Vampires are everywhere, if you believe all those horror movies. Now you can catch some, and in a splendid array of colors. Start with four vampire cards. Six gathering places are arranged on the table, each with a vampire of the color that haunts it. Draw two vampire cards or take all the cards from one of the gathering places. Then, either send a vampire to its favorite haunt, or lay down a set of three or more vampire cards of one color. You can't augment a set, but you can supersede it with a bigger one. The game ends when the deck runs out, or when someone has sets in each color. For every color, players score the number of vampires they've caught, except for the hapless player with the fewest. Garlic and stakes not included.

Okay, so maybe it's not rocket science, but I like this game. To me the excellent graphics are not the only redeeming quality. Being fairly new to German games, I like something simple that I can easily teach my friends. Three of us had a good time playing this the other night. I have to agree with everyone else who has said that the game really has nothing to do with Vampires, but does that matter? The game could have a Western theme, and it still would be fun! This is a perfect game to introduce others to German gaming, and would be great to play while waiting for the rest of the group to arrive.

i think this game is equal to many of the other rummy like games out there and has been gggiven a bad rap because the theme has no relationship with the game...da....this is knizia here! there is strategy here, rush people along and collect all 6 colours, ending the game...wait for the cards to come and go for high scores...light but fun

Reiner Knizia games are known for the subtlety of their play, as well as the simplicty of their mechanics. He may have surpassed himself with 'Vampire,' a game that causes an immediate 'That's it?!?' reaction when you read the rules.

When I get a new game, I usually play it out against myself a few times so that I can find any hidden pitfalls, and then teach it to my friends, who absolutely detest reading through the rules of a game. What I discovered was surprising.

Players who just dive into the game will fail to see the subtlety of it, and will merely go for a quick end to the game, with short runs and hoping to cover all six colors. This is almost always a road to defeat, since those short runs of cards usually mean that the color will not be scored at game end. It is much better to work toward longer runs of cards, even if a color or two is missed.

On the other hand, if two or more players work toward long colors and another player tries for short ones, there is the slight chance that this player can sneak through with a win by picking up those colors missed by the other players.

Like Lost Cities, there is an overwhelming chance that the casual gamer will underestimate this game and give it a bye rather than a buy. If you want a simple game that calls for some tough decisions, stake out 'Vampire.'