Dobble

Is Dobble worth taking on holiday?

Dobble is one of the easiest games for us to recommend for a family holiday. The tin is only around 10 cm across and weighs 161 g, so it takes up very little suitcase space, and you can have a game started within seconds.

Individual games are extremely quick — usually around five minutes. For us, that makes Dobble much better as a game to fill 10–20 minutes than something we'd sit and play all evening. After several games it can start to feel repetitive, but that's not really a criticism of what it does well. It's a quick, simple game that virtually anyone can join in with.

What's it like with children?

This is one of Dobble's biggest strengths. The rules are incredibly simple and children don't need much help once they understand the basic idea.

There's also very little advantage from being an experienced board-game player, which makes it particularly good when adults and children are playing together.

For a family holiday, we'd rate this as one of its strongest uses.

Can you play Dobble on a plane?

We specifically tested this using an aircraft-style tray table.

The tin and cards are certainly small enough, although you don't have enough space to spread lots of cards around. It works much better if everyone holds their own cards and you use the tray for the central playing area.

So yes, we'd be happy to take Dobble out during a flight.

How easy is it to pack?

Very easy. The circular tin is approximately 10 cm across and the complete game weighs 161 g.

Unlike some games where we'd recommend leaving the original packaging at home, there's little reason to do that with Dobble. The tin is already compact and protects the cards.

How long would we actually play it?

This is where we'd distinguish Dobble from something like The Crew.

A single game takes roughly five minutes and we'd happily play several in succession. Around 10–20 minutes feels about right for us.

If we wanted something to occupy an entire evening, we'd choose another game. But as something to pull out while waiting around, before dinner, between other games or when you've got a few minutes to fill, Dobble is excellent.

Our verdict

Dobble isn't the game we'd take away for hours of strategic play, but that's not its job.

It's small, light, extremely easy to teach and particularly good with children. Because games are so quick, it's also one of those things that's easy to get out whenever you've unexpectedly got 10 minutes to fill.

For the amount of entertainment it provides compared with the tiny amount of luggage space it takes up, Dobble is an excellent holiday game.