This is the weirdest non-video game I have ever seen, and possibly the coolest. At least it looks cool. It may not be fun at all, but it has playing pieces with mirrors, laser beams, and pyramids. Basically, you move your pieces and try to arrange them in such a way that you can bounce your laser beam off the reflective surfaces of your pieces to hit your opponent's pharaoh. Of course, if you hit one of your pieces that doesn't have a mirror, you lose that piece.

I've heard it's a pretty easy game, as you are pretty limited in how you can move your pieces. There are three choices of movement. Did I mention there are laser beams?

The game is called Khet.

You win by killing your opponent's pharaoh, but there is the ever-present danger of killing your own pharaoh with friendly fire.

The game board is 17.5 inches by 14.5 inches. The four AAA batteries it uses are included. There are also 7 red and 7 silver pyramid pieces, 2 red and 2 silver Djed pieces, 2 red and 2 silver Obelisk pieces, and 1 red and 1 silver Pharoah.

There are additions that you can get as well, expansion pieces that make the game a little more interesting. (Of course, if you want to make it really, really interesting, you can put some money on whose Pharaoh will die first.) The Eye of Horus Beam Splitters turns your beams into two-way or three-way beams. It comes with new rules and game setups.

This is a great gift for anyone who likes games and has everything. It is also a great gift for anyone who likes sci-fi, because so many of the old sci-fi universes used Egyptian imagery. Pharaohs and laser beams make perfect sense to me.

An Ancient Game of Laser Tag

Posted by Rhonda.