ravensburger board gameThe 1999 game of Sphinx by Ravensburger provides adventure and intrigue for 2 to 4 players.  The game takes players on a mission to retrieve a valuable treasure. In order to reach the treasure’s central chamber, though, players must first face three golden sphinxes that guard the entrance and solve the riddle!

Players travel inside a mysterious pyramid with revolving doors, mummies, and colorful secrets.  Through these winding corridors, they will have chances to discover the answers to the riddles that the three Sphinxes hold.  Whoever maneuvers, and first learns these correctly, will then be able to conquer the sphinxes and win the game!

Ravensburger games are known for their high quality boards and game pieces.  Sphinx (recommended for ages 8 and up) clearly displays this.  The six golden sphinxes, the maze-like game board, with doors that move players from one corridor to the next, and the sturdy cards, dice and pawns, all make the game a lasting treasure. The fun features draw the interest of players immediately.

game board of sphinx The game begins by placing the six sphinxes in their starting positions; three guarding the treasure chamber and three in the temple chambers.  Each of these is placed so no one knows the secret color hidden underneath any of them.  And there is the riddle to solve!

In order to reach the treasure, and win the game, a player must know the colors the three sphinxes hide.  They also need to know the order of the secret colors, and have collected the matching sphinx cards to conquer these half lion-half, half-pharaoh faced creatures!

Players learn these secrets when taking turns rolling three dice, and moving their pawns once in any direction for each of the die.  For example, if after rolling a 2, 3, and 6, a player could decide to move back 2, forward 3, and then back 6.  This freedom helps a player strategize and utilize different spaces on the board.


Passing over spaces with mummy hands allows a player to look under any sphinx of his choice to see the color it hides.  Players can also collect the needed sphinx color cards by moving over sphinx card spaces.  And landing on revolving door spaces lets players sneak into the next corridor.  Another helpful move is to pass over another player.  Here, a player can steal a desired sphinx card from his opponent!

One of the die holds a trick too!  Two faces on one die depict the image of snakes.  If a player rolls either of these during his turn, he can swap two sphinxes!  He can exchange a temple sphinx with one that is guarding the treasure chamber!  This may confuse players who had learned the colors of some of the sphinxes.

These various moves and plays, creates a challenging game.  Deduction, memorization, and strategy are elements players use to win the game.  Developing skills, while bringing an exciting exploration to players, the Ravensburger game of Sphinx is a welcomed game to place on the game table!

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