Components
- 16 Maze Cards
- 24 Action Cards
- Plastic Mouse
- 42 Cardboard Cheese Wedges
Object of the Game
Be the first player to get 8 cheese wedges safely out of the Maze.
Setup
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Separate the cards into 2 decks: the Maze cards and the Action cards.
Maze cards have pictures on both sides.
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Shuffle the Maze cards and place them into 4 rows with 4 cards in each row. Now, while keeping the cards in their rows and columns, flip some over (so their backs are now faceup) and turn some so they are facing in different directions.You have just creat- ed the Mouse's Maze. But watch out! The Maze will change as you play.
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Put all of the cheese wedges into a pile, off to the side, but within reach of all players.
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Shuffle the Action cards and place them, facedown, in a pile near the cheese.This is your draw pile. Leave space, near the draw pile, for a discard pile.
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Hold onto the Mouse for now, it will be let loose soon.
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Figure 2 shows the game set up.
Game Play
The youngest player goes first.
On your turn:
- Place the Mouse on the Safe card
- Place a cheese wedge in the Maze
- Draw an Action card and do what it says
- Repeat step 3 OR end your tur
1. Place the mouse on the safe card
Move the Mouse onto the SAFE card and point it in any direction you want.
Note: This will be done at the start of each player's turn.
2. Place a cheese wedge in the maze
Place a cheese wedge from the cheese pile face- up, on any Maze card that does not have the symbol. You may put cheese on a card that already has cheese.
3. Draw an action card and do what it says
Draw one Action card and do what it says (see Following the Card Directions). Once you have followed the directions on the card, discard it.
Most Action cards move the Mouse. Here are the rules for moving the Mouse:
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Pay close attention to which way the plastic Mouse is facing. Match the picture on your Action card to the Mouse in the Maze. Look at which way the arrow is pointing and move the Mouse in the direction of the arrow. NOTE: The Mouse will only change the way it faces if the card it is on gets turned.
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If you can t move the Mouse the full amount shown on the Action card or can't move it at all because there aren't enough cards in the row or column, move it as far as you can and stop. Do not change the direction the Mouse is facing.
Remember: The Mouse will only change the way it faces if the card it is on gets turned.
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If there is more than one arrow on the Action card, you get to choose which way to move.
When you move the mouse in the maze, you do the following 2 things, in order:
1 .Take all of the cheese pieces that are on the card the Mouse ends its move on (leave the ones it passes over), and place them facedown in front of you.
This cheese is not safely out of the Maze yet, but if you finish your turn with- out getting ' trapped, it's ' all yours! If you get trapped, you lose the cheese.Too' bad!
2. Follow the instructions on the Maze card that the Mouse ends its move on.You may have to move again, place more cheese, or do some other wacky thing.
Keep following the Maze cards' instructions until the Mouse can't move anymore. Ignore all of the cards the Mouse passes over - just follow the instructions of the one it ends its move on!
If you can't complete a Maze card's instruction because there aren't enough cards in the row or column go as far as you can and stop.
4. Repeat step 3 or end your turn
Once the Mouse has stopped moving and doing things to the Maze, if you are not trapped, you can either:
Repeat step 3: Try to get more cheese by continuing your turn.To continue, draw another Action card and do what it says - be careful, if you get trapped you lose your cheese! OR
End your turn: Play it safe and end your turn now by saying that your turn is over. You made it safely out of the Maze and you get to keep your cheese! Flip all of your facedown pieces of cheese faceup and wait for your next turn. The player to your left now moves the Mouse back to SAFE (see step I) and starts his/her turn.
There are 2 ways to get trapped in the Maze - I) If the Mouse ends its move on a Trapped card, OR 2) If you draw an Action card that reads "Trapped". In either case, your turn is immediately over.
You didn't make it safely out of the Maze, so you must give back all of the cheese you collected this turn (these are the facedown ones). Take all of these cheese pieces and put them back into the cheese pile. Better luck next time.The player to your left now starts his/her turn.
End of the Game
The first player to get 8 pieces of cheese safely out of the Maze wins the game.
The Card Directions
The Action cards and Maze cards allow you to do wacky things. Here is what they mean:
There are three cards that allow you to flip a Maze card. A FLIP EITHER card lets you flip either of the cards that the cards' arrows are pointing to.
A FLIP THE CARD IN FRONT OF YOU lets you flip the card in front of the Mouse while the FLIP THE CARD BEHIND YOU lets you flip the card behind the Mouse.To flip a card, turn it over so that its back is now faceup. Any cheese on a flipped card gets put back into the cheese pile.
There are three cards that allow you to turn a Maze card.A TURN EITHER card lets you turn either of the cards that the card's arrows are pointing to. TURN THIS CARD and TURN CARD allow you to turn the card that the Mouse is currently sitting on.
Important: Leave the Mouse on the card as you turn it This will make the Mouse face in a different direction as well.
Place a piece of cheese from the cheese pile, faceup, on a Maze card. Cheese can be place on any card that doesn't have a #4, symbol but cheese cannot be placed on the card the Mouse is sitting on.
You can place cheese on a card that already has wedges on it.
Take a piece of cheese from the cheese pile and place it facedown in front of you. If you end your turn without getting trapped, this cheese is yours to keep!
The Mouse is trapped! Your turn is over and you lose any cheese you collected this turn.
Remember: These are the facedown pieces of cheese.
Move the Mouse in the direction of the arrow the number of spaces indicated.You must go as far as indicated and cannot stop short unless you reach an edge of the Maze.
If you run into the Maze edge and still have moves left, STOP and either draw another card or end your turn.
End Turn: Your turn is over, but you get to keep the cheese you collected this turn.
There are 3 pairs of Go to... cards: the Diver and the Washtub, the top and bottom of the Rain Gutter, and the top and bottom of the Rickety Stairs. Land on the top half of one of these pairs (the one that says GO TO) and move immediately to the other half.
For example: If you land on the Diver (which says GOTO) then you immediately move the Mouse to the Washtub and follow the instructions on the Washtub card.
Remember to keep the Mouse facing in the same direction when you move it from card to card. Here's what the GO TO... cards look like:
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