Game: Chicken Cha Cha Cha

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EndersGame — 2008-11-15T22:33:09+00:00

Product information from Rio Grande

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Angry Duck — 2008-11-12T04:02:37+00:00

Zoch booth's pencil holders at Essen

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khdutton — 2008-10-01T02:59:31+00:00

Chicken Cha Cha Cha - Back of Box - English

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lacxox — 2008-09-28T18:41:32+00:00

close-up of game

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lacxox — 2008-09-28T18:40:36+00:00

The light-coloured chick is gonna win

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lacxox — 2008-09-28T18:39:27+00:00

Hungarian edition cover

Thread: Re: wailing, weeping, rending of garments . . .

lordunborn — 2008-09-18T18:41:00+00:00

timsteen wrote:

Gulo Gulo has a cool mechanic to get those in back to leap ahead. Those in front have to pick a "mystery tile" and then get the color it shows, but those in the back can name a color, figuring out which color lets them jump the most tiles. A couple turns later, and you are right back in the front of the pack.
Still, only one gets to draw the much heralded purple egg...and there is still plenty of whining at that point. It is fairly easy to let them play for second at least. But competition still runs amok!

I think I have honestly never won a game of Gulo Gulo with my 3 and 4 year olds. They just reach in and grab an egg with those little fingers while I try to get even one off the top with these big ol sausages. I am always knocking over the alarm lol

Thread: Re: Does this game ver end?

wmshub — 2008-09-10T05:14:28+00:00

eightbit wrote:
I think if/when we play again (they are clamoring for it) that I'll take out a few tiles so there are less to remember then maybe work back up to a comfortable number. 14 is way to many for my old brain and like someone else mentioned the kids don't always put them back where they were.Yes, do this. We started with 6 yard tiles, then the games were over pretty much in 6 turns. Then we worked up.

And make sure those little buggers put the tiles back in the right place! Otherwise it's impossible!

Thread: Re: Does this game ver end?

Drew1365 — 2008-09-10T02:29:54+00:00

Our games always end rather quickly. The moment one of the kids is in danger of losing her tailfeathers, she grabs the chicken and runs away. Game over.

Thread: Re: Does this game ver end?

eightbit — 2008-09-10T02:04:42+00:00

Played this with the kids last night for the first time and it went on forever. Since it was the first time we played I kept changing the rules in an attempt to make it end. I think if/when we play again (they are clamoring for it) that I'll take out a few tiles so there are less to remember then maybe work back up to a comfortable number. 14 is way to many for my old brain and like someone else mentioned the kids don't always put them back where they were.

Thread: Re: My 5 year old daughter laps the field

Larry Welborn — 2008-09-02T13:54:57+00:00

Yokiboy wrote:
Great story, this has happened in my house as well. Crazy how much recall young children have.

By the way, have you tried the Duckling Dancin' expansion? It really improves gameplay. Plus introducing bird poo into a kids game is always a bonus.

No, I haven't, but it sounds like I need to take a look at it.

Thread: Re: My 5 year old daughter laps the field

Yokiboy — 2008-09-02T11:19:57+00:00

Great story, this has happened in my house as well. Crazy how much recall young children have.

By the way, have you tried the Duckling Dancin' expansion? It really improves gameplay. Plus introducing bird poo into a kids game is always a bonus.

Thread: My 5 year old daughter laps the field

Larry Welborn — 2008-09-01T23:37:57+00:00

Chicken Cha Cha Cha is probably my 5 year old daughter's favorite game. Both she and her 6 year old brother win about equally, while I very rarely win and my wife has never won.

Since the family was all off today for Labor Day, we decided to spend the afternoon playing games. My daughter suggested Chicken Cha Cha Cha and we all sat down to play.

When the game started, my son was to my right, my wife to the left and my daughter was across from me. As expected, the early game went slowly as no one moved more than a space or two. All of us then had some better runs but my daughter soon had captured 3 of the 4 tail feathers she needed to win the game. My son had the final tail feather and made a run of about 10 to get to the edge of victory. He passed me and was two behind daughter when he missed. I jumped him back and got the feather. That left me with a chance at victory but I missed. My wife pulled up a space but was unable to pass anyone.

When my daughter began her turn, she was in front with 3 feathers. I was directly behind her with the 4th feather. My daughter then had the best run we have seen in the game as she made a complete trip around the board to lap me and capture the final feather for the win. Well done.

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carthaginian — 2008-08-31T11:59:17+00:00

Straight shot of french box back

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carthaginian — 2008-08-31T11:57:57+00:00

Straight shot of french box front

Thread: Re: How many feathers?

Yokiboy — 2008-08-26T10:42:42+00:00

Just one, but when you play the Duckling Dancin' expansion I recommend that you use two feathers for 2 players. Otherwise stepping in the poo of someone else will lose you the game, and that makes for a very short game.

Thread: How many feathers?

pixel8 — 2008-08-26T06:46:10+00:00

Altogether there are 4 feathers. If 2 are playing, does that mean one each or 2 each?

I'm guessing the former, because it takes quite a while to catch up to each other and once caught up, by then we would have memorised every single tile location.

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Little Dragon — 2008-08-25T06:18:44+00:00

Sign at Essen Spiele 2007

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nsolitander — 2008-07-24T16:53:58+00:00

Lost in translation: The German original refers to this object

Thread: Re: wailing, weeping, rending of garments . . .

wmshub — 2008-05-21T06:38:30+00:00

PS - Lucy cried a little bit early on when she had to move backwards in Gulo Gulo, but it was pretty easy for her to get over it. Now she's fine with that.

Thread: Re: wailing, weeping, rending of garments . . .

wmshub — 2008-05-21T06:37:51+00:00

Wow, I had no idea it was so common! My youngest would cry when her tail feathers were stolen too!

So we let her keep them, but just keep mental note that they "should" be stolen. Even my older girl agreed to let Lucy keep her feathers!

