Zooloretto: The Dice Game

On your turn, you choose between two actions: take two dice from the supply, roll them, and distribute them among the transport carts on the board, OR take all dice from one cart and mark off the corresponding spaces on your scoresheet. Each cart has a maximum of three spots, and the round ends as soon as every player has taken dice from a cart. The first player to fill an entire animal enclosure receives a bonus. Too many animals of the same species end up in the barn and cost two negative points each, although you can neutralize these with coins. The player with the most points at the end wins.

Zooloretto The Dice Game cleverly translates the proven push-your-luck mechanism of Zooloretto and Coloretto into a dice format: the core dilemma — take it now or wait for more? — remains just as keenly present, but the game plays faster and is easier to take with you. The score sheets make the whole experience pleasantly tangible and ensure that everyone stays involved with every roll. Reviewers describe it as a successful, more compact version of the original that sacrifices some strategic depth but gains in accessibility and speed of play.