Quack Shot

From: Goliath Games; Alga; Mattel List Price: out of print Players: 2-4 teams Playing Time: 5-10 minutes  Type of game: Beer 'n' Pretzels Skill level: 10 Complexity: 1  Reviewed by: Peter Sarrett, Issue 25, Winter 2001

Quack Shot has been this year’s Loopin’ Louie, a kid’s game with unexpected adult appeal. A central hub contains a rotating disc into which sixteen targets, divided evenly among the four player colors, are inserted. Players are furnished with a supply of plastic “arrows” for their spring-loaded archer, attached at some distance to the hub. On “Go!”, players open fire and the air fills with orange ammunition. When a target is hit, it sproings out of the hub and flies to the table or floor. A plastic farmer waves back and forth erratically in front of each player, blocking many shots and making aiming a bit more difficult. The last player with a target left on the hub is the winner.

Each round is frantic and very fast, usually over in a minute or less. Collecting the stray pieces (which fly everywhere) and setting up each round takes longer than playing. That balance is backwards, and it’s the game’s biggest problem. If setup weren’t so intensive, we’d play a lot more. Not a game to play with teething dogs or open vents around.

Where Loopin’ Louie puts everyone’s focus on each player’s swat of the plane, Quack Shot sequesters players into their own private world. It’s just you, your arrows, and the targets— what other players are doing is irrelevant, as long as you still have targets left standing. It’s shoot or be shot. Quack Shot is a delightfully intense shot of adrenaline, but not something you’ll want to take regularly.

With all the flying parts, it’s amazing this game was ever published in the United States. This is the game your mother was worried about with all that talk about eye-poking. It’s been out of print here for years, but it was originally made under the Mattel imprint in the early 90’s. I’ve never seen that version. It’s currently available from Alga in Sweden and Goliath in the UK (although I understand it’s been discontinued, so you may have to do a bit of hunting to find a copy). There’s even a version in Israel, which somehow I find disturbing.

[Editor's note: As of May 2002, the game was no longer listed on either Alga's or Goliath's web sites]