Thread: Re: wailing, weeping, rending of garments . . .

Drew1365 — 2008-05-21T03:38:39+00:00

I'm sure it'll go well eventually.

The youngest doesn't seem to mind if she doesn't win. But the oldest gets very upset if she doesn't win. (Sigh.) All these things to learn, and rules too!

Thread: Re: wailing, weeping, rending of garments . . .

weishaupt — 2008-05-21T03:06:17+00:00

It happened to me with my youngest girl, too (she was two at the time).
I explained that her two sisters sometimes lost their feathers as well and that it was part of the game, etc. At first she refused to continue playing, and so we took her chicken out of the game and gently told her she could watch and see what would happen if she were too upset to play.
And she did watch.
And the next time, she'd want to play again, only to get upset at losing her feather, and she ended up watching the rest of the game once more.
And again, a few times... but it took just a few weeks for her to get tired of walking out -- and so she hung in there, and she even managed to steal a feather of her own once in a while, and, of course, she eventually managed to win.
(We never LET her win, though. She did that on her own, and was extremely proud of it as a result. But that's a discussion that's been covered in other threads...)

So don't give up hope. Good luck!

Thread: Re: wailing, weeping, rending of garments . . .

Skyjoker — 2008-05-21T02:26:13+00:00

We had the exact same thing happen this weekend. Everything was going great until the youngest had her tail feather plucked. The crying began and we quickly nudged her in the right direction to make sure she got them back.

Actually there is a neat mechanic... if your tail feather is stolen, the person who took it will often stop close enough to you that you can get both feathers back in the next turn or two.

Thread: Re: wailing, weeping, rending of garments . . .

timsteen — 2008-05-21T02:06:22+00:00

yes, chicken cha cha cha causes much upsetness over here too when the tail feathers are taken. If I ever get my kids feathers I feel like I better make a mistake quick so they can jump back over me again.

Actually, I think C.c.c.c.'s weakness is that it is very hard to get back into the game if you are behind. if chickens are narrowing the gap behind you, you've got to lap em to win...something a little kid is going to have a hard time doing error free.

Gulo Gulo has a cool mechanic to get those in back to leap ahead. Those in front have to pick a "mystery tile" and then get the color it shows, but those in the back can name a color, figuring out which color lets them jump the most tiles. A couple turns later, and you are right back in the front of the pack.
Still, only one gets to draw the much heralded purple egg...and there is still plenty of whining at that point. It is fairly easy to let them play for second at least. But competition still runs amok!

Thread: wailing, weeping, rending of garments . . .

Drew1365 — 2008-05-21T01:39:27+00:00

So I go ahead and purchase a copy of Chicken Cha Cha Cha, thinking that my kids will love it, and I won't be bored out of my gourd from being forced to play f'n Cranium Cariboo again.

And tonight it arrived (thanks GameSurplus!) and I punched it out and introduced it to my two girls (almost 3 and 4.5) and their cousin (4.5). Everyone was really excited about playing a new game (even dad!) and everyone was happy and everything was going well . . .

. . . until . . .

(you can see this coming can't you?)

. . . we got to the part where one player actually jumped over another player. Which is when you get to steal the tail feathers.

Which is the entire point of the game.

WHAT?! TAKE MY FEATHERS?!? NO!!!! NO NO NO NO NO!!!!

Crying, weeping, gnashing of teeth, sackcloth and ashes . . . we had to stop.

I will chalk it up to the fact that a) they were all tired, and b) with their cousin around for the next few weeks there is much rivalry. Maybe tomorrow we'll actually be able to calmly finish a game.

Good grief. I bought Gulo Gulo too. Is there anything that can cause wailing with that one?

Thread: Find the Pooping Chicken

gameguythinks — 2008-04-15T21:27:07+00:00

It’s pretty tough to find a game that’s fun for a four-year-old and his forty-two year old dad, but Chicken Cha Cha Cha fits the bill perfectly.

The game was designed by Klaus Zoch and is published by Rio Grande Games. Chicken Cha Cha Cha has won numerous international awards, including the 1998 Kinderspiel des Jahres, the 1999 Vuoden Lastenpeli, and the 1999 Childrens Game of the Year in Denmark. Its original recipe combines a simple memory game mechanic in a race format with quality components.

The game comes with 24 egg-shaped image pairs that match a set of 12 green-backed octogons. The eggs are placed facing with the image up and form the track around which you travel with your beautifully carved wooden chicken, trying to collect tail-feathers from your opponents. Inside the track, the octogons are turned over and scrambled, providing the “chicken yard” where you must find a match for the egg that lies in front of your wooden chicken.

My family has had a lot of fun with this game. The memory aspect is challenging enough for everyone and the quality of the components is extremely high. The game doesn’t take very long to play, maybe ten minutes, so you’ve got time to play a few games in a session. The images on the eggs are very cute, and we’ve already developed some great names for a few of them, like pooping chicken, soft-boiled egg, and the sandwich worm.

If you’ve got young children and you’re sick of Candyland, I highly recommend Chicken Cha Cha Cha.

Thread: Re: Does this game ver end?

chris1nd — 2008-04-01T12:49:20+00:00

We were playing that way.

Part of the problem was when the tiles in the middle were overturned by the kids and replaced, they ended up not as well organized.

Now we keep them VERY organized to help remember.

Other problem is we have equally bad memories.

Thread: Re: Does this game ver end?

timstellmach — 2008-03-29T02:03:06+00:00

Don't know about the OP, but you just quoted the exact rule that I forgot earlier today. Thanks!

Thread: Re: Does this game ver end?

wmshub — 2008-03-28T18:58:04+00:00

I'm guessing you are playing wrong. Do you take another turn after each correct flip?

Once a player knows where all the tiles are, they can win in one turn - just flip, move, flip, move, etc., until they have circled the board and grabbed all the tail feathers.

