HAPPY DALE ONLINE SANITARIUM

This is a tongue-in-cheek treatment of a serious issue, and an appreciation of  'dark humor' is helpful to enjoy this fully. The mechanics are clever - they are based on the game Clue (Parker Brothers), but here you must the correct Therapy combination to cure all of your hospital patients before your opponents do the same, instead of just trying to figure out 1 correct 3-part combination (who, with what weapon & where) in Clue.

The play is fast and to the point. The artwork is the real grabber here, either you love it or hate it (kind of like Mad Magazine) with nods to 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'. The black and white card presentation, while stark, does help visually recording the information provided by the colored "treatment tokens". The rules are short and simple, but well written.

The play, the heart of any game, is what counts and The Looney Bin delivers - it is just plain fun. The deduction process is straightforward, but there is so much information available (as you try & eliminate the possibilities, a la Clue) that it is quite mind boggling to assimilate, digest and utilize; guessing correctly helps!

As you attempt to elucidate the correct 3 types of Therapy that will heal each of your patients, other players may play cards from the main card deck. These will have sudden turns of fortune (usually bad, but not always), so be prepared to receive more patients (from the Ward or the other players). There's always some twist on card play that keeps you both alert and laughing at the same time.

The games are always close because everyone will jump on the leader. There are some really awesome card combinations, but each player must deal with the Patient cards & deck cards that he draws throughout the game.

Yet we have experienced some games where a player's fortunes could change quickly & dramatically. There are few games out there that you can actually play quickly with up to 7 or more players, but Looney Bin is one of them. It's a solid introductory game that anyone can learn in under 5 minutes.