I always loved the paper and pencil version of Battleships as a kid, so when I stumbled across Ghoulash the other day I immediately downloaded the scenario pages and printed some off on my laserjet. It didn't take much to convince my wife Kris to play a couple of games. We played two games of "Scenario 1 - Ghoulash Anyone?" Executive summary: 40 minutes of light-hearted fun!

To start, of course, we each spent 10 minutes marking the locations of the Food parcel, the First Aid Kits, our 12 Ghouls, and the Holes and Debris on the Obstacle Grid. I had a lot of fun planning how Kris would have to navigate my nefarious traps and Ghouls. Then when we were both ready to begin our adventures, I offered the first move to Kris.

Kris got off to a good start, walking north to the first intersection then turning west and south into the first building. Following the corridor along she finally ended her turn falling into a hole, halfway along the middle corridor. For my own part, I took the south road, took two steps and promptly fell into a hole! (Kris misses a turn. I miss a turn.)

Kris crawled out of the hole and continued her exploration of the first building. Just round the corner she runs into the first of my Ghouls. Ghoul Attack! This first ghoul has a weak stomach, but of course Kris doesn't know that. She fires her Ghoo Ghun at the Ghouls head - no effect, and the Ghoul bites her (1 wound). She fires in rapid succession at each of its limbs, again to no effect, taking 4 more hits, before finally dispatching the ghoul with a slug of Ghoo to its belly. Heh! the worst kind of Ghoul attack inflicting maximum damage. While Kris nurses her wounds, I climb out of my hole and continue south. I turn east at the junction and carry on down the street unimpeded. At the next junction I enter the building in the south-east corner of the city. Down the first corridor, turn left and... fall into another hole!

Kris continues on through the remainder of the building and pops out onto the street. She opts to turn west, and falls into a hole at the junction. (I miss my turn.)

(Kris misses her turn.) Clambering out of the hole, I continue and discover a First Aid Kit in the south-east corner of the building. I opt to leave it there unused, given that I have not yet suffered any wounds.

Kris crawls out of her hole and enters the building to her north-west. In the middle of that building she discovers a First Aid Kit, and promptly uses it to heal her 5 hit points. Meanwhile, I continue the exploration of my building and run into a Ghoul just around the next corner. I ready my Ghun and fire great globs of Ghoo at the monster, but have very little success - receiving 5 wounds for my troubles. These Ghouls can be tough cookies!

Kris moves on out of her current building and enters the building to the north. Discovering it to be totally empty, Kris heads south down the street, then turns east and enters the building to her north. (at G14 if you are following along.) She opts to turn west, and falls into a hole, cunningly hidden in the floor. (At this point, my pulse rate quickens... she's in the building with the Food Parcel.) Desparately trying not to give anything away, I bravely stagger onward after my painful encounter with the Ghoul, and promptly fall into another hole.

(Kris misses a turn.) (I miss a turn.)

Kris jumps out of the hole, straightens her clothing, then heads on into the building. She chooses to turn north into the back part of the building, then turns left and runs into a Ghoul. (For my part, I try to be clever and select the stomach as the weak spot again, thinking that Kris will think that I wouldn't do that.) Kris fires her first shot at the Ghouls belly and dispatches the hulk without so much as a scratch!! (So much for my bluffing strategy.) Kris cockily blows the smoke from the barrel of her Ghun. Meanwhile, in the south-east corner of the city... I scrabble out of the hole and continue through the unexplored part of the building, emerging on 6th Avenue. I continue to explore, heading into the building to my north - nothing there - popping out onto Q Street. I only take one step north, and part of a building crashes to the ground, inflicting a wound on me from flying debris.

Kris discovers the Food Parcel behind the remains of the Ghoul she just dispatched. She picks it up and heads north. Ah-ha! I smile to myself, acknowledging the Ghoul laying in wait for her just down the corridor. It is at this point that it occurs to Kris that she should be able to backtrack along her path, knowing that it is now clear of Ghouls. She heads back south, much to my dismay - I've only explored two buildings and she is already heading for home. Kris knowingly drops into the hole near the south exit of the building, allowing me two turns in succession. I brush the dust off my shoulders and continue north, only to be hit by more debris at the next junction. Things are getting desparate!

(Kris misses her turn.) I turn east on 14th Street and enter the building to the north. Down the corridor, and around the corner, and I run smack into a Ghoul. It manages to slash at me and inflict a wound before I send it to the Mactoplasm Glob in the sky.

But now Kris is on her home run. She exits the building, then takes a chance and turns east along 13th Street, to her delight discovering no hidden perils along that stretch, and she runs home to the shelter at the center of the city. GAME OVER!

Well, as it turns out, a Ghoulash Scenario Sheet makes the perfect record for a blow by blow account of a game. It's unnerving that I can recall the same feelings of triumph, concern, and dismay as I recount the tale.

I immediately demand a rematch and we set up for our second game. I decide that I will impede Kris' movement as much as possible by placing holes at as many of the street intersections as I can. I also try a sneaky plan of hiding the Food Parcel in a dead-end street, figuring that she will be seaching all the buildings for it.

Well, things go swimmingly for me to begin with - in the first three turns, Kris runs into 3 Ghouls (all in the same building) and suffers 12 wounds (15 and she loses the game.) Whereas I spend my time falling into holes and getting hit by debris.

(Ok, let's condense things a bit here, by just tuning into the Audio...)

"Crash!" (debris.)
"Ghoul Attack!". "Fire!" "SLASH"
"Fire!" "BITE" "Fire!" "SLASH" "Fire!" GHAAaah! (Phew!)

"Ooomph!" (hole.)
"Ouch!" (debris.)

"ZZzzzz" (misses a turn.)
"Ghoul Attack!" (Argh!) "Fire!" "SLASH"
"Fire!" KICK. "Fire!" "BITE" "Fire!" GHAAaah! (Phewee!)

"Phew.. Salve, salve..." (first aid kit.)
"Ghoul Attack!" (Double-Argh!) "Fire!" GHAAaah! (Heh!)

"Ah-Ha!!" (food parcel.) "Oh, not again!!"
"Ghoul Attack!" (Eeek!) "Fire!" "SLASH"
"Fire!" "SLASH" "Fire!" "KICK"
"Fire!" GHAAaah! (Gasp, gasp.)

(Sprint, sprint.) "Ooomph!"
"At last! Salve, heal, restore..."

"ZZzzzz."
"Ooomph!"

(Mad Dash.) "Ooomph!"
"ZZzzzz."

"ZZzzzz."
"Ouch!"

"Wa-Hay!! GAME OVER, DUDE!"

So I lost both games. It was nevertheless a blast to play. If you haven't tried this game, give it a go. It's free - what have you got to lose?

Totally agree - great game
How can something so simple be so much fun!!!

Sometimes the mark of a good game is its utter simplicity and potential to expand upon. This i see happening to Ghoulash. For what it is it might be the start of a new genre - who knows?