Thread: Does this game ver end?

chris1nd — 2008-03-28T18:54:03+00:00

My wife and I have played twice with our kids and both times it seemed the game could be endless.

We ended up with two tail feathers each on totally opposite sides of the board.

We ended up quitting both times as the kids eventually lost interest.

Are we playing something wrong?

Thread: Re: Chicken Cha Cha Cha: a great kids' game

Calicat — 2008-01-02T04:28:27+00:00

Love your avatar! (I'm a huge kidslit fan.)

Thread: ¡Cocorico Cocoricó! Reseña en Español (Review in Spanish)

ponchera69 — 2007-11-05T06:32:57+00:00

Tengo muchos sobrinos y creo que todos han ido ganando el gusto por los juegos. El mayor, por ejemplo, juega a la par conmigo juegos como el Battlelore, al siguiente le gustan más los party games y es fanático del Beyond Balderdash. Pero quizás a quien más le gustan los juegos es a mi sobrinita de 6 años. Con ella juego por sobre todo juegos de cartas como Fowl Play, Slamwich o el Faunos. Sin embargo hay un juego que le fascina y que es capaz de derrotarme y dejarme en vergüenza: el Cocorico Cocoricó.

Como podrán entender, a los niños les sobra la memoria, cosa que a los adultos (y en especial a mí) me falla de sobremanera. Ella además es habilidosa, y con el tiempo ha aprendido técnicas para desarrollar la memoria, y creo que por eso este juego merece una reseña, porque en realidad es un gran aporte al desarrollo de los niños.

Componentes: Se trata de 4 gallinitas de con 4 orificios cada una en su cola para colocar plumas (que son de madera también). Cada gallina tiene un color y su correspondiente pluma del mismo color. La calidad es buena, pero siempre juego con el miedo de que las plumas se quiebren en algún momento.
Además, el juego cuenta con 24 huevos que formarán el camino donde las gallinas van corriendo, y 12 campos con las mismas imagines que tienen los huevitos.

La idea del juego: Cada jugador parte con una gallinita y su respectiva pluma. Cuando un jugador es sobrepasado por otra gallina, debe entregarle todas las plumas que tiene. Gana quien logre tener las plumas de todos los demás jugadores.

Cómo funciona: Los jugadores colocan los 12 campos (octágonos) boca abajo en la mesa. Luegon ponen los 24 huevos formando un circulo en la mesa boca arriba y se colocan las 4 gallinas (si juegan 4 jugadores, claro) en distintos lugares para que partan lo suficientemente lejos una de otra. Los jugadores en su turno dan vuelta uno de los 12 campos: si coincide con el huevo que tiene adelante su gallina, la gallina avanza. Si no coincide, le toca al siguiente jugador.

La gracia: Hay que tener mucha memoria. Son 6 tipos distintos de huevos/campos, pero hay 12 de ellos para elegir, así que las posibilidades de equivocarse son altas. Los niños, en el camino, van aprendiendo de técnicas de relación espacial y cosas así como "si el gusano estaba aquí, esto otro debe estar cerca", más otras por el estilo.

La otra gracia: es que los adultos generalmente pierden, y eso ayuda a los niños a ganar confianza en ellos mismos. Me he visto enfrentado a derrotas humillantes, sin posibildad de reaccionar.

Estéticamente es un juego muy bonito, y por sobre todo entretenido. Los niños gritan, se divierten y se desarrollan. Además les sirve para controlar la frustración, algo que he visto en muchos adultos que son intolerantes a perder. Tiende a envejecer rápidamente, ya a la quinta o sexta vez que se juega comienza a agotar, pero al parecer a los niños no les importa mucho eso. Creo que el número ideal para jugarlo es de a 4 y estoy considerando seriamente comprar la expansión que añade dos gallinitas (que en realidad parecieran ser patos) y un par de variantes más.
La duración del juego puede ser de entre 10 a 20 minutos dependiendo de que tan hábiles sean los jugadores (a mayor edad, más lento el juego, se los aseguro )

En definitiva, sin ser un juego de mecánicas demasiado novedosas, es efectivísimo y cumple con su objetivo a cabalidad.

Thread: Re: Why can't I ever win?

wmshub — 2007-11-02T18:15:06+00:00

I beat my 5 year old every time if I try; so I usually don't try very hard, so we each win sometimes. She has bad short term memory; oddly, when I was younger I was bad also, but as I've gotten older my short term memory has improved! Maybe I've just learned tricks to work around it, and she hasn't done that yet...?

But nothing makes her happier than when I turn over the wrong tile, and she *KNEW* all along where the right tile was.

Thread: Re: Why can't I ever win?

solove — 2007-11-02T15:38:02+00:00

Children have a better short term memory than those of us in our declining years (over 25). So it's a good game to have everyone on a level playing field.

Now, when your 10 year old beats you at Power Grid... that's a problem.

James

Thread: Why can't I ever win?

serge13102 — 2007-11-02T14:05:52+00:00

I go to work every day where everyone calls me "doctor". I love board games and believe I am quite good at a number of them. I have a number of advanced degrees, and have spent more time in school than all of the ages of my children added together. I always thought my memory and ability to recall as above average.

And I have never, ever, won a game of Chicken Cha Cha Cha against any of my children that have played(ages 5 and 7). I haven't been logging them here (probably out of embarrassment), but we've played the game at least 25 times.

At first, I thought I was simply unconsciously allowing them to win. There is little pleasure in making your 5 yo daughter cry as you yank her little tail feather from her. However, I soon realized that regardless of how hard I tried, their little memories are far better than mine. When I'm sure the "Gulo gulo guy" is in the upper right, they both snicker as I turn over the nest tile. I try to hide behind my daddy grin, thinking that they will believe that I knew what was behind the tile - but I know that they know better.

It is so bad that my daughter will hesitate to play against her brother (because he is good), but will jump at the chance to pound her father. Since this is a session report, I'll describe our last game. I trip forward one step - she gets three in a row. I hopelessly turn over a complete guess, she skillfully gets another three (including the one I was looking for). After confidently moving forward 1 (I'm not that bad!) I am lost again, and she mercifully ends the game with another run. My tailfeather is gone and she chalks up another victory.

This is an excellent game for kids and we often pull it out when young guests are over. My 3 year old is just starting to learn to play, and I'm sure he will be beating his dad soon.

I'm feeling a bit lucky today. I'll be challenging them when I get home!

Thread: Re: Review: Chicken Cha Cha Cha

dmatos — 2007-10-08T23:19:22+00:00

Our 3.3 year old absolutely loves this game. He'll actually even clean up his other toys so he can play it.

My wife (a Math professor) and I (just a plain old engineer) both found the game to be fun and enjoyable, especially since our memories are going!

Thread: Re: Review: Chicken Cha Cha Cha

dstanfor — 2007-05-14T17:59:18+00:00

We got this game for our neice and nephew for this very reason.

Good review

Thread: Review: Chicken Cha Cha Cha

bwridge — 2007-05-14T05:08:35+00:00

The best children’s games will have an appeal that cuts across generations, making it fun and playable for kids and adults. Klaus Zoch’s Chicken Cha Cha Cha is one such game that puts adults and kids on a somewhat even playing field and provides a fun gaming experience for all involved.

The components are absolutely stellar. The game comes with 12 thick, octagonal tiles featuring cute pictures of chickens, snails, worms, and other animal mascots. These 12 tiles are placed face down in the middle of the table. Each of these tiles has a matching oval pair, which are shuffled together and placed in a circle around the center tiles to form the track. Last, and this is really what sends the components score over the top, are the 4 wooden chickens with detachable tail feathers. These suckers stand about 3 inches high and make the game stand out in a big way. Kids love them, and even a 35-year old senior like me finds them cute. Each player grabs a chicken and the players place them equidistant on the track. Now, the game can begin.

The idea is to advance your chicken to the next spot on the track by finding its matching tile in the middle amidst the 12 face down tiles. For example, if the next tile in front of my blue chicken is the sandwich with the worm in it, I need to find and reveal that tile in the middle. If I find it, I can try again, and my turn will continue as long as I keep finding the correct tile. If I choose the wrong one, the other players get to see the tile I picked (a valuable clue) and then it’s placed face down again in the middle. It’s a simple memory game.

To win, a player needs to collect all the tail feathers form the other chickens. This is done by jumping over a chicken that blocks your path (sitting behind your opponent’s chicken, the tile his chicken is on is ignored and your target is the tile immediately in front of it). When you jump a chicken in such a manner, your chicken receives all the tail feathers that chicken had in its possession (each chicken has 4 holes on its rump for placing the feathers). Once a chicken has all the game’s tail feathers, the game is over and that chicken’s player wins.

Yes, it’s simple, but fun. The real appeal of the game is that it gives kids a fighting chance against adults. Even better, winning is meaningful, rather than just the arbitrary results of a collection of random dice rolls. No doubt a kid who beats his mom or dad at this game would have a lot to feel proud of. And on top of that, it’s a visual treat, with lots of color and cuteness to add to the enjoyment

Chicken Cha Cha Cha is the rare children’s game that can appeal to both kids and their parents. If my wife and I were ever to have children, this would be one of the games I would use to introduce them to the hobby. It’s far more deserving of a place in a young family’s closet than the umpteenth iteration of Monopoly. If you’re a parent and a gamer, it’s definitely worth purchasing.

Thread: Re: I am getting old

chuckimus — 2007-03-30T02:35:06+00:00

My 11 year old was running laps around her mom and I just the other day. I can't explain it!

Thread: Re: I am getting old

wmshub — 2007-03-26T19:24:35+00:00

Honestly, I kick my 4 year old daughter's butt every time we play. I don't think I'm all that good either; my wife usually beats me (and my daughter). I think my daughter may be the only 4 year old on the planet with poor short term memory...oh well, at least she can remember the rules to Through the Desert.

Thread: Re: I am getting old

manhattandoctor — 2007-03-26T19:09:05+00:00

I am in the same boat. My kids kill me at this game. What a great game, though.

Thread: I am getting old

Larry Welborn — 2007-03-26T17:33:47+00:00

Chicken Cha Cha Cha is a game that both of my children, ages 5 & 4, love to play. Last night, my wife and I sat down to play with them, but it has become apparent that we are really nothing more than spectators of a game between the children.

Both my 5 year old son and 4 year old daughter win about equally, I win rarely (very rarely) and my wife has never won. She kept up her streak last night. Because the children are the best players, we put them on opposite sides of the board with my wife and I between them.

As usual, the game started slowly with each player moving their chicken only a space or two. Finally, after a few turns, my children had enough information to make lengthy runs. My daughter started running me down and made a nice 6 move run to get within one spot of me. I was able to move a couple of spaces away from my daughter, but not far enough to feel safe.

Meanwhile, my son made short order of my wife, capturing her tail feather and moving several spaces further. On her next turn, my daughter moved past me, capturing a tail feather, and she moved to within 2 spots of my tail-featherless
wife.

My son then put on an awesome display of memory and made about a 20 move run to pass me, my wife and my daughter for the win.

It is amazing to watch the children zip around the board while the adults struggle to remember 1 or 2 tiles.

Thread: Re: A Good Memory Tool for the Pre-K to 1st Grade Crowd

ronlee — 2007-03-09T21:40:16+00:00

The easy fix is to reduce the number of tiles to something manageable for the age group playing. Instead of 12, try 8.

Thread: A Good Memory Tool for the Pre-K to 1st Grade Crowd

wabner — 2007-02-13T21:32:51+00:00

Chicken Cha Cha Cha takes the idea of a basic memory game and turns it into a race; in this case it’s a race to obtain the feathers of rival chickens. There are a slew of children’s memory games on the market and most of them simply involve laying down cards, tiles, etc. and trying to make a match. While Cha Cha is a memory game at its core it adds the element of chasing the other players around the ‘board’ in order to make it seem like more of a game.

And for a kid (I’d say from three to seven or so) – it works.

The game comes with four large wooden chickens of various colors as well as their corresponding (wooden) feather. The board is made up of 24 thick (as in Gulo Gulo thick) tiles that are arranged in a circle. In the middle of the circle are 12 additional tiles, placed facedown, that match the picture of the tiles that form the outer circle. The components are wonderful. Really top notch.

At the start of the game each chicken (with its tail feather securely in place) is placed on the circle equidistant from all of the other chickens so as ensure no one has an advantage. At this point the game is on.

On each turn, a player turns over a tile from the middle pool in an attempt to match the tile that he/she is currently standing on. If they match, the player keeps going, moving closer and closer to an opponent’s chicken. If they fail to make a match, the turn ends and the next player flips over a tile.

If a chicken gets passed (leaped over in this case) their feather is stolen, although they are not out of the game. Chickens may always take a turn to try to steal back a feather. However, Once a chicken obtains every player’s feather, the game ends. It’s a very simple design which is ideal for young children. You can teach them the game in five minutes.

There are a few things to consider:

Every child I have played this with, from my daughter to her legion of cousins, all have enjoyed the game immensely, for the most part, but if you let a group of kids play this together, especially if they’re all in the 3-5 age range, it can take a long time which can lead to frustration and/or boredom depending on the kids in question. A four-player game of Cha Cha can take longer than 20 minutes if the kids keep messing up or if they keep stealing feathers. I’ve seen my share of games come to a premature conclusion because of this. It’s best to have an adult play the game and “take over” if they see the kids getting tired or getting upset. (It can also be funny to the kids when the grown up messes up…not that I’d have any experience with that…)

It’s a great, great game for the first 20 minutes, but if it stretches on past that, it’s easy for a youngster to get bored. However, a group of older kids, around ages 5-7, this is rarely an issue and the game has proven popular with my daughter’s Kindergarten classmates.

So, in my view, for the 3-5 year olds, have a grown up play as well. For kids a bit older, let them have at it. They’ll have a great time.

Thread: Chicken Cha Cha Cha - Review

aleo09 — 2007-01-03T18:21:18+00:00

Game Overview - Chicken Cha Cha Cha is primarlily a children's memory game. 12 picture cards are set up in the middle of the playing area. Each player is a Chicken on the surrounding board. As a chicken you must remember where the corresponding image is to move to the next space. The object is jump the other players and steal their tail-feathers. The player with all the tail-feathers wins the game. The game plays best with 4 players.

Components - The game consists of 12 octogon shaped pictures which go in the center of the playing area. There are 24 corresponding egg shaped pictures which make up the playing area. 4 wooden chickens and their tails. The quality of the all the components are superb! The stock used for the pictures is very thick (very similiar or exactly the same stock used in Gulo-Gulo). The wood chickens are also made of nice quality wood and the paint used is vibrant. My 3yo daughter has been playing this frequently and the components have survived her "careful" handling.

Game Feel- As previously mentioned I feel the game is played best with the maximum 4 players. This gives each player a better chance to win. For example, in a 2 player game if one player has a better memory than their opponent - that person will very likely run-away with the win. This can be minimized with more players. With the right group of people including some children this is a very enjoyable game. While it may have a light theme it can have a competitive feel as you try to steal your opponents tail-feathers - and save your own. Overall if you can accept that this is a children's memory game with fantastic components, you will be quite pleased. Game weight - Light

Overall Impression- Before purchasing I had read the BGG commnents and looked at the images posted and I must say I am truly pleased with this purchase. My wife and I primarily play with our 5yo son and 3yo daughter. My kids really enjoy the game.

Final Rating -4 out of 5 Chicken eggs!!

Thread: Chicken Cha Cha Cha: a great kids' game

DoctorJ — 2006-12-27T16:50:10+00:00

Chicken Cha Cha Cha is one of those games that always gets recommended as a kids' game on Boardgamegeek. Some of the recommendations for kids' games are a bit suspect because they are what people without kids think kids would like. But I am happy to report that Chicken Cha Cha Cha is a game that is actually a perfect kids game: it has colourful and sturdy components, a quick and fun central mechanism that kids can easily manage, and, critically, it plays quickly, so that no one can get bored.

Chicken Cha Cha Cha can be played with anywhere from two to four players, though I think four is the optimal number.

The standout components in the game are the four wooden chickens. They are big, sturdy colourful chickens that serve as your pawns in the game. They're perfect for little and big hands alike. Each chicken has four holes in the back and at the beginning of the game, you place a wooden tail feather in each chicken. The game also comes with twelve hexagon shaped tiles that are placed face down it the middle of the playing area and then 24 egg-shaped tiles that are arranged in a circle around the hexes. The tiles are all made out of thick sturdy cardstock with very colourful illustrations.

The basic mechanism in the game is memory. On your turn, you can proceed clockwise if you can find the facedown hex tile that matches the picture on the next egg tile. So, if there is a worm tile on the next egg and you can tun over an egg from the face down tile, you can advance one space. You keep going until you get one wrong. If you manage to pass one of the other chickens, you get to steal all of his or her tailfeathers. The first player to get all four tailfeathers wins the game.

Although this might not sound exciting or fun to the Caylus and Battlelore players on Boardgamegeek, it is incredibly well suited for kids. Kids have amazing memories and are able to compete very effectively without your help. In fact, you might need their help! The other great thing about this mechanism is that the game pacing sublty increases as the game goes along. At first, the players don't really move much because they need to identify the necessary face down tiles. It takes time to learn where they are. As the game proceeds, though, players remember more and more where the tiles are and are able to go on progressively longer runs before forgetting. The tension and speed appreciate noticeably.

This probably isn't a game you'll be taking out to play with your adult friends after the kids have gone to bed, but it's still reasonably fun for adults. Adults do have to pay attention and play seriously if they are going to have a chance to compete with kids.

The thing I've learned from playing games with my kids is that they have a limited ability to focus on a game. Chicken Cha Cha Cha clocks in at around fifteen to twenty minutes, which is perfect for little ones. Combine this with kid-friendly components and a mechanism that plays to kids' strengths and you have a game that works perfectly for young gamers. I've tried lots of kids' games, but Chicken Cha Cha Cha is probably the best I've played. It is a game that belongs in the collection of any gamer with children.

Thread: Re: Easy/Hard Variations from Dragon Tales game?

steveoliverc — 2006-02-02T21:49:49+00:00

Notice that in the hard variation, it says a player "may" collect only one feather. I took that as, the "parent" takes only one feather, while the child can take them all, which makes this a way to handicap the game. Although, kids are so good at memory games, usually it's me who needs the handicap.

Thread: Re: Easy/Hard Variations from Dragon Tales game?

wmshub — 2006-02-02T19:41:09+00:00

Thanks! The easy variation makes a lot of sense, especially when only two players are playing.

It sounds to me like the "hard" variation would just drag the game out...that means that if a chicken has two feathers, you would actually have to lap it to get them both. Ugh.

Thread: Re: Easy/Hard Variations from Dragon Tales game?

steveoliverc — 2006-02-02T19:02:12+00:00

From the game rules --

For an easier game for younger players:
Use only 6 octagonal tiles in the center, and the 12 matching oval tiles for the path. This is a good, quick two-player game.

For a more challenging and longer game:
Players can choose to collect only one item at a time when they fly over another dragon who is carrying more than one item. This way they will have to fly over their opponent again to collect another item.

Thread: Easy/Hard Variations from Dragon Tales game?

wmshub — 2006-02-02T16:57:15+00:00

One of the reviews says that the Dragon Tales Matching Game (a rethemed Chicken Cha Cha) includes easy and hard variations in the rules. I didn't notice any such in the Chicken Cha Cha rules (Do I just need to read them more carefully? I'm not at home now so I can't double check...)

Anyway, does anybody care to post a summary of what these are? Thanks.

Thread: Chicken...again?!?

seppo21 — 2005-10-02T22:18:14+00:00

Only Game: Chicken Cha Cha Cha

Grace had been asking me to play this for over a week now. For various reasons, we have been unable to get a game in. I promised her before heading off to class this morning that I would play a game with her this afternoon. So, after I got home from school (early!!) we had lunch, and then she got the game out. Needless to say, monkey-see, monkey-do sister Hope had to get in on the game. Finally, Christine decided she wanted to play as well.

If you have never played, there are 24 eggs with 2 each of 12 symbols that are arranged in a circle. The players start out at spots equidistant around the circle. In the middle are 12 tiles containing the symbols on the eggs. These are placed upside down. On each player's turn, he turns up a tile. If it matches the egg in front of his chicken, he moves ahead one space and draws again. He repeats this until he misses one of the eggs. If you catch up to another chicken and pass him, you still his feathers. The winner is the first player to capture all of the available tail feathers.

In our game, we started with Hope because she was the youngest player. This put me in the fourth position. This should have allowed me to be the first player to see all 12 of the tiles. Unfortunately, this was not to be. One of the girls chose a tile that had already been revealed. This shifted the turn order so that I still had a choice of two tiles -- and I guessed wrong. This made Christine the first adult to know the location of all 12 tiles. Needless to say, she zipped around the board on her next turn. I played one more turn to duplicate her feat. We then let the girls play a little while by themselves.

Order of Finish:

Christine wins

The girls, as usual, had a lot of fun with this game. They are still oblivious to whether they are actually winning. Hope thinks she wins every game she plays For the most part, Christine and I have no problem with this game, as we are able to remember the 12 tiles pretty easily. This seems to be at odds with most adults I have seen writing online. The girls are another story. They are getting better at this type of game, but they still don't seem to really "get" it. They will sit there and turn over the same tile again and again. Then they will rattle off a sequence of five or six in a row. Who knows? Our total playing time was about 20 minutes.

Thread: Re: Review: Chicken Cha Cha Cha

Spielfreak — 2005-08-10T23:38:54+00:00

I'll second the endorsement for this game! My 7yo daughter in particular delights in playing this one, and yes she wins her fair share of games. Several times I've travelled to within one space of her chicken, only to falter, and then have her do a complete lap and pass me. I like watching her eyes get all big as she surveys the next space and contemplates the position of the matching tile. And as Steve said, adults and children really are on equal footing in this game, as is true with all memory games.

We've assigned names to each of the spaces, but most of them are obvious (rooster, hedgehog, cracked egg, sunnyside, etc.). The only strange one is chicky baby, which we devised after listening to a performance of "Santa Baby" during a holiday concert. Chicky Baby, shimmy down the hen coop tonight.

Thread: Review: Chicken Cha Cha Cha

SteveBl — 2005-08-09T04:45:30+00:00

As the father of six children, I'm always on the lookout for a good children's game. So I was delighted when I discovered Chicken Cha Cha Cha by Klaus Zoch.

Chicken Cha Cha Cha is a delightfully simple game that can be played by youngsters four years old or older (and you could probably go even younger). The most impressive thing about this game is that it's one of those rare games that your kids will probably be able to beat you at! Let me explain.

First of all, what comes in the box? You get a set of four delightful wooden chickens. Each is about three inches tall and brightly colored. You also get a set of four colored wooden "tail feathers" that easily slip into holes in the chickens' back sides. And finally, you get a set of sturdy cardboard tiles that make up the board and the playing area.

The board is constructed by shuffling twenty four egg shaped cardboard tiles and arranging them in a circle. Each tile has one of twelve colorful chicken-related illustrations such as eggs, worms, and flowers. In the center of the circle, you place, face down, twelve octagonal tiles, each one with an illustration that matches two of the egg tiles. Then each chicken is given a tail feather and placed on one of the egg tiles.

On a player's turn, he first turns over an octagonal tile. If the illustration on the tile matches the next vacant egg space, he moves his chicken, turns the tile back over, and goes again. If the illustration doesn't match, then he turns the tile back over and it's the next player's turn.

Whenever a player's chicken passes another chicken, he takes all that chicken's tail feathers. Get all four tail feathers and you win the game. It's that simple.

The beauty of this game is that it rewards players who have a good short-term memory. And that's exactly what makes it so great for young children. If my anecdotal evidence is any indication, a four or five year old's short term memory is almost always superior to an adult's. My six year old routinely beats me at this game.

This is an ideal children's game. It's extremely simple. It's very colorful. The chickens and tail feathers add a very nice tactile element. It's sturdy. And it's a game that your youngster has just as much chance of winning as you do (if not more so). If you have small kids, you really need to give it a look.

Thread: Session Report

seppo21 — 2005-02-24T22:05:55+00:00

Only Game: Chicken Cha Cha Cha

This game is fondly referred to as the "Chicky Game" by my four-year-old, Grace. It happens to be one of the games she likes to play the most. It also happens to be the game she has the strongest negative reaction to. To be honest, she doesn't like to have her tail-feather removed. When we got it out, my other daughter, Hope, and my wife, Christine, also wanted to play. The game is relatively straightforward. There are 24 egg-shaped pieces that are placed in a circle. Players large wooden chickens with a single tail-feather are spaced evenly around the circle. A set of 12 octagonal tiles is placed facedown in the center of the circle. Each of these tiles has a picture that matches the picture on two of the eggs. On your turn, you attempt to choose the facedown tile that has the same picture as the space in front of you. If there is another player's chicken in front of you, you need to find the tile that matches the space in front of them. If you choose the correct tile, you move your chick to that space and take another turn. If you passed another player, you steal all of their tail-feathers and place them in your bird. You repeat this until you either pick an incorrect tile or have possession of all of the tail-feathers, which means you win.

My children seem to be quite different from the majority that are written about on BGG in that their memory is not all that great. Sometimes, they will sit there and pick up the same one or two tiles every turn even though they have yet to move a space. On the other hand, I have little trouble remembering which tiles go where. Therefore, our games generally last about 12 turns (or however many turns it takes to look at each tile). At that point, I am able to remember where they all are, march around the board, and win the game. I will tend to continue to sit there with the kids until they have retaken their feathers. This game was not really any different. The complicating factor was Christine. She just happened to be in the spot that allowed her the first move with perfect information. Fortunately for me, halfway around the board, she forgot where a tile was. On my turn, I warped around the board, taking everyone's feathers. After this, I helped both Grace and Hope to continue around the board a couple of times. Hope actually was pretty good at remembering one tile for a turn or two. However, that was about as far as she got. Surprisingly, after I went around the board a few times, Grace was to the point where she remembered where almost all of the pieces were located. Perhaps this is an indication that her mental mapping is improving.

Final Result:

Win for Stephen

I bought this game solely for the sake of my children. Sure, it is a little pricey, but it is well made. I certainly don't regret one cent that I spent. As it turns out, my kids really enjoy playing it. I like it well enough, especially since I know that it is not going to last too terribly long and gives my aging brain a little bit of the workout it so desperately needs these days. Our total playing time was about 20 minutes.

Thread: Re:User Review

Alan Kwan — 2005-02-20T14:41:05+00:00

TomVasel (#30678),

Actually, the game is much better than Memory, because the skill (memory) requirement is higher and the luck is lower. In Memory, the memory element is so easy, that it is easily topped out: the player with better luck will win, rather than the player with better memory. While C^4 is challenging even for adults, and the player with a perfect memory will win 999 times out of 1000 against one with a leaky memory. Also, Memory gets easier as the game goes on (and cards get removed); C^4 gets harder as the game goes on, and more tiles have been exposed and need to be memorized.

Thread: User Review

steveoliverc — 2005-02-09T03:01:29+00:00

Memory game
Playing time: 10 to 20 minutes
Players: 2 to 4
Ages: 3 to 6 & suitable for adults to play with kids
My rating: of 10 camels
Kid rating:

DRAGON TALES MATCHING GAME
This is a memory game for young children, ages about 3 or 4 to 5 or 6. I’ve enjoyed playing it with kids so I’ll vouch that an adult who enjoys memory games and enjoys gaming with children, will enjoy this one. The winner is the player who remembers where to find the treasures, and races around the track collecting all four markers off the backs of their opponents. The combination of memory and racing seems to delight the youngsters.

NOTE: According to BGG, this is the same game as Zicke Zacke Hühnerkacke and Chicken Cha Cha Cha. I didn’t realize this when I purchased it a few years ago, simply buying it because my daughter was watching the TV show daily at that time. She and I both enjoyed the game quite a bit, and I remember thinking at the time that the game was quite a bit better than the average fare. Then recently I learned the origins of this game which explains its playability.

BITS
There are four counters for the players. These are dragons from the cartoon (Ord, Zack & Wheezie, Cassie, and Quetzal). There are four counters (Max, Emmy, a map, a treasure chest). 24 oval tiles which form the race track, and 12 treasure tiles which form the memory portion of the game. All of the cardboard is well made and suitably thick for the young fingers and will hold up to a lot of play.

The rules are printed onto a box insert – I like this format because there is less chance that the rules sheet will be lost. There is separate rules sheet in Spanish and French. The rules are very well written, easy to understand, and succinct. There are two variations: one to make the gamer easier, and one to make the game more challenging. I like games more when they make the extra effort to include variations, and would like to see more games include them. They allow the game to be enjoyed by a wider age range, and for a longer time.

THEME
Obviously the theme is Dragon Tales cartoon. I’m impressed with how well the game is suited for the same age range as those children who are watching this cartoon on PBS, making this game a real winner.

SETUP
Lay out the 24 oval tiles face-up to form a circle. This acts as a racetrack which the players use to move their counters along. Place the counters around the track so that there are an equal number of empty oval tiles between them. Place one player maker (Max, Emmy, treasure, map) into each of the counters (the dragons). Each player takes one of the dragons as his or her player counter.

Place the 12 treasures face down in the center, and mix them up. To make the game easier, arrange them in rows and columns.

OBJECTIVE
Be the first player to collect all four of the markers (Max, Emmy, treasure, map).

GAME PLAY
On their turn, each player finds the next empty oval tile from their dragon, moving clockwise around the track. On the first turn, this will be the next oval along the track. But if there is a dragon sitting on the next oval (or multiple dragons in a line), locate the next vacant oval.

The player then turns over one of the treasure tiles, and leaves it face up so that the other players can see it.

If the treasure matches the oval they are going towards, then they get to move their dragon to that oval. They get another turn, too. Only one dragon can ever sit on an oval (one dragon per oval).

If it doesn’t match, the player does not get to move their dragon, and their turn ends.

A player always returns the treasure tile face down before picking another, and at the end of their turn.

FLYING DRAGONS
When you jump over another player’s dragon after picking the treasure tile that matches the oval you are moving towards, you get to collect all of the markers (if any) on the back of the dragon or dragons you fly over. Place them on the back of your own dragon.

STRATEGIES
This is a memory game, so the player who remembers where the treasure tiles are, is going to get to move and fly their dragons the most, and win. The game is challenging but not overly difficult and very well suited for children ages 3 to 6.

OVERALL
One of the great games for kids, especially ages 4 to 5. A combination of memory matching, racing, and the characters from one of their favorite cartoons makes this a game they will enjoy over and over with their friends, and adults can easily enjoy playing with them.

Thread: Re:User Review

fmoros — 2005-01-29T04:19:25+00:00

The last sentence is gold.
Thanks for another great review. fer

Thread: User Review

TomVasel — 2004-03-18T23:44:50+00:00

Chickens have invaded the board gaming world, and with great success. There is the live chicken bait in Duel of Ages, the chicken tokens in Loopin’ Louie, and the chickens that need to be protected in Pick Picknic and Nobody but Us Chickens. My daughter loves the pictures of the chickens in these games, and now I’ve found a game that has been created for her – Chicken Cha Cha Cha (Zoch Verlag and Rio Grande, 1998 – Klaus Zoch). The large box, the huge toy-like pieces, and the simple rules made this seem like a winner for my just-turned four year old.

And it was indeed a great success with my daughter, although my 1 year old daughter also fell in love with the game and continually made off with the pieces. The game is basically a variation on your basic Memory game – and if you don’t like Memory, you wouldn’t like this game. I would never recommend this for adults, unless humoring a little kid. And I wouldn’t recommend the game for anyone over eight years old. For four to eight years old, however, the brightly colored, extremely high quality pieces might be a big success. They certainly have been in my family.

The game is rather simple to set up. Twelve large octagonal tiles are placed face down in the middle of the table. Twenty-four large egg-shaped tiles are placed face up in a circle around the octagons. Each player takes a very large wooden chicken piece, sticks a wooden tail into the area where tails go, and places it at one of the four “corners” of the circle. The youngest player goes first, and then play proceeds clockwise around the table.

On a turn, a player turns over one of the octagons, trying to match the picture on the tile in front of his chicken (they move clockwise around the circle). If they succeed, they move their chicken onto that egg, and draw again. Once they make a mistake, they must stop, but otherwise, they can keep moving – making sure to turn the octagons back over exactly where they found them. If their chicken passes another chicken, they “steal” all that chicken’s tail feathers, placing them in their chicken’s rump. When one chicken has gotten all the tail feathers – they win the game.

That’s it – simple, really.

Some comments on the game…

1.) Components: Well, they are just absolutely incredible. The tiles are the thickest I have for any game, and are huge! The artwork looks good, and all the pictures are very distinct, but I can’t get over how big the tiles are. I want tiles this thick in my other board games! The wooden chickens are huge – and can actually double as toys, if you are one of those heretics who allow your games to be desecrated in such a fashion. The pieces are bright and colorful – this is a fantastic looking game for those in the youngest grades in school.

2.) Rules: Well, they’re so simple I was able to describe them in two paragraphs. The rules take two pages, but they don’t say much more than I do. (Oh wait, instead of moving the chicken – you “cha-cha-cha” it. Sorry for omitting that.) The game can be taught so quickly that I can’t see any adult finding any kind of depth in it.

3.) Fun Factor: For kids – very young kids – they’ll really enjoy this game, thinking that it’s an elaborate toy. And the truth is, that’s what it is. You, as an adult, will enjoy playing a game with them that has decent components. However, the fun factor for adults is going to drop immensely – because whoever has the better memory is going to win – period. If you find that sort of game fascinating, then pick it up.

I only recommend this game if you have very young children whom you are trying to wean onto board games. It’s certainly expensive, though, and aside from the fantastic components, you’re not getting a game much better than Memory Match. It’s basically the same game, with a pseudo board added. This game will most likely never be pulled out when I have friends over – unless I’m showing them a good game for their kids. Right now, it’s my special game to play with my daughter (aside from Kids of Catan), and will likely stay that way until I can teach her some games with neat components, but a tad more complexity. My rating is maybe a “2”, but my daughter’s is a “10”. And isn’t that worth it?
Tom Vasel

Thread: Re:Name translation?

Chris Schreiber — 2004-03-11T18:16:26+00:00

flieger (#28062),

Brilliant!

Zicke Zacke thank you...