FITS and Ubongo

Its not very often that I have FITS or ubongo in stock and to have on the shelf at the same time is a first.

FITS, short listed for the sdj last year, is (basically ) 'tetris the board game'. Ubongo follows the same principal of fitting odd shapes into a pattern but is played against the clock and has an additional game element as you collect gems, which gems you collect depending on how quickly (compared to your opponents) you complete the puzzle. Ubongo has spawned ubongo extreme and Ubongo 3d. Both add exponential levels of difficulty to what is a challenging game to start with. FITS ('fill in the spaces') has seen some unofficial expansions. When I first played FITS I thought it could benefit from a timer. Though having played Ubongo I am not so sure, as what makes Ubongo shine is having to complete the puzzle, shout 'ubongo!' And then select your gems. Of the two games I prefer Ubongo because it feels more competitive, FITS has a winner but works just as well solitaire, I have found both games to be very popular with non gamers who like the puzzle solving element of the games. However they are not gateway games, more of an end in them selves. The games prove popular, if relatively unknown, with gamers as warm up or warm down.