Midnight Party (1989)

Although billed as a children's game, Ghost Party (Midnight Party) is actually quite enjoyable by adults as a light, fun game.

Each player controls a number of guests (depending on the number of players) at a party. They start the round in the gallery's spaces, one per space --this initial placement is a large part of a player's strategy. Hugo the ghost starts in the cellar and climbs the stairs towards the gallery where the guests circle.

The mechanism for Hugo's movement is very simple: on a player's turn, he rolls a special die. If he gets a number, he moves his pieces; if he gets a Hugo, Hugo moves. This means Hugo moves a lot more frequently when the number of players increases, so you must adjust your strategy accordingly.

Once he has reached the gallery, the guests can start ducking into rooms adjoining the gallery --one guest per room! A couple of rooms are special and give or subtract extra "fright points" from your score. As Hugo catches up with the remaining guests, they are sequestered in the cellar and then the stair steps. The first caught get the most fright points, those caught later get less and less fright points.

Once everyone is caught, the fright points are tallied. After a few rounds like this, the player with the least fright points wins.

Awards

• 1989 Spiel des Jahres Recommendation.