Description

Der Elchtest is a race game with a unique mechanic. The "Elchomat" is a wooden square with four square corner legs. This allows it to stand, like a table, with one entrance on each side. Five round wooden pieces fit inside the Elchomat perfectly. The game includes six round wooden pieces: two with white numbers (2 and 3), two with black numbers (2 and 3), one with an arrow, and one with an elk.

The roll-out board shows a map of Scandinavia with a race track superimposed on it. The track is made of spaces that are either white, red, or black. Players try to be the first to get to the end spot on the track, and movement is determined by the Elchomat.

The Elchomat is filled with five of the six pieces. The sixth is placed outside one of the four entrances. On a players turn, they push the outside piece into the Elchomat, and of course one of the pieces comes out the other side. The piece that emerges determines the car's movement. The arrow means the car moves one space. The numbers depend on the colors. With red numbers, the car moves forward if the car is on a red space. Otherwise, the car moves backwards. The same works for black. The car moves forward with any number if it starts on a white space. If the elk emerges, the car is struck by an Elk and loses a turn.

A fun game to play, and it is very difficult to remember how the pieces are positioned within the Elchomat.