Rat-a-Tat Cat is a memory game created by Gamewright, and it won a Mensa Select award in 1996.

Cards

• Four of each number card that says 0-8
• Nine of number card "nine"
• Power cards
  • 3 "Draw 2"s
  • 3 "Peek"s
  • 3 "Swap"s

Setup

Each player is dealt four cards that are placed, face down, in a row in front of him/her. Everyone is allowed to look at their two outermost cards at the beginning of the game. Players may not look at any cards during the game except through the use of a Peek card; even at the beginning of the game, they may not look at their middle two cards, nor may they look at their opponents' cards. The remaining cards form a draw pile, and the top one is turned over to form a discard pile (if this card is a power card, it is placed in the middle of the draw pile and a new one is drawn).

Objective

The objective is to have the fewest points at the end of the game. The points are the total of all cards that the person has at the end of the round. Therefore, players try to get rid of high cards like 9's and gain low cards like 0's. Since cards are left face down, memory is a very important part of this game.

Game Play

On a player's turn, he/she takes a card. This can either be the top card of the discard pile (but not if it is a "power card"), or the top card of the draw pile. Anyone who takes a card from the discard pile uses it to replace one of his/her face down cards, and puts that card on the discard pile. The other choice is to take a card from the draw pile. If this is a number card, the person may either use it to replace one of the face down cards, or place the drawn card directly in the discard pile.
If the draw pile is exhausted, the discard pile is reshuffled and placed face down.

Power Cards

Power cards may only be used if they are drawn from the draw pile. They may not be taken from the discard pile, and are useless if found in the hand. After use, they are placed in the discard pile. If a power card is taken from the draw pile, it has the following effect:

Peek

If a "Peek" card is drawn, the player may immediately look at ONE of his/her face down cards.

Swap

If a "Swap" is drawn, the player may switch one of his cards with one of another players' cards. However, the player may not look at either card until receiving a peek card. If the player does not want to swap, he/she does not have to.

Draw 2

A player drawing a "Draw 2" card then draws another card from the pile, and may use this card as if it were a normal turn. However, if it is a number card and is discarded, or if it is a power card and the player decides not to use it, the player then picks another card from the pile, and plays that as if it were a normal turn.

The End of the Round

At the end of a player's turn, he may choose to end the round. All other players get one more turn. After that, everyone counts up his/her points. Any power cards are placed at the bottom of the deck and replaced with the top card.

The End of the Game

At the beginning of the game, the players decide how to win. There are three possibilities:

1. Play for a specific length of time, and the person with the fewest points at the end is the winner.
2. Play a specific number of rounds, and the person with the fewest points at the end is the winner.
3. A player with a certain number of points is kicked out of the game, and the last one still in is the winner.

External links

• Rat-a-Tat Cat at Gamewright