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I've read interviews with Ken Whitman, and I have to admit that on more than one occasion I've thought to myself, "What a horse's ass. Who is he to say those things?" Then he produced the Groo game. I thought that "This is going to be a loser, and who buys card games anyway?" I was wrong. Groo was delightfully done, and a wonderful evocation of the comic book Groo the Wanderer. The same can be said for The Three Stooges Card Game.

This game is a nice evocation of the slap fights that they get into two or three times every episode. It plays quickly, is easy to teach, and has a certain elegance and simplicity in its mechanics that must be played to be believed. Its good...real good!

Every player starts with five cards, then the dealer starts slapping the other stooges around. They can play defense cards, which can allow for other immediate counter-attacks, or the defense ends the previous player's turn allowing this almost victimized stooge to go on the offensive...after allowing everyone to draw enough cards so that everyone has five in their hand. The game is well-balanced, with a nice end game trick that allows the player furthest behind to play out the cards in her hand in order to beat the other players down. The game ends when the deck runs out.

This game is for three players, though you can play with more the essential mayhem of playacting as the three stooges is a little bit missing. This is a fine game, with wonderful card art and well written rules. I give this game an "A." It evokes the Three Stooges as surely as the Groo card game evoked its own story.

Ken Whitman is a genius at designing great card games, and he has a sure knack for finding mechanics and cards that help the players to get to the essential ingredients of the original material. I'm the horse's ass for ever doubting Ken's talent. This game is money well-spent!

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)