few "bang-your-head-against-the-wall" moments; more often than not, a quick, clever clue will give your team an "AHA!" moment, as well as a point. It plays quickly, it's mad fun, and as the Warner Brothers and their Warner Sister might say: "Taboo is Faboo